64-unit affordable housing complex approved on Glastonbury's Nye Road

Jamila Young

GLASTONBURY — The Town Council has given its approval to a plan to build a 64-unit affordable housing complex at 55 Nye Road, with town officials anticipating construction to begin in 2025.

The council voted 6-0, with three members absent, on Dec. 14 to move forward with the project, which will consist of 24 one-bedroom units, 28 two-bedroom units, and 12 three-bedroom units, according to Tom Arcari of QA+M Architecture. 

"We wanted to do something as a statement, that Glastonbury is interested in affordable housing, and a diverse population living in the community," council Chairman Thomas Gullotta said on Friday, adding that he prefers to the call the project "workforce housing" units. 

Each unit would be equipped with stone countertops, wood cabinets, and in-unit washer and dryer hookups, Arcari said.

Ten percent of the units would be handicap accessible, Arcari said, and there would be close to 150 parking spots on the property.

A waiting list would be created for applicants who qualify and applicant selection is usually on a first-come, first-serve basis, Arcari said.

Gullotta said that the discussion of building affordable housing in at the site "goes back more than three years ago," when he and former town manager Richard Johnson discussed it.

"Richard heard that the Nye Road property was going up for sale," Gullotta said. 

In January 2023, the Town Council approved using American Rescue Plan Act funds to purchase the office buildings at 50 and 55 Nye Road for $3.15 million, with a proposal to demolish 55 Nye Road to make way for the housing complex.

Town Manager Jonathan Luiz said that the the building at 50 Nye Road would remain, and either be rented out to commercial tenants or be used as office space by the town or the school district.

Housing Authority Director Neil Griffin said that the total cost of construction of the housing complex has not been finalized yet, but estimates that the total project could cost around $27 million.

Griffin said that the town will apply for various energy rebates and tax credits, including the federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program.

The town will also use $500,000 from a STEAP grant that it was awarded in September to construct the parking area, and will match the grant by contributing nearly $300,000 of its own funding.

If the housing Authority receives the necessary funding, Griffin anticipates construction to begin in March 2025 with completion in September 2026.

$2.5M upgrades to busy Danbury airport's taxiway are 'force multiplier economically,' officials say

DANBURY — The city’s municipal airport, which officials say is among New England’s busiest general aviation hubs, will see a roadway that leads to the main runway at its south end resurfaced, thanks to newly announced federal funding. 

On Monday morning, local leaders, joined by U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes, D-Conn., and U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., announced the city will receive $2.27 million in Federal Aviation Administration-awarded funds to support a long-sought project to repave and install new lighting along taxiway Charlie, as the span is known. City officials so far expect to cover $213,108 of the project’s overall $2.5 million cost. 

Danbury Municipal Airport Administrator Michael Safranek said the taxiway hasn’t received a complete overhaul in at least 35 years. During that time, crews have “saw cut” and filled cracks with asphalt as needed. 

“The section we’re looking at hasn’t been paved and redone in 35 years, so it’s in desperate need of rehabilitation,” Safranek said during a press conference held in a brightly lit hangar off of Wallingford Road. 

That hangar is owned by Eagle Air, a company that provides charter aviation and aircraft management services. Officials spoke from behind a podium in Eagle Air’s hangar, surrounded by two twin turboprop planes, as they announced the influx of federal funds.

The project will begin this spring. It includes a full repaving, starting with the taxiway's sub base layer, Safranek said. And while that project is underway, airport leaders will tackle another project to overhaul the taxiway's lighting.

Blumenthal described the investment as “more than just $2 million. It is a force multiplier economically. It will enable more development for Danbury and this entire region. 

“One of the first questions I’m asked by a company thinking about moving here is how do we get there? How do we get executives to visit? How do we get new employees to be attracted? And this airport is exactly the kind of transportation hub for the region that is needed here,” Blumenthal said. 

He said the existing cracks in the taxiway's pavement are “not only a nuisance, they are a potential danger."

The taxiway's repaving will affect the adjacent runway, which officials said was repaved several years earlier. 

Blumenthal said the latest resurfacing project and new lighting will help the make the airport into "a model for the whole country in terms of what regional airports should be,” saying further that regional airports, like Danbury’s, are “our future.”

Hayes said Danbury Municipal Airport is the state’s second busiest, and has potential to attract new businesses into the region through improved infrastructure. 

“We’re not going to attract new employees and people to this region without having the infrastructure built out. People don’t want to have to think about how will they address these needs after they’ve made a decision to come here. So by making these investments on the front end, we are actually investing in the future of Danbury and this region,” Hayes said. 

Mayor Roberto Alves described investments such as the FAA grant as tremendous opportunity, which the city needs to capitalize on. 

“But to capitalize on them, we need partnerships that go beyond what we are typically used to doing. We need to partner with our state, with the federal government, get our municipal government on board, 100 percent committed to chasing every dollar we can get to make things happen, to build, to develop our community,” Alves said. “And this is an example of that.”

Busy airport brings in revenue 

Safranek said the airport is on pace to hit about 56,000 “operations,” a word that the administrator used to refer to take offs and landings — every time a plane’s wheels touch the airport’s grounds. 

Danbury Municipal Airport will reach those numbers despite having a considerably smaller runway than nearby Waterbury-Oxford Airport. Danbury Municipal Airport’s runway for takeoffs is 4,420 feet. 

“They have a 6,000 foot runway, so they can bring in larger aircraft. But we do more operations than them, so it’s kind of a little bit of a balancing act,” Safranek said. Danbury Municipal Airport services non-scheduled general aviation, including charter providers, like Eagle Air, private aircraft, and the two flight schools on the airport. 

Safranek said the airport is looking to increase its hangar space, which he said is at a premium right now — because aircraft are getting more expensive. A small four-seat plane, like a Cirrus SR22, Safranek said, is now selling for around $1.2 million. 

“The best example I can give you is we just built nine hangars. When the hangars first hit the market, they were about a half million dollars,” Safranek said. “The last one just closed, for about $800,000, because demand was spurring the increase. So there is demand here. 

Safranek estimated the airport generates millions in revenue for the city, with leases, tax revenue and other incomes. Adding more hangars, he said, will bring “more substantial taxes and revenue coming in.”

The taxiway rehabilitation is a project welcomed by Eagle Air’s leaders and it will be completed ahead of the company’s busiest season: summer. 

“We are your primary option to get to Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, all summer long,” said Jennifer Forde, Eagle Air’s vice president. She estimated the company charters two to three trips to Martha’s Vineyard or Nantucket every Friday and Sunday during the summer months. The company is planning some scheduled runs this summer. Bar Harbor, Maine, is another frequent destination, as is Washington, D.C., Forde said.

The company has been in Danbury for “quite some time,” Forde said. 

She said any project that improves the airport’s operations will positively affect her company, making the job for its pilots and overall operations easier. 

“It will bring more people to us. We can get more done when we’re not fighting poor ramp conditions, things like that,” Forde said. “It makes our lives so much easier.”

Waste reclamation facility proposed for North Haven's Universal Drive

Elizabeth L. T. Moore

NORTH HAVEN — Two local businessmen hope to bring a large waste reclamation facility to North Haven.

Real estate attorney Bill Gambardella and Andy Anastasio, owner of Anastasio Trucking, want to build AB Eco Park on 90 acres located off Universal Drive near Target. It would include areas to sort and clean glass, plastic and metal to then sell and recycle; sort out organic waste and capture greenhouse gasses; and put wet trash in air-tight vaults to dry and decontaminate.

Gambardella said the facility would also take waste and make resource-derived fuel for electricity, an alternative to fossil fuels. Gambardella is a partner with Gambardella, Cipriano, Gottlieb & Hathaway PC and a former member of the state House of Representatives.

He said the eco park offers a solution to the state's practice of shipping waste to out-of-state landfills.

“Our plan is designed to try to take away that 25 percent of waste that’s going out of state right now,” Gambardella said.

The partners are currently going through the town permitting process. A small portion of the property is on wetlands. At the town’s regular inland wetlands commission meeting on Wednesday, they requested to fill the wetland area. That discussion and the public hearing that was held will be continued at the January meeting. Gambardella said they expect to apply for permits from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection in February.

Gambardella said he brings the business side, while Anastasio, whose trucking business is on Middletown Avenue, runs the freight trucking aspect and owns the adjacent freight yard. Part of the property is in New Haven, but Gambardella said truck traffic will not be routed through the city.

Plans have been in the works since 2016, Gambardella said, and their team includes local and European companies. A concept letter to investors in July 2023 says the eco park will be the first carbon negative power plant ever built.

“All of the technology discussed is currently in large scale operation elsewhere," the letter says. "Nothing we are proposing is untested. We are just the first ones to bring all of these technologies together in one place and use the synergies they create improve upon established processes.”

North Haven First Selectman Mike Freda said he supports this “major project” going through town regulatory process.

“Because of the nature of industrial development, it can be a sensitive issue with the residents, and that's why I want the processes to unfold in detail,” Freda said. “Mr. Gambardella is on board with this. We need the processes to unfold, to address the residents' questions.” 

Gambardella said he's been aware of this site since he was elected to the legislature in the 80s and involved in voting to clean up the highway area. He said it's "perfect" for this project because it's at least a mile from any house, half a mile along the river and not visible except from the highway.

City of Meriden seeks $1.5m state grant to build soccer complex

Mary Ellen Godin

MERIDEN — The City Council has resubmitted a $1.5 million grant application to the state Community Investment Fund to build soccer fields in Columbus Park on Lewis Avenue.

The city had applied last July for $1.4 million for the Meriden Soccer Athletic Complex Project, but it was not included in CIF’s third funding round. In December, the council reauthorized Acting City Manager Emily Holland to resubmit the request for the fourth round.

“This is the same project,“ Holland stated in an email. "The city requested $1.4 million in CIF funding last summer. The project breakdown consists of $1.4 million for new construction, $80,000 (for) contingency, and $20,000 for renovation of any existing facilities. Hartford HealthCare has committed $1,754,895 to the project to cover the total estimated cost of $3,254,895.”

The new artificial fields in Columbus Park will ensure residents still have a place to play soccer, since the fields currently located next to MidState Medical Center on Lewis Avenue are slated to close. The city has a 99-year lease agreement with the hospital but MidState has stated it needs the property to build a new medical office building for cancer treatments. The new medical building will be taxable.

But soccer fields are a tight commodity in the city. Teams often scramble for field times at the hospital, Kronenberger, and even at Falcon Field, against the high schools and private leagues.

The project has been discussed by the council for several years, but was delayed by the pandemic, city officials said. Parks and the former city manager worked with MidState and field users to search for a replacement site.

"The best site available for what would be intended would be Columbus Park," said former City Manager Tim Coon, last summer. "We will build two large soccer fields and one smaller practice field will be retained."

The existing softball fields are natural turf fields that the city hopes to convert to artificial turf, which is the reason behind the funding application and pushes the project price tag closer to $2.8 million. The fields will also be brightly lit. 

Artificial turf is more effective in this situation because these fields get heavy use, said City Council member Joe Scaramuzzo, who is also president of the board of the Meriden Soccer Club. Turf fields require more maintenance on a regular basis.

“Last season, we had a ton of rain and the conditions were always wet fields,” Scaramuzzo said. “One of the big reasons for the shortages... is a lack of lit fields. During soccer season during the spring and fall, the days are shorter. There is certain programming we’re not offering because there’s no field space.”

The fields are currently being used by the Meriden Amateur Softball Association two nights a week, said Chris Bourdon, director of parks and recreation for the city.

"Columbus is not in use nearly as much as it appears to be," Bourdon said.

MASA has agreed to use Nessing Field and fields at Lincoln Middle School and Platt High School for games and tournaments, officials said.

Scaramuzzo is confident the new fields will help alleviate the soccer field shortage once built. Applications for CIF round 4 funding closed in December. Should the city miss the fourth round, it may have to consider other ways to fund the project.

CT DOT back with revised plan for Route 82's Crash Alley - when residents can voice opinions

Matt Grahn

The state's next attempt to fix the stretch of road known as Crash Alley on Rte. 82 starts with a hearing at Kelly Middle School next week.

After filing and then pulling a roundabout plan for the 1.3-mile stretch of road, the state's Department of Transportation is back with a new plan that features four roundabouts total, down from the six initially proposed.

The hearing will take place on Thursday, Jan. 18, at Kelly Middle School with a discussion forum at 6 p.m., followed by the presentation at 7 p.m., and a Q & A after. This hearing will address Phase 1 of its new plans for Rte. 82.

What's in the new plan?

The new plan will feature a large roundabout by Asylum and Mechanic Streets, and one by Osgood Street for part one, intended to be built by 2026. The second phase will feature a roundabout by Dunham Street and one by Norman Road, intended to be built by 2028, according to the Phase 1&2 Combined Color Concept Plan.

There will be five property acquisitions needed for the first part of the plan, with an additional 52 properties expected to be impacted by a partial acquisition, a slope easement, and/or temporary construction easements. The amount needed for part two, if any, aren’t stated on the Project Webpage.

Phase one will cost $30 million, to be funded by 80% federal funds and 20% state funds, the Project Webpage states.

Goal is to improve safety on Route 82

The goal of this plan, as before, is to improve the safety of Rte. 82, which is state-owned road, the project webpage states.

“The corridor currently experiences a high number of turning and rear-end crashes due to high speeds, lack of turn lanes, and numerous driveway openings,” the webpage states.

The State Department of Transportation first presented to the public in June 2022. The state highlighted both the problems of Rte. 82, and argued that the design features of the roundabout and a lower speed limit would significantly reduce both the number of crashes, and how many crashes would result in injury. They based this on the success of other roundabout installations across the country, though those weren’t as concentrated as the original six roundabouts in a little over a mile the state wanted then, The Bulletin reported.

While some members of the public supported the state’s plan, arguing it being a matter of safety or an investment in the future, many were opposed. Some wondered if people would try to speed through side streets or if the improvements were worth the inconvenience of construction or the roundabouts themselves.

Business owners were also concerned, as the construction might limit how much business they get, and a few were concerned about relocating due to the state acquiring the property their business sits on.

By November 2022, the state’s original plans were withdrawn.  The state Department of Transportation said it was aware of public outcry, particularly concerning businesses where property would be seized for the project.

A two-week public comment period will follow the Jan. 18 meeting. The public can send their comments to DOTProject103-274@ct.gov or contact Principal Engineer Scott Bushee at Scott.Bushee@ct.gov or 860-594-2079.

Timex developer plan opponents to appeal

STEVE BIGHAM

MIDDLEBURY – Residents say they plan to appeal last week’s approval of a developer’s application to build more than 700,000 square-feet of industrial space at the former Timex headquarters off Christian Road.

Middlebury resident Jennifer Mahr announced Monday that an appeal of the decision was already in the works.

Last Thursday night, the Middlebury Planning & Zoning Commission voted, 3-2, in favor of the application put forth by Southford Park, LLC (aka Drubner Equities, LLC).

In addition, the board voted, 3-2, in favor of a proposed text amendment that raises the maximum height for a building in an industrial zone (LI-200) from 35 feet up to 44 feet.

The board’s decisions were met by a few groans from audience members who once again packed the Shepardson Community Center to urge town officials to say “no.”

Their opposition has garnered statewide attention and been marked by anger over the town’s inability or unwillingness to halt what they fear will be an Amazon-like facility with hundreds of trucks going in and out day and night.

Yard signs opposing the “distribution center” still dot the Middlebury landscape.

But commission members said the application “checked all the boxes” for site plan approval, and indicated that the board was already looking to change the town’s existing height restrictions.

Mahr, who heads the Middlebury Small Town Alliance, said she was disappointed, but not surprised by the decision. Her group’s expected appeal follows its existing appeal against the Middlebury Conservation Commission for its own approval of the project this past May.

“The will of Middlebury’s electorate was completely ignored. I look forward to this decision being overturned in court, and I urge Middlebury voters to continue to hold town officials accountable for their decisions,” she said.

Mahr’s leadership against the proposed distribution center inspired her to make a successful run for the town’s Board of Selectmen.

She was sworn into office just this past month.

“I’m just disappointed that our Planning & Zoning Commission did not stand up for the people of Middlebury ” Mahr said. “It appears that town officials were not respecting the wishes of the people. It’s what got me elected. It was clear that this town overwhelmingly did not want that project.”

The proposed project still requires state approval pending a Department of Transportation (DOT) traffic study.

The proposed distribution center plan appeared dead in the water this past June when a bill was passed by the state legislature that included a provision prohibiting any building over 100,000 square feet, if the property contains more than five acres of wetlands, in any Connecticut small town.

The bill, the brainchild of state Rep. William Pizzuto, a Republican and Middlebury resident, was done so in an apparent attempt to override home-rule zoning authority.

Southford Park, LLC responded by crafting a real estate arrangement with Timex where it would only purchase certain areas of the 112-acre property, leaving much of the wetlands areas in the ownership of Timex.

The move made the application exempt from the new state law, town officials said.

Middlebury Zoning Enforcement Officer Curt Bosco said the proposed project falls within the town’s current regulations for “light industrial” use.

“They allow warehousing in the current regulations in Middlebury. Warehousing is almost the exact definition of a distribution center. Stuff goes in, they store it, and stuff goes out. That’s what warehousing is,” Bosco said.

Mahr disagrees, pointing out that Middlebury’s “light industrial” zone prohibits trucking terminals, except for the transportation of goods manufactured on the premises.

“The LI-200 Zone is all about the creation of new goods and is not a transportation zone,” she said. “E-commerce is light years ahead of zoning regulations and developers are taking advantage of regulatory gaps to build whatever they want, wherever they want.”

Mahr said small and semi-rural communities are bearing the brunt of it.

Mahr said a distribution center to facilitate large-scale interstate transportation of finished goods is the opposite of what it means to be semi-rural and is not consistent with the town’s Plan of Conservation and Development.

Bosco said Town Hall was approached two years ago by Timex, which indicated that it was looking to sell the property.

In response, Bosco said, the town hired advisers to help determine potential uses of the property. One glaring problem, the expert said, was that the existing Timex property with its “glass design” was not suitable for any future use or repurpose.

Southford Park LLC’s plan calls for “flex-space” use of the property, with the potential for multiple tenants.

Bosco said the applicant’s request for a height exception was made in accordance with new standards for industrial buildings, for such things as robotics or cranes or racking systems, similar to the ones at Home Depot.

A Middlebury police officer was present at last week’s P&Z meeting.

Last May, angry residents confronted members of the Conservation Commission after they approved the wetlands portion of the application.

The Zoning Commission also approved the applicant’s request to move 279,000 cubic yards of material on the site.

Grant for Bristol Babcock site denied, application to be revised

LIVI STANFORD

WATERBURY – City officials remained optimistic this week about receiving additional state funding for continued work in remediating the former Bristol Babcock site even though the city did not receive a $4 million grant from the State Department of Economic and Community Development Brownfields program.

Tommy Hyde, interim director of the Waterbury Development Corporation, said he did not view it as a setback.

“It is always disappointing when we do not get the funding at the first shot,” he said. “That being said, the state has been good to us and our brownfield efforts. We have been very successful on pretty much all rounds of brownfield funding. It is not a big deal. We update the application and apply again.”

Jim Watson, spokesman for the Department of Economic and Community Development, said Friday that applications for brownfield funding are competitively evaluated using a rating and ranking system that considers factors such as job creation, private sector funding, shovel-readiness and public policy goals like housing or transit-oriented development, etc.

“This application scored low relative to others mainly because it did not include a private developer or a proposed end use,” Watson said.

Hyde said the reality, given the site’s condition, is it would be impossible to have a developer come at this stage of the game.

Even so, in the next round of applications for state funding, Hyde said he is hopeful that the city will receive funding as they applied for a $2 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency Brownfield program.

If they receive the EPA funding, they will score higher, giving them a higher probability of receiving the grant, Hyde said.

On Oct. 24, the Board of Aldermen approved acquiring the vacant brownfield, the former Bristol Babcock property at 40 Bristol St. in the city’s Platts Mill neighborhood near the Naugatuck line. The property has remained vacant since 2002 and is in disarray after a fire in 2015 destroyed large portions of the complex.

Developer Norman Drubner agreed to pay the city $1 million, which the city plans on allocating toward securing and demolishing the property.

There are more than 30 brownfields in the city, and the city’s ongoing work includes transforming a dozen sites that threatened human health and the environment into parks, businesses, and commercial and manufacturing spaces.

Mayor Paul K. Pernerewski Jr. agreed with Hyde that the project had not endured a setback.

“There is other preliminary work that has to be done,” he said. “The initial goal is to get the shell of it down and cleaned up and have it stop being an eyesore. The $1 million helps us start doing that.”

The mayor said housing is one of the potential uses for the site, calling it a “good fit.”

But in the same measure, the mayor said it is too early in the process.

The first step is understanding the contaminants at the site, he said.

“The level to clean up a polluted site to residential standards is very difficult,” he said.

The mayor said that community involvement in sharing their thoughts on the redevelopment of the site is important.

“It is in the heart of a residential neighborhood,” he said, adding that overall, there may be a push to make the area open space.

Alderman Majority Leader Christian D’Orso said it is unfortunate that the city did not receive the funding from the state, but he added that this is common.

“I can speak from personal experience that these grants are very competitive, and all we can do is continue to apply for every opportunity that we see,” he said, adding that he is confident that the city will receive what is needed to complete the project.

Hyde said so much work needs to be done on the site that not receiving the funding in this round does not impede the project.

“This is starting from scratch on a brand new brownfield, which takes time,” he said. “We have the ($1 million), and the project continues to move forward.”

Hyde said the city is moving forward with the project by requesting proposals to hire a contractor to knock down the trees at the site. They then will need to hire a licensed environmental professional to design demolition specs and go out to bid for the actual demolition, which will require more funding.

AGC: Labor crunch will continue to squeeze contractors in 2024

Zachary Phillips

Contractors’ struggles to find workers will continue in 2024, but the majority still intend to increase their staffing due to rising demand for multiple project types, according to a new Associated General Contractors of America survey of its members.

Nearly eight in 10 respondents said they have a hard time filling salaried or hourly craftworker positions, but 69% still said they anticipate a “total increase” in headcount. A fifth of respondents said it will get harder to hire in 2024.

Nonetheless, contractors will need those workers. In 14 of 17 sectors, respondents anticipated the dollar value of projects they compete for to increase this year compared to 2023.

Hiring isn’t the only ingredient creating what AGC CEO Stephen Sandherr called a “mixed-bag” for contractors this year.

Respondents’ top concerns for 2024 included:

Rising interest rates or financing costs: 64%.

Economic slowdown or recession: 62%.

Rising direct labor costs (pay, benefits, employer taxes): 58%.

Insufficient supply of workers or subcontractors: 56%

Worker quality: 56%.

Material costs: 54%.

During a Jan. 4 webinar about the report, Lynn Hansen, CEO of Charlotte, North Carolina-based Crowder Constructors, expressed cautious optimism for the new year. Crowder works in the energy, mechanical, transportation and electrical sectors in the Southeast, where Hansen said federal work from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act has benefited the company, but she also anticipates competition to increase.

That competition isn’t only for projects, but to find and keep talented workers.

“Our good people are constantly being recruited,” Hansen said. “We’re always looking for top qualified people and paying them competitively is key.” 

In order to recruit and retain more workers, nearly two-thirds of respondents to the AGC survey said they increased base pay in 2023 more than they had the year before, and a quarter introduced or increased incentives or bonuses.

Hansen said younger workers value more flexibility and time off, and Crowder intends to invest more in technology to recruit workers.

At the same time, IIJA funding has come with more strings, as federal projects require adherence to recently updated Davis-Bacon rules.

“Paying our people and reporting requirements have not been difficult for us,” Hansen said, though creating a registered apprenticeship program in compliance with the Inflation Reduction Act took nearly a year to get up and running, she added.