CT Construction Digest Tuesday February 28, 2024
Stamford train station's new parking garage finally opens: 'A long time coming'
STAMFORD — As federal, state and local officials celebrated the opening of the new parking garage for the Stamford train station Monday, at least three used essentially the same phrase to describe the occasion: “a long time coming.”
Those officials included Connecticut Department of Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto.
“I went back and looked at some of the history of this project,” Eucalitto said during a news conference at the new garage Monday morning. “I think the first big news stories about it were back in 2007 ... And it took a long time, a lot of cooperation between the DOT and the city of Stamford, to get us to this point.”
At one point, the garage was supposed to open by the end of summer 2023. But months later, pieces for elevator shafts and elevator and stairwell enclosures still hadn’t arrived.
On Monday, Mayor Caroline Simmons laid out the features of the new facility: 914 parking spots, 92 charging stations for electric vehicles and 120 bike spaces.
More than 28,000 commuters use the Stamford Transportation Center every day, Simmons said, referring to pre-pandemic data. From the parking garage, travelers will have access to the Track 5 platform as well as a pedestrian bridge to the station.
State bonding funded the $100 million project, according to a release from Gov. Ned Lamont’s office. Coinciding with the garage’s opening, state officials released a master plan for an overhaul of the train station.
At Monday’s press conference, Lamont described the station as “the gateway to New England.”
“This is people’s first impressions of our amazing state,” Lamont said. “And the train station’s OK. I think it was designed by a Soviet architect who forgot his glasses myself, but it’s time for a redo, it’s time for an upgrade.”
Eucalitto said the garage is the first state DOT facility to have electric bike lockers and charging stations. He also highlighted the more than 200,000 LED lights that wrap around the building, saying they would project the colors of the state flag Monday.
The station’s old parking garage, which was built in the 1980s, will start undergoing demolition next month, Eucalitto said. The process is estimated to take six months.
“That will allow us, in partnership with the city, to go out and do real transit-oriented development on that parcel, one of the most important parcels in the state of Connecticut,” he said.
U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., said it’s “an opportunity for retail, for commercial space, maybe even for housing, that will really create a hub around here.”
State Sen. Ceci Maher, D-Wilton, said the new garage “makes life easier” for commuters and others traveling to New York City.
“If any of you have tried to park in the other garage in order to go get a train, you know that you’re going around and around and you’re looking for a place to park and getting panicked that you’re going to miss your train,” she said.
Simmons said the city has more plans for the area around the train station, including “investing in hundreds of units of workforce housing” and making changes to Washington Boulevard in an effort to improve safety.
Stamford group wants city to close piece of Garden Street to make it more attractive to developer
STAMFORD — The owners of a set of properties in Stamford’s South End want the city to permanently close the street that divides the small blocks their properties sit on in the hopes, they said, that it will make their land more attractive to a developer.
The Board of Representatives could pass a resolution as soon as next week that says it is considering the idea of discontinuing a section of Garden Street, which splits the properties that are surrounded by Manhattan Street, Pacific Street, Dock Street and Atlantic Street.
At a meeting of the board’s Land Use-Urban Redevelopment Committee, South End Rep. Terry Adams, D-3, said the two blocks near Stamford’s train station have “been an eyesore for quite a while now.” There have been two fires in the area in recent years as well as a “tremendous amount” of illegal dumping, he said.
Blighted properties on the site were recently demolished, and a temporary fence was set up to try to prevent dumping, said city Director of Administration Ben Barnes.
Barnes said that combining the two blocks would “increase the development potential” of the spot. The properties are located within the city’s Transportation Center Design District, where high-density mixed-use development is encouraged.
But Shippan Rep. Thomas Kuczynski, R-1, said that without more information about what the property owners planned to do with the land, it seemed “premature” to permanently shut down the street segment.
Barnes, in response, said their plans depend on whether the city is willing to discontinue the street. But Kuczynski pushed back.
“The intended use — which at this point is speculative — has a direct bearing on the value of this piece of property here,” Kuczynski said. “There’s no rush for us to move forward until we have the context of how that property is proposed to be redeveloped, and it’s only in that context that a fair valuation for our citizens can be delivered.”
Barnes said that if the full board passes the resolution, it would mark just the first step toward discontinuing the street segment.
The next step in the process would involve an engineering study and property appraisal, both of which would become part of a public report that weighs the costs and benefits of closing the street, he said. After a public hearing, the report would go before the Planning Board, Board of Finance and Board of Representatives.
Barnes said it could take three to five months for the report to reach the boards.
Land use consultant Rick Redniss said the property owners don’t intend to develop the site themselves. If the street is discontinued, Redniss said that either some or all of the owners would look to buy the land. Then they would try to sell the entire site to either a for-profit or nonprofit developer.
“Unknowns, in real estate, devalue property,” Redniss told the committee. If it is clear that the street will close, “then a developer knows, ‘OK, that’s ready. Now I can start the zoning process,’” he said.
Rep. Carmine Tomas, D-15, floated an idea: What if the city maintained ownership of the street and joined the other property owners in selling to a developer?
“Then once the parcel sells ... that revenue goes into the city of Stamford’s pocketbook,” Tomas said.
Barnes said the idea made him feel “uneasy.”
“I’ve only seen such (city) involvement in real estate transactions where there was some other public purpose involved other than making money, although I suppose that’s a possibility,” he said. “I’ll give that some additional thought.”
Kuczynski voiced support for Tomas’ suggestion, saying the city could “receive a disproportionately high portion of the total sell, reflecting the unique value of Garden Street enabling for one contiguous assemblage, which increases the total value.”
The committee amended the resolution to say that the potential street closure “presents opportunities for the city to realize significant financial and other benefits” and that the Board of Representatives is “interested in exploring the possibility of retaining the Garden Street land and potentially selling it in coordination with (the other property owners) to another entity for future use to maximize the benefit to city residents.”
The amendment initially referred to “taxpayers,” but Rep. James Grunberger, D-18, suggested that the committee change the language to “residents” to reflect the board’s intent “not just to get the last dollar out of (the land) but to also enhance the quality of life in the neighborhood.”
Redniss said the property owners came together as the “Stamford Manhattan Transit Group” more than a decade ago “as part of protecting themselves from what was happening around them.”
Barnes explained that the area went through significant changes during the building of the Stamford Urban Transitway. As part of the project, the city acquired parts of properties using eminent domain, making way for construction work on Atlantic Street and Dock Street.
“A number of the property owners had their property carved up,” Barnes said. “Their whole street was — and all the uses there were — heavily disrupted by that action.”
The properties became part of a plan to build a mix of office, retail, hotel, residential and parking space by the train station. But the proposal, led by John McClutchy of the JHM Group of Companies, eventually died.
“For quite a number of years, the property was not under the control of the owners but was under the control of a development entity that was seeking to redevelop the property,” Barnes said. “During that time, obviously, it would have been impossible for them to have invested in their properties.”
Redniss said that after the owners regained control of the properties, they spent more than $500,000 to clean up the site.
Last year, the city sold two small parcels it still owned at 560 Atlantic St. and 13 Manhattan St. to SMTG LLC.
Enfield opposes proposed solar facility, will look into hiring an expert to intervene
ENFIELD — Town officials are vehemently opposed to a proposed solar facility at 141 Town Farm Road and will be looking into hiring an expert to intervene on the town's behalf.
Lonestar Energy of Avon has petitioned the Connecticut Siting Council for a ruling on constructing and operating a solar electric-generating facility on a 12.1-acre property that would include putting up a total of 4,702 panels off Town Farm and Abbe roads. The surrounding area includes a mix of farming and residential development.
Enfield must contact the Siting Council by March 9 to apply for intervenor status which, if approved, would allow a representative of the town to speak during a scheduled hearing against the proposed facility.
At their Feb. 20 meeting, Enfield Town Council members debated the cost to hire an expert to be the town's intervenor. Mayor Ken Nelson said surrounding towns can also have intervenor status on this particular petition and suggested Enfield could consider working with area communities on going in together to hire an expert, saying that might have more leverage against the Siting Council.
The Siting Council has jurisdiction above towns and cities on certain infrastructure projects, including solar energy facilities and telecommunications projects. Although Enfield can provide comment and testimony on Lonestar's proposal, the Siting Council has the ultimate authority on whether it will be approved.
Officials and residents have been frustrated for a while with the lack of local control over which — or if — solar facilities come into the town. They join a number of towns across the state that say the facilities take up farmland and detract from the rural character of communities. They also say the proximity of sites to residential neighborhoods amplifies the impact of any issues the project could cause, such as noise pollution.
Enfield currently has several other solar facilities, including one at 110 North St. at a former golf driving range, at 291 Shaker Road near the Robinson Correctional Institution, and another off Broad Brook Road.
Town Council member Michael Ludwick has advised that Enfield fight back against the Siting Council's authority over local zoning.
"We've done our part to support solar fields and I don't want to see government overreach with the council destroying our beautiful farmland," he said at the Feb. 20 meeting.
Residents began coming to Town Council meetings in the fall to report their concerns about the proposed facility. Barbara Audet on Nov. 20 said she has lived on Abbe Road for 28 years and moved there because of its farmland. She said the solar facility would be quite close to her backyard and is concerned about how it might affect her property's value.
Jennifer Krasinkiewicz, who also lives on Abbe Road and spoke at the Nov. 20 meeting, said surveyors had been working on the farmland behind her house and she was trying to get information on what she heard would be a solar farm less than 30 feet from her backyard.
The women returned to speak at the Dec. 4 Town Council meeting, asking for direction on what they could do and where they should go to fight the project.
If the project is approved by the Siting Council, Lodestar said construction would require 0.19 acres of tree clearing. Once complete, the application states, the facility will occupy approximately 10.15 acres inside a fence, with an additional 1.95 acres of improvements beyond the fenced limits, for a total area of about 12.1 acres.
The construction period would take approximately six to nine months should it be approved, the application states, and construction would begin in early 2025. Lonestar anticipates the operational life of the facility would be over 20 years.
Whole Foods, T.J. Maxx to anchor new retail center in Cheshire
The retail component of Stone Bridge Crossing, the sprawling mixed use complex off of Interstate 691 in Cheshire will be anchored by a Whole Foods Market and a T.J. Maxx, the owner of the property on which the stores will be developed has announced.
Officials with Florida-based Regency Centers announced the first two tenants of the complex's retail portion, ending months of speculation. The retail portion of the complex, which will be a 152,000 square foot shopping center located near the intersection of Route 10 and I-691, will be know as Cheshire Crossing.
In addition to the supermarket and the 23,000 square-foot T.J. Maxx, there will be an additional 18,000-square feet of smaller anchors, said Rebecca Wing, vice president of investments for Regency Centers.
"Cheshire Crossing is a great example of how Regency is remaining active in the region," Wing said. “We have a long history and working relationship with Whole Foods Market, and we look forward to demonstrating continued success as long-term stewards of this shopping center.”
Whole Foods currently has 11 stores in Connecticut and is nearing completion of another supermarket in Stamford. The Cheshire Whole Foods store is one of two in the development pipeline, with the other being proposed in Old Saybrook.
T.J. Maxx has two dozen Connecticut stores.
Andrew Martelli, Cheshire's director of economic development and grants, said Regency Centers officials have told the town they hope to have the new stores open by late 2025, in advance of the holiday season. Eric Davidson, a Regency Centers spokesman, said he expects both Whole Foods and T.J. Maxx to be open by the spring of 2026, with the remainder of retailers opening during a 12-month period after that.
"We're looking at tenants in the food and beverage, health and fitness, as well as general retail sectors, Davidson said of prospective tenants.
Whole Foods and T.J. Maxx are taking two of the largest spaces in Cheshire Crossing, according to Martelli.
"There's still an 18,000 square foot space and a 10,000 square foot space where tenants haven't been announced," he said. "We've been told the plan is to announce the tenants in small groups as they sign leases."
In addition to the Cheshire Crossing stores, Stone Bridge Crossing will have a gas station and convenience store, as well as 140 townhomes and carriage house living units, 300 apartments, and a 125-room Homewood Suites hotel.
Construction of the townhomes started well over a year ago, and construction of the apartment complex began in the second half of 2023.
Manchester mixed-use apartment project wins town approvals
A33-unit mixed-use apartment development in Manchester has won initial approvals from the town.
The project proposed by 3 Squared LLC includes knocking down an existing former bank branch on-site, at 14 North Main St., and building a new 11,600-square-foot three-story apartment building. The development was granted a special exception approval by the Manchester Planning and Zoning Commission last week, and also had its erosion and sedimentation control plans approved, according to town documents, so developers can move forward with the project.
The developer lists Nicholas Martino, Louis Roy Evjen and Isaac Shweky as principals, state records show.
Plans for the new L-shaped building include 33 residential units: 10 studios; 18 one-bedroom units; and five two-bedroom apartments. Five retail spaces will be available on the first floor, totalling 4,250 square feet, and a rooftop patio and garden is also planned.
The plans also include 9,400 square feet of open recreational space, according to documents from the town.
Bradley Airport gets federal funding for new 80,000-sq.-ft. baggage inspection facility
Bradley International Airport has received $5.4 million in federal funding for the ongoing construction of an 80,000-square-foot checked baggage inspection system behind the Sheraton Hotel.
The project will enable baggage to be sent from airline ticket counters on a mile-long conveyor belt to the new facility for screening.
Once the new system is in operation, current explosive-detection machines located in the terminal lobby will be removed.
The project will free up space for current and future airlines and create additional gate space for aircraft, according to an announcement from the Connecticut Airport Authority (CAA).
“The CAA is extremely appreciative of the funding we’ve received from the federal government as we continue to develop and enhance Bradley International Airport,” said Kevin A. Dillon, executive director of the CAA.
The funding comes from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which has set aside $970 million in grants for its Airport Terminal Program, which is part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
The FAA is providing funding to 104 airports across the country, focusing on terminal reconstruction, development, accessibility and energy efficiency.
In addition to the $5.4 million, Bradley received $76 million from the FAA in 2023 for the new checked baggage inspection facility.
The total cost of the project is estimated at $151 million. The balance will be paid for by passenger facility charges and airport revenue.
“This significant investment in Connecticut’s transportation infrastructure will be a gamechanger for passengers at Bradley International Airport – streamlining the check-in process and allowing for more gates, which increases the number of flight options,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn).
Bradley is New England’s second-largest airport and has a nearly $3.6 billion economic impact on the regional economy, according to the CAA.