NY company inks $30 million deal to build hangar campus at Bradley International Airport

Luther Turmelle

The state already has five general aviation airports within its borders, but officials at the Connecticut Airport Authority announced late Monday they have reached an agreement with a Westchester County, N.Y. company to develop a hangar campus to serve that sector on eight acres of unused land at Bradley International Airport.

Terms of the deal between Sky Harbour Group and the CAA were not immediately available, although officials with the Airport Authority said Sky Harbour will spend $30 million to develop the multi-hangar campus at Bradley International. The partnership with the Airport Authority is part of larger move by Sky Harbor to fill what officials with the publicly-traded company describe in a press release as "a large and growing hangar deficit impacting the New York metro area."

Kevin Dillon, the executive director of the CAA, the deal with Sky Harbour will "diversify our partner portfolio and bolster aviation activity at Bradley International Airport."

"Their multi-million-dollar private investment will benefit our region for years to come, by creating jobs and making our airport even more attractive to the corporate and private aviation market," Dillon said of Sky Harbour.

Even as Sky Harbour officials announced their deal with the Airport Authority, the company also unveiled an agreement with Dutchess County, N.Y. and the Hudson Valley Regional Airport in Wappingers Falls, N.Y., That airport is located just north of Interstate 84 and seven miles south Poughkeepsie.

Sky Harbour's deal at Hudson Valley Regional Airport calls for developing a hangar campus and related services on a seven-acre tract of land on the grounds of the Dutchess County facility. Officials with Sky Harbour said both deals will serve "as a catalyst to create hundreds of local jobs and generate significant economic benefits to their local communities."

"(These campuses will offer) the best home base in business aviation to house some of the New York and Connecticut area’s top corporate and privately-owned business jets in private hangars, with line-services dedicated exclusively to based tenants, offering the shortest time to wheels-up in business aviation," Sky Harbour officials said in a written state.

Officials with the Airport Authority and Sky Harbour weren't immediately available on Monday to provide substantive details on their arrangement. In a written statement included in the Sky Harbour press release, Dutchess County Executive William F.X. O’Neil said he is looking forward to working with the Westchester County company "to enhance our Hudson Valley Regional Airport’s value to our community and to the business aviation community."

Michael Boyd, president of a Colorado-based aviation consulting firm, said "there is no down side to a deal like because general aviation is the sector that we see the most growth in."

"Historically hangar space has been at a premium across the country," Boyd said. "It's a renters market and these hangars make a lot of money. Not only that, but this is going to create a lot of jobs."

In addition to the construction jobs associated with developing the hangar campuses at both airports, Boyd said "you're probably looking at 300 to 400 jobs, both directly involving the airports and indirectly for companies serving those airports."

Construction of the hangar campus at Bradley is expected to start at some point in 2025, according to Dillon. When completed, the enhanced general aviation facilities at Windsor Locks-based Bradley and Hudson Valley Regional Airport will join other Sky Harbour hangar campuses at Nashville International Airport, as well as similar facilities outside of Houston and Miami.

The company also has hangar campuses under construction in the Denver, Phoenix, Dallas and Chicago areas.

The Airport Authority operates Connecticut’s five general aviation airports in Danielson, Groton-New London, Hartford-Brainard, Waterbury-Oxford, and Windham.

Norwich parks improvement plan would cost $30M over 10 years

Claire Bessette

Norwich ― A new draft Norwich parks master plan recommends the city consider building two splashpads, an artificial turf field, more shady areas and trails, and improve accessibility.

Officials from FHI Studio of Hartford on Monday presented an overview of the 170-page plan, which assessed 31 city parks and made recommendations for improvements to each one. The group also proposed two new parks, including what FHI Studio landscape architect Phil Barlow called a potential signature park at the blighted, decaying former Capehart Mill along the Shetucket River in Greeneville.

The proposed improvements and new parks would cost $30 million. FHI recommended tackling the projects in seven phases over 10 years, with potential funding sources identified.

The group will finalize its draft report in early to mid-January and will submit it to the city. At that point, the plan will be posted on the city’s website, city Public Works Director Patrick McLaughlin said.

Barlow and FHI planner Kevin Rivera said during eight months of study and interactions with residents, sports advocates, city and school officials, several themes emerged. Rivera said Norwich residents think the city’s 400-acre Mohegan Park is “a gem,” and do not want major changes there.

But residents did ask for a splashpad, more programs in the parks, more park furniture for picnics, improvements to waterfront parks, upgraded playground equipment and new park bathrooms.

Barlow and Rivera quickly reviewed the existing conditions and proposed improvements to each park. The group proposed two splashpads, one at the Taftville playground area and one at Jenkins Park, a popular collection of sports fields and gathering space.

The group recommended converting the much-used Fontaine Field on Mahan Drive across from Kelly Middle School, into an artificial turf field to improve scheduling and open the field to more uses. The group also proposed improvements to the field’s walking trail and added parking.

Asked by Alderman Mark Bettencourt to recommend low-hanging fruit the city could address quickly in the plan, Barlow admitted the Fontaine field turf would not be inexpensive and quick, but he said it would bring great advantage to recreation opportunities.

“Every community that builds a turf field does not regret it,” Barlow said.

Barlow said the plan also recommends the city create better connections between neighborhoods and their parks and in some cases between two or more parks. Much of the city’s population lives within a 10-minute walking distance to a park. The group recommended better walking trails, bicycle trails and sidewalks.

To improve waterfront access, the committee proposed improving the existing kayak ramp at the Occum Park on the Shetucket River and at the Jennings Field along the Shetucket River.

Barlow said another comment from residents was that they want to be able to bring their dogs to city parks. Currently, nearly all city parks prohibit dogs. The proposals outlined Monday did not include recommendations to allow dogs in the parks.

The group did analyze the city’s dog park on Asylum Street. Barlow said the plan will make recommendations for minor improvements there, including more walking trails and improved vegetation.

New Utility Right of Way in Fairfield and Bridgeport Spurred by CTDOT Plans for Faster Rail Service

Brendan Crowley

United Illuminating told CT Examiner that its efforts to move transmission lines off of railroad catenaries on Northeast Corridor in Bridgeport and Fairfield came at the request of the  Connecticut Department of Transportation, which wants the rail overhead cleared as it looks at ways to speed up trains.

The state’s second-largest electric company is asking for approval for the fifth and final part of a plan to replace the 25-mile transmission line from West Haven to Fairfield.

United Illuminating told CT Examiner that the company’s goal is to replace equipment holding its wires on top of the railroad catenary structures, not necessarily to create a new utility corridor.

The company assessed the equipment along the line in 2018, and said it found heavy corrosion on some of the catenary structures from the 1910s, and corrosion and damage from the electrical equipment installed in the 1960s. The transmission line is the “backbone” of electric service for UI and for the electric grid across New England. 

UI manager of transmission projects Shawn Crosbie told CT Examiner that weather in the northeast can wear down metal equipment. And with the existing structures deemed to be at the end of their useful life, the company has received approval from the regional grid operator ISO-New England to replace it. 

But instead of simply replacing the infrastructure where it has run on top of the New Haven Line for about 60 years, the company is proposing to move the line onto monopoles on private property adjacent to the rail line. The final section proposed on a 7.3-mile stretch from Bridgeport to Southport would require taking 8.6 acres of easements and has drawn vocal opposition from neighbors and elected officials in the region. 

Simply replacing the lines where they are would sidestep the need for these easements, but Crosbie said the state Department of Transportation does not want the lines strung on the corridor any longer.

“They’re trying to look at possible upgrades to their system, and those upgrades require possible construction on those catenaries,” Crosbie said. “We wouldn’t be putting lines when you’ve got to do construction, and that’s been communicated.”

The Connecticut Department of Transportation did not answer several queries by CT Examiner for information about plans on the corridor, or how UI’s existing infrastructure would affect those plans. 

But in its written comments to the Siting Council, the department said that the existing lines would interfere with future projects on the rail corridor, and would “continue to hamper” the department’s ability to maintain railroad equipment.

“In fact, CTDOT would prefer [UI move off the catenary structures], as it aids in our maintenance of the traction power system and wayside equipment, by not having to request UI transmission line outages,” according to CTDOT recommendations to the Siting Council.

CTDOT told the council that there are “several efforts” to shorten trip times, improve service and enhance stations along the New Haven Line. To increase speeds, the department explained, it would have to add new catenary structures, track sidings, additional bridge spans and monitoring equipment.

The department advised the council that it wouldn’t object to UI’s proposal for moving transmission lines to new monopoles about 25 feet from the existing catenary structures, but the department encouraged the company to move the lines as far as possible from the railroad right of way.

The Connecticut Department of Transportation separately opposed undergrounding the lines, a proposal popular among neighbors, warning that underground lines along the corridor would interfere with existing infrastructure. The department advised the Siting Council that given the age of the railroad, which dates back to the mid-1800s, every excavation would need to be hand-dug down to four feet, adding time and money and impacting operations on the rail line.

Crosbie said that, where possible, UI is attempting to keep any new monopoles within the existing right of way, but especially along the final section, portions of the track sit alongside retaining walls, preventing the company from installing new monopoles in the existing easement. The company also needs to tie into substations off the right of way by a fraction of a mile, he explained, and in Southport the company needs to connect with the Eversource line.

New Haven, East Hartford, others will share $7.2M in state brownfield remediation funding

Hanna Snyder Gambini

Gov. Ned Lamont has approved the release of $7.2 million in state grants that will be used to support the remediation and assessment of blighted properties in nine municipalities across Connecticut.

The grants are part of the Department of Economic and Community Development’s Brownfield Remediation and Development Program, which will help clean up properties for redevelopment and put them back into productive use to support economic growth. 

The grants will leverage nearly $229 million in private investments and are expected to create more than 850 jobs, the governor’s office said.

State officials said the majority of the funds will go to distressed municipalities, where developable land is often scarce and economic revitalization efforts take on added importance.

Nearly $2 million will go to New Haven: $990,000 for soil remediation, excavation, and disposal of impacted soils at 265 South Orange St., the former coliseum site where the  11-story, “Square 10” life sciences and tech office building is planned. Another $995,600 will help abate and demolish four dilapidated buildings at 10 Liberty St., to make room for a new five-story, 150-unit affordable housing complex.
 
East Hartford will get a $178,800 grant for site assessments at a former industrial paper mill site at 87 Church St., where a hydro-powered liquor distillery and tasting room will be built.

Ansonia is getting $3.8 million to dispose of demolition debris and remediate the 8.56-acre property at 31-165 Olsen Drive to prepare the property for redevelopment of a new $16.4 million multi-sport indoor/outdoor complex.

Other grants include:

Danbury: $200,000 for 72-80 Maple Ave., and East Franklin Street, to determine future uses for the former Amphenol warehouse.

Griswold: $110,000 grant to survey contaminants at the former repair garage and gas station at 1554-1560 Voluntown Road.

Lisbon: $120,000 for assessments of the former Lisbon Textile Prints company site at 99 River Road for future mixed-use and commercial uses.

New Milford: $200,000 for the assessment of three properties – 6 Youngs Field Road, 20 Youngs Field Road, and 72 Housatonic Ave., to determine a remediation strategy for future remediation and development.

Putnam: $200,000 for environmental assessment of the former Putnam Foundry site at 2 Furnace St., and the John M. Dean Company at 20 Mechanics St., to determine a remediation plan for future mixed-use housing and commercial space.

Sprague: $200,000 for site investigations of the former Paper Manufacturing site at 130 Inland Road in Baltic to determine future remediation and current waste treatment expansion and other potential uses.

Sewage spilled into CT waterways nearly 150 times this year. See where, why and what’s being done.

ED STANNARD

Between Jan. 1 and Nov. 30, there were 146 sewage spills into Connecticut’s rivers and harbors, according to state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection data.

That number is led by Norwich, which has had 41 spills into the Shetucket River and 16 into the Thames, which empties into Long Island Sound, data show.

That’s one reason the city recently bonded $199 million to completely overhaul its sewage-treatment plant on Hollyhock Island in the Yantic River, a project that will take five years.

In Norwich and three other Connecticut cities, outdated sewer systems that share the underground rainwater pipes, mean that several state rivers, and ultimately the Sound, become polluted after heavy rains.

But while there have been more than 10 spills a month this year — usually when rainwater overwhelms those old systems, Connecticut is in much better shape than it was back in the 1970s and before, say DEEP officials.

“We have been working on this problem for many years, since the 1970s,” said Ivonne Hall, assistant director of municipal wastewater at DEEP. “We have data that shows that we had 13 municipalities that had these combined sewer overflows,” which combine groundwater and wastewater in one pipe.

“At that time, we didn’t have the Clean Water Fund,” Hall said. “We had its precursor, which was the EPA construction grants program, but then in 1987, we got the Clean Water Fund in Connecticut, one of the first in the nation.”

The Clean Water Fund, which is composed of federal and state money, totaled $583 million for 2023-24, half of which went to combined sewer overflow systems.

Now there are four cities with combined sewer overflows: Norwich, with 57 spills to date this year; Bridgeport, with 42; New Haven, 30; and Hartford, eight. Two more are combined just before the sewage-treatment plants: Norwalk had two spills and Waterbury had one.

Even though there are just four combined systems left, they are in the cities that will be the most difficult to separate. Hartford has been working for years to address it and end the flooding and overflows.

“It’s just those last remaining CSOs that are going to be the hardest to remove because they’re in the most tightly populated areas,” Hall said. “Unfortunately, it’s going to be decades to come in order to eliminate it.” 

When ‘it’s not raining”

Hartford, which has an underground storage tunnel to store water during heavy rains, intended to prevent overflows, still has a problem in the North End that combined sewer systems were meant to prevent: sewage backups into the basements of residents’ homes.

“Back about 100 years ago … particularly in really urban communities, the thought and the best engineering practice at that time was to have one pipe installed that would collect sewage, any other wastewater from people and their activities, as well as any rainwater that fell within those inhabited areas,” said Nisha Patel, director of DEEP’s Water Planning and Management Division.

“Because at the time the real driver was public safety,” she said. “There was one pipe that was constructed to collect that and then discharge it to the nearest water body,” she said.

In Hartford’s North End, that system hasn’t worked well, especially with new rainfall totals, and $85 million from the Clean Water Fund will be used to address the problems.

However, even towns with separated sewer and groundwater systems have had sewage spills this year: Fairfield, five, and Stratford, one.

The number of spills may not reflect how much sewage is being released into the rivers, Hall said.

“There are certain communities, like Hartford, which might have a fewer number of releases, but it doesn’t really tell you how much volume is discharged,” she said. The 41 spills in Norwich “are probably smaller than some of the other ones.”

“Norwich is a great example of what we’ve been doing but it also will tell you how long these projects take, because it takes a lot of years to plan, design, fund,” Patel said. 

“Norwich started … about 10 to 12 years ago. … So it’s taken this long to go through all of that engineering, all of that project planning and financing to get to a point where we just did groundbreaking at that facility. And that’s not atypical, because these are highly engineered, highly expensive systems.”

Norwich has made “tremendous progress,” decreasing the volume of its spills by 53%, from 1.69 million gallons per inch of rain in 2018 to about 795,000 in 2022, according to Chris Riley, communications and community outreach manager for Norwich Public Utilities.

Besides totally renovating the sewage-treatment plant, the city has been relining pipes in the Greenville section by the Shetucket River, Riley said. He said when there are spills, which are approved by DEEP, just 1% is wastewater.

“We’ve made dramatic progress,” he said. “Norwich is an older city. We’ve got a lot of older infrastructure. Some of the CSOs are more than 100 years old and some of the infrastructure was put in in the ’50s. It’s well past its useful life, so we’re realigning some pipes, we’re eliminating them in certain areas. It’s expensive and time consuming, but it’s critically important work because we’re on a consent order with DEEP.”

“As it works now, if it’s not raining, the sewer system works fine,” said Larry Sullivan, integrity manager for Norwich’s water and wastewater divisions. “Depending on the rainstorm, if you get 1 inch of rain over 24 hours, they probably won’t activate. You get 1 inch of rain in an hour, it’s probably going to activate because the pipes get overwhelmed.”

DEEP requires towns and cities to warn residents not to go into the water near an outflow pipe after it rains.

“When we permit these facilities, the wastewater-treatment facilities that manage this wastewater, we require each of those municipalities that have the systems to say, where you have … a pipe that’s discharging into a water body, you have to put up signage to let residents know that, hey, there’s this kind of outfall, so be aware and don’t go in the water or don’t fish in the water right after a rain event,” Patel said.

She said there is also a citizen’s right-to-know law that requires municipalities to let neighboring towns and their own residents know of spills. DEEP has a page on X (previously Twitter), @ctsewagespills, where it posts notices.

“This is not the ideal. No one wants these things to exist,” Patel said. “But the fact that they are triggered when there are rainfalls, there is some benefit to the fact that the discharge of sewage is pretty heavily diluted with storm water.”

She said spills “generally get cleared away within 24 to 48 hours, depending on the specific flow conditions of that river or water body. So it’s not a lengthy period of risk. … It’s not a prolonged risk to aquatic life either.”

Housing, a community center and more: Here are new West Hartford developments to watch for in 2024 

Michael Walsh

WEST HARTFORD — A slew of new housing developments, along with brand-new town projects and the arrival of new retail, is all moving forward in West Hartford next year.

From investments by private developers to town-led projects that look to modernized outdated buildings, here are some of the more notable projects that will be developing and progressing in West Hartford in 2024.

A new community center and animal control facility

The town's plans to tear down the former St. Brigid School and build a brand-new community center in its place are moving forward. 

West Hartford bought the school for $3 million in 2021 and plans to replace its aging and outdated Elmwood Community Center with a modern building that would house the senior center, the Faxon Library branch, a teen center, and more. Last January, it was estimated that the project could cost more than $66 million.

At a recent Public Works, Facilities and Sustainability Committee meeting, Robert Palmer, the town's director of plant and facilities services, said a design for the demolition of the St. Brigid School is currently underway. Palmer also said that the town is expecting to soon receive three proposals for the design of the new center from architectural firms.

"We had 11 firms respond," Palmer said at that meeting. "Town staff selected six firms to interview. We had really great presentations from those firms. We were very happy with the quality of those and how they paid attention to the work we've already done with that."

There is no firm timeline on when the demolition of the existing building will begin, though it likely is a multiyear project.

Mayor Shari Cantor, speaking at last week's reveal of the newly renovated teen center, said a community center that allows for more space for all programming is a priority community need.

"We know this space probably doesn't fit the need of the community," Cantor said. "That's something that we're working on."

Earlier this year, the Town Council paved the way for a new animal control facility to be built by authorizing the town's purchase of two properties — 12 Brixton St. and 705 Oakwood Ave. — that are adjacent to its existing public works campus for $1,235,000.

The purchase of the Oakwood Avenue location, specifically, is going to allow the town to build that new animal control facility.

"We are taking the new design for the animal control facility and placing it on that site," Palmer said at that same meeting. "At the same time, we are also engaged in the process of the demolition of that structure. Those two things are at work right now."

Housing developments

It's possible that over the next few years West Hartford will be adding well over 1,000 more housing units through a variety of new developments. 

Some of those, like the redevelopment of the former University of Connecticut campus, are still in the approval process. 

Others, like the $100 million expansion of the West Hartford Fellowship Housing campus that provides homes to people with disabilities and those over the age of 62 years old have already begun work that will continue into next year.

Two others currently under construction that could see major progress in 2024 are The Byline and 950 Trout Brook Drive, the former site of the Children's Museum. The Byline, located on Farmington Avenue, is already standing tall and will provide 48 units. Over on Trout Brook Drive, the Children's Museum has been demolished, making way for 172 housing units.

Next year might also see the start of the transformation of the West Hartford Inn into The Camelot, an affordable housing development that's also on Farmington Avenue.

New retail coming

Work could also start on two new fast-food chain locations in West Hartford next year.

Starbucks, set to be built on the Corporate Center West property at 433 South Main St., will feature a drive-thru. Approved last December, the plan caused some residents to be concerned about traffic impacts. And employees at the nearby unionized Starbucks were concerned that the drive-thru location would be a direct competitor to their shop.

Less controversial was the approval of a Chipotle, complete with a drive-thru, that will be built in the Prospect Plaza. Both it and the Starbucks are completely new constructions.

The major East Hartford, Manchester and South Windsor developments to watch in 2024

Jamila Young

North-central Connecticut will look quite differently in many spots in the coming year. East Hartford, Manchester, and South Windsor residents in particular can expect to see big changes around their towns in 2024.

Officials in all three towns are looking to redevelop areas in need of upgrades — from new retail businesses to new and redeveloped housing.

East Hartford has big dreams

In East Hartford, newly elected Mayor Connor Martin has several redevelopment projects on his plate, both to start on as well as finish up.

Martin plans to bring in new retail businesses to the Silver Lane Plaza after its demolition, as well as finishing construction for new housing to replace the Showcase Cinemas movie theater, and beginning updates to the apartments at the Church Corners Inn building.

"We have to start raising the household median income, bring in revenue through economic development, and bring in retail, entertainment, shopping," Martin said during his swearing in ceremony last month. "We want to give residents a reason to spend their money in East Hartford."

East Hartford acquired the Silver Lane Plaza by eminent domain on March 1, with $4.5 million from the State Bond Commission. 

One of the plaza tenants, JE Mart, an Asian grocery store, recently relocated to the Manchester Parkade. 

East Hartford Director of Development Eileen Buckheit said that several businesses still remain in the plaza, but town officials are actively working with attorneys or the businesses themselves to exit the property. 

In November, the Grossman Development Group, Charter Realty Principal, and Leyland Alliance submitted a joint proposal for the plaza, which town officials will review. The proposal consists of three different formats for mixed-use property — some retail property with housing property behind it, according to Michael Goman of Goman + York, a real estate consultant for the town.

"It's a concept that's consistent with the goals of the master plan in the works on the plaza to improve commercial uses and add housing to the area," Goman said. "It will create new jobs, and increase the demand of housing as a result."

In July, Gov. Ned Lamont announced that $7 million in State Bond Commission funding would be allocated to build an apartment complex called Concourse Park, at the site of the former Showcase Cinemas, which closed in 2006. 

The town purchased the property in January 2019 for $3.3 million, and the theater demolition was completed in 2020.

The complex will be developed by New Britain-based Jasko Development, in a partnership with West Hartford-based Zelman Real Estate.

Former mayor Mike Walsh said in September that the complex, which would include up to 400 apartments, a pool, a dog park, and other amenities, will cost an estimated $110 million. 

The Church Corners Inn at 860 Main St., known for a years as a high-crime location, remains vacant after the town purchased the building in January for $950,000.

In January, Walsh said the plan was to demolish the 53-unit, 24,820-square-foot building and construct 25 apartments of 700 square feet each, with retail space on the ground floor. The plans changed from a demolition to a renovation, when Unionville-based developer Parker Benjamin proposed a plan in September to redevelop the building instead.

In October, Walsh said if Parker Benjamin's proposal is approved, the building would be converted to hold about 24 units, with the first floor being used for retail.

Distribution warehouses for Lowe's and Wayfair are expected to be completed at Rentschler Field sometime next summer, according to Massachusetts-based National Development, which broke ground on the 300-acre site in March. National Development expects the warehouses to create 400 construction jobs, and up to 1,000 permanent positions.

Residents an also expect to see the demolition of buildings at Founders Plaza. This year the town filed a demolition permit for 20 Hartland St./99 Founders Plaza, after it received $6.5 million from the State Bond Commission.

Transformations in Manchester

Main Street in Manchester will be going through a transformation of its own, as plans to develop a multistory building with residential and retail space next year at the site of the Tong building at 942 Main St. are currently underway. The town bought the building earlier this year for $1.75 million with plans to demolish it by next February. 

Several tenants remain in the building and the town is currently in the midst of relocation negotiations with them.

Another plan for Main Street is to have a 75,000-square-foot library constructed at the site of the Webster Bank branch at 1041 Main St., as well as repair the Mary Cheney Library at 586 Main St.

The new library will cost roughly $39 million, and the town has already secured $5.5 million in grants, and hopes to secure $9.5 million in state funds.

The Redevelopment Agency unanimously decided in October to recommend that the Board of Directors begin planning the construction of a 600-foot trail and pedestrian bridge across Bigelow Brook, using $200,000 awarded to the town by the State Bond Commission. 

Town officials said that the trail project, which would link Center Springs Park to the Purdy Trail, is directly connected to plans to revitalize the long-vacant Broad Street Parkade.

Whole Foods and apartments in South Windsor

South Windsor has also had a number of development announcements, some that were applauded by residents, and others that became quite controversial.

The Promenade Shops at Evergreen Walk will soon have a highly anticipated new tenant, Whole Foods, which is expected to open on Jan. 17. The store was touted as part of a plan to transform the shopping center that was dubbed "Evergreen Walk 2.0." 

In 2021, the site plan for the new Whole Foods showed that the building would be split into two units, with 40,000 square feet for the store and 10,000 square feet of retail space for lease.

An apartment complex on a 6-acre site at 240 Deming St. and 440 Buckland Road has gotten the go-ahead by the Planning and Zoning Commission, but not without hurdles.

Hundreds of residents turned out for public hearings on the proposed apartments, many concerned about traffic, noise, and the potential effects of property values.

The plan, which originally called for 72 apartments, was narrowed down to 55, with five, two-story buildings. In November, the PZC, along party lines, narrowly approved a zone change for the site and on Dec. 12, again along party lines, the PZC approved the site plan with certain restrictions, including the preservation of trees.