Other Voices: New prevailing wage legislation a win for solar industry workers

By Aziz Dehkan and Heather Burns

Connecticut’s workers just scored a big win.

Gov. Ned Lamont recently signed into law the nation’s strongest labor standards for renewable energy projects, paving the way for our state to swiftly and equitably transition to a green economy powered by good union jobs.

The bill, SB 999, will ensure that Connecticut’s efforts to combat climate change will create jobs that pay family-sustaining wages and increase training opportunities for Connecticut’s marginalized residents.

Without it, there’s simply no guarantee that the growing number of green jobs in our state will be good jobs, which is why the bill earned vigorous support from a coalition of labor unions, environmentalists, community organizations, interreligious groups and students.

But that didn’t stop the Connecticut solar industry association, SolarConnecticut, from drumming up fear with claims about how the policy would increase costs for ratepayers — an argument that has been fully disproven by a UC Berkeley Labor Center study, which confirmed that paying workers well does not negatively impact solar development.

When it comes down to it, the solar industry simply disregarded the facts and lobbied against SB 999 — and then pushed Lamont to veto the bill without fully considering what’s best for Connecticut’s workers, climate, and communities.

There’s no disputing that renewable energy is here to stay.

Connecticut is already developing dozens of utility-scale wind and solar projects throughout the state. But an equitable or just transition to renewables is not inevitable.

That’s why SB 999 is so important: the bill helps ensure that no Connecticut workers or communities will be left behind as our state takes science-based steps to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

This includes creating new opportunities for those who have been traditionally underrepresented in the construction industry, including people of color and women, and creating opportunities for those with other barriers to employment, such as residents in low-income zip codes or people who have been formerly incarcerated.

The new law only applies to utility-scale projects, excluding, for example, residential or commercial solar installations — and includes requirements that developers pay prevailing wages for construction, maintenance and security personnel; partner with apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs; and negotiate a community benefits agreement with the host community.

Of course, not all developers in Connecticut underpay their workforce. Some renewable energy projects have already been constructed with strong labor protections and standards for workers, including prevailing wages. SB 999 will level the playing field for those high-road developers so they compete on merit.

SB 999 is just common sense. It even follows an approach widely accepted by other states and the national solar industry itself.

New Jersey, which has required prevailing wage on solar development projects 1 megawatt and larger since 2013, is one of the best case studies we have for this type of policy’s success.

Because labor is a relatively small portion of the total cost of utility-scale solar projects, New Jersey’s has successfully protected workers’ wages with no evidence of significant costs to developers or ratepayers.

Now, New Jersey ranks seventh nationally for installed solar capacity. For comparison, Connecticut ranks 21st. Legislation similar to SB 999 recently passed in New York and Maine and has been proposed in Illinois and Rhode Island.

We applaud Gov. Lamont for standing up for Connecticut’s workers and communities to sign this crucial legislation into law.

Aziz Dehkan is the executive director of the Connecticut Roundtable on Climate and Jobs. Heather Burns is the founder and CEO of the Connecticut Sustainable Business Council.

Developers looking at CT suburbs, Shoreline for new apartment projects

Luther Turmelle

Much of the focus of residential developers building apartments in Connecticut in recent years has been on the state’s urban centers: Stamford, New Haven and Hartford — cities with restaurants, services, commuter rail service and entertainment venues, with many of the apartments within walking distance.

But over the past two years, interest has grown in building apartment complexes big and small in New Haven’s suburbs and beyond. The latest evidence of that trend is “The Bradley,” a 30-unit apartment complex on Bradley Road in Madison.

The project is scheduled to break ground some time next month and will be built on a 1.5-acre site at 110-114 Bradley Road that once was home to the Tuxis Laundromat and one other business, as well as two other buildings. The complex is a little more than a quarter-mile from the Madison train station, which is served by Shoreline East trains.

It’s also a short, two-block walk from the complex to Madison’s downtown via sidewalks along Bradley Road and Wall Street.

All four existing buildings are scheduled for demolition, according to Jerry Davis, managing partner of Davis Realty in Madison and the developer of the project.

The project has support in the business community.

Ryan Duques, chairman of the Madison Economic Development Commission, said commission members in January voted unanimously to support the development.

Duques said in a letter to members of the town’s Planning & Zoning Commission that the “development positions the Town of Madison to further capitalize on our recent Transit Oriented Development (TOD) projects, which have included new sidewalks on Bradley Road and renovated Tuxis Walkway, which enhance the connection of Madison Center, Bradley Road our bus stop and the train station.”

“This development would enable residents to take advantage of our downtown amenities, beaches and access to commuter rail without requiring a vehicle,” Duques wrote. “Finally, we believe that this development will add vibrancy to our downtown and Madison community overall, helping to ensure long-term sustainability of our commercial base, grand list and robust community.”

John Guszkowski, Madison’s interim town planner, said The Bradley’s 30 units will be spread across three stories.

Guszkowski said the town’s master plan has a strong focus “on creating a vibrant downtown area” as well as offering those who want to live in Madison an alternative to single-family homes.

“Madison has a relatively monolithic housing stock,” he said. “It adds to the level of density (near the center of town) and accessibility with relatively small units, which will increase overall residential and business activity. This is not an option that is presently available anywhere else in the community.”

Guszkowski said developing apartment complexes in Madison and other Shoreline communities that don’t have municipal sewer systems can be problematic.

“Because there is a lack of public infrastructure, sewers, it can be tricky to do,” he said. “You have find a site where the soils work (for a septic system).”

Having to provide septic systems for new apartment complexes such as The Bradley effectively limits how many units can be built, according to Guszkowski.

“In a lot of towns without sewer lines you'll see these complexes of 30 units or fewer,” he said. “Any development that produces more than 7,500 gallons of sewerage per day is reviewed by (the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection). Anything below that threshold is reviewed by the local health officials.”

Review by local health officials is considered more desirable because DEEP reviews are lengthy, Guszkowski said.

Elsewhere outside cities, Cheshire has several apartment complexes in various stages of development.

One is Hamlet on Highland, an 11-unit luxury apartment complex located across Route 10 from Maplecroft Plaza, which has one of the town’s two large supermarkets as an anchor as well as several restaurants. Tenants are expected to begin moving in to the complex this month.

Another Cheshire apartment project is located near the town’s northwestern border with Waterbury.

A Stratford-based developer plans to build a 114-unit apartment complex — including 29 units of affordable housing — on the site of a former nursing home on Hazel Drive. The Cheshire Planning & Zoning Commission approved the plan in June 2020.

The Cheshire PZC also earlier this year approved a seven-unit apartment complex approved at the intersection of Higgins Road and Route 10. But John Ricci of Ricci Construction, the developer of the project, has decided to put the 0.69-acre site up for sale.

In Trumbull, the start of construction for 260 market-rate rental units along the periphery of the Westfield Trumbull Mall “is imminent,” said Rina Bakalar, the town’s economic and community development director.

One suburban apartment complex plan that got rejected was in Milford. Dallas-based Centennial, which operates the Connecticut Post Mall, wanted to spend up to $70 million to build a four-story luxury apartment complex on a six-acre tract surrounding what used to be the Sears Auto Center. The Milford Planning & Zoning Commission rejected that plan last summer and revised plan was submitted in May.

Donald Klepper-Smith, chief economist and director of research for New Haven-based DataCore Partners, said the demand for suburban apartments, particularly complexes built along commuter rail lines, will only increase in the coming years.

“The labor market in Connecticut is in such a state of flux, it implies the need for flexible housing arrangements,” Klepper-Smith said. “Right now, people are looking for flexibility in their lives, whether it is financial or logistical. And right now, there is not a lot of inventory along those lines.”

As an example of the lack of apartment inventory in cities compared to suburbs, Jed Backus, president of the Guilford-based group New Haven Middlesex Realtors, said a search of the Multiple Listing Service real estate database Friday found 74 apartment units in available in New Haven and two in Madison.

Backus said while the development of suburban apartment complexes is relatively new, there has been a tremendous amount of growth in the market since the 2008 recession.

“After the last downturn, some people started to feel that home ownership wasn’t all that it was cracked up to be,” Backus said.

Another reason for the surge in interest in apartments is demographics, he said.

“The largest population group after baby boomer is millennials, and they are in a stage of life where it makes more sense to be living in an apartment,” he said. Everything they’re doing in their lives is now happening later than it did for previous generations.”

DEEP announces former United Nuclear Corporation site in New Haven has been remediated

Ben Lambert

NEW HAVEN — The remediation of the former United Nuclear Corp. site in New Haven, located on Shelton Avenue in Newhallville, has been completed, according to a Friday announcement from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

Officials said the “site was utilized by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to conduct research and make nuclear fuel components for the U.S. Navy from the mid-1950s until 1974, playing a key role during the Cold War.”

“Environmental cleanup was conducted at the time the facility closed, however the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) reviewed the cleanup in recent years and determined that additional cleanup was needed. Final remediation work at the site began in October 2019 and concluded in late 2020,” officials said.

Gov. Ned Lamont and DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes praised the outcome as part of the announcement.

“Here’s to all the folks from DEEP, and others, who played such a role in cleaning up the former United Nuclear Corporation site in New Haven,” Lamont said. “Here’s to the neighbors in Newhallville, this is amazing, the transformation, you see what this has looked like for many, many, many years, and what a difference it is now. So to the friends of DEEP, the environmentalists, and to the neighborhood, that’s progress, I appreciate all you did to make this happen.”

“This project represents what we’re all about at the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, protecting the environment, and protecting the people who live in that environment,” Dykes said. “The Lamont Administration is committed to equity, to ensure that all communities get the same quality of clean-up and environmental remediation. I’m so grateful to all of the different agencies and stakeholders who made this project possible.”

The project involved the federal government, “DEEP, General Electric (GE), the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH), the City of New Haven, Newhallville community organizers, and the current site owner,” officials said.

During the effort, crews deconstructed “the buildings on-site, as well as concrete foundations, utility trenches, and sub-slab structures and basins,” and excavated underlying soil.

“Clean-up operations were conducted in a deliberate manner to minimize the generation of airborne dust, and air monitoring activities were conducted throughout the process. Nearly 10,000 tons of waste materials were removed from the site, and transported to facilities in Alabama and Utah without incident. Where possible, non-regulated construction debris, such as concrete and steel, was recycled locally,” officials said.

Alder Steve Winter, D-21, who “lives a block away from the site, and walks his dog near the site every day,” expressed his gratitude for being kept abreast of the project, as did Addie Kimbrough, a member of the Newhallville Community Management Team.

“It’s a great comfort to know that the site was successfully cleaned up, and I just wanted to communicate how much I appreciated the clear communication from Jim and the GE team, and Rocco with his frequent updates from Arcadis, and all the participation at the Community Management Team and tours of the facility, to really make it clear what was going on and how we knew that the clean-up was going to be thorough and how we would know when it was going to be complete,” Winter said.

“I do want to thank everyone for keeping the Management Team and Alder Winters informed, and myself,” Kimbrough said.

A video from DEEP about the history of the site and the remediation effort is available here.

Brookfield recommends streetscape bidder to state for approval

Currie Engel

BROOKFIELD — The town has selected for recommendation a phase 3 streetscape construction bid that they will send to the state Department of Transportation for approval.

First Selectman Steve Dunn said that while the bidder and plan have to receive state approval, he hopes the Norwalk-based Grasso Companies will be able to get the thumbs up to begin construction soon.

“We’re hoping they’ll be able to put a shovel in the ground between the next three or four weeks,” Dunn said in an interview Wednesday.

Community Development Specialist Greg Dembowski confirmed the first selectman’s rough estimate, noting, however, that there would be many steps to complete before construction can actually begin, including the essential state aproval of their recommendation, contract signings, pre-construction meetings, and orders for requisite materials.

But, he said, “if all these steps are followed and there’s no unexpected surprises, they’ll be out there in a month or so.”

The town closed bids on June 8. Grasso Companies was one of four bidders who ultimately applied, and Demobowski said they were singled out as the lowest qualified bidder in the group.

The company is asking for $879,439 for work on the third phase— which Dembowski said they’re pleased with because it remains within budget.

The third phase will create critical pedestrian sidewalks along a 700 to 800 foot stretch of road between Federal Road and Old Route 7, tying into construction from the project’s second phase to provide safe pedestrian access to the downtown area and Still River Greenway.

The plan will include a sidewalk on both sides of Old Route 7, where no sidewalk currently exists, incorporating elements such as granite curbing, brick pavers, and sidewalk lights.

Based on past interviews with town leaders, this hopeful construction timeline suggests the town is on schedule with the third phase of its roughly $11 million, five-phase, downtown revitalization plan. Two other phases have already been completed, with a fourth phase— the longest and most expensive at a price tag of $3.6 million— still in the planning stage.

The town will use a mix of town bonds and a hefty state grant to cover the fourth phase.

That next phase will include the construction of over 1,900 feet of sidewalk to connect the northern end of phase one to the Newbury Village condominiums on Federal Road.

A site survey and conceptual plan have been completed for the fourth phase, and the town is now working on a preliminary design. However, there may be a slight delay in the finalization of this design due to what Dembowski called “gaps and discrepancies” in the plan as it relates to other planned developments along the streetscape.

“We have a few questions that impact the streetscape as it relates to a couple future developments,” Dembowski said. As such, the final preliminary design “is taking a little longer than we thought.”

Sanders, Biden meet as infrastructure bill swells past $3.5T

LISA MASCARO and JONATHAN LEMIRE, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Emerging from a private meeting at the White House, Sen. Bernie Sanders said Monday that he and President Joe Biden are on the same page as Democrats draft a “transformative” infrastructure package unleashing more than $3.5 trillion in domestic investments on par with the New Deal of the 1930s.

Sanders, chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, and Democrats on his panel also huddled privately at the Capitol for two hours late Monday with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and key White House advisers during a consequential time for Biden's top priority. Congress is racing to put together a sweeping proposal financing infrastructure, family assistance and other programs for initial votes later this month.

Sanders, I-Vt., said he had a “very good discussion" with Biden .

“He knows and I know that we’re seeing an economy where the very, very rich are getting richer while working families are struggling,” Sanders told reporters.

Sanders said he and the president did not discuss a topline figure, but the Vermont senator mentioned his own more far-reaching $6 trillion proposal, which includes expanding Medicare for older adults. Later at the Capitol, he told reporters that the Democrats' package would be bigger than $3.5 trillion, an amount floated as in line with Biden's initial proposal.

"The end of the day we’re going to accomplish something very significant," Sanders said.

After Democrats' evening meeting at the Capitol, Sanders said lawmakers were still discussing overall spending and other figures.

“What we're trying to do is a multitrillion-dollar bill which is going to address long neglected problems of the working families in this country” and the problem of climate change, he told reporters.

Other lawmakers said senators would meet again Tuesday.

Biden's big infrastructure proposals are moving through Congress on various tracks — each potentially complementing or torpedoing the other.

A bipartisan group of 10 senators unveiled a nearly $1 trillion package of traditional infrastructure for roads, bridges, broadband and some climate change investments in electric vehicles and resiliency for extreme weather conditions.

Senators in the bipartisan group are struggling to draft their proposal into legislation but hope to have a bill ready as soon as this week. Disagreements are emerging over how to pay for it.

“Pay-fors are still up in the air,” said Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D.

The rest of Biden's ideas are being collected into the much broader multitrillion-dollar package that could be approved by Democrats on their own under a special budget reconciliation process that allows passage with 51 votes in the Senate, rather than the typical 60-vote threshold that's needed to overcome a Senate filibuster.

Sanders, as chair of the Budget Committee, has been leading his colleagues in a series of private conversations. A one-time Biden rival for the presidency, Sanders now holds an influential position shaping the president's top priority.

“My job is to do everything I can to see that the Senate comes forward with the strongest possible legislation to protect the needs of the working families of this country,” Sanders said at the White House.

New Britain's streets plan improves streetscapes, addresses pedestrian, bicycle access

Catherine Shen

NEW BRITAIN – Improving streetscapes and addressing pedestrian and bicycle access are all a part of the city’s Complete Streets Master Plan, which will see two phases near completion this month.

The plan’s phases six and seven include more than a $37 million investment in downtown beautifications since 2012, out of which nearly $29 million were contributed by state and federal grants, according to the city.

Transportation is a key to economic development and recovery, said Mayor Erin Stewart, who provided an update on details about the project during a press conference Monday afternoon at Beehive Bridge Pocket Park.

“People see the impact on roadwork and walkability,” she said. “We’ve seen more economic development here than we’ve ever had in the last several years and people see it when businesses want to develop, and people want to beautify their properties.”

Phase six of the plan, which was completely covered by a state grant for $3.6 million, focused on improving the aesthetics of the streets as well as addressing challenging pedestrian and bicycle connectivity issues on East Main Street and Myrtle Street, which are both major retail destination and gateways into the downtown area. According to the city, the improvements include bike lanes, new and enlarged sidewalks, traffic signal replacement, granite curbing, street trees, paving and upgrades to the existing drainage system.

Public Works Director Mark Moriarty said reconfiguring roads to accommodate bicycles without creating traffic jams proved to be some of the challenging aspects of a very complex project.

“We’ve had to shut down streets in order to work on the roads but that’s also invasive to businesses and people who need to get places,” he said. “So one of the challenges was to make sure we’re able to do the project without causing traffic problems.”

Phase seven include increasing use of the CTfastrak station and multiuse trail by addressing pedestrian safety and reconnecting neighborhoods to underutilized properties. According to the plan, the work includes increasing pedestrian and bicycle safety and reconnecting neighborhoods through bike lanes, new sidewalks, curbing, decorative street lighting and street paving.

Based on the plan, the new improvements will connect people to the CTfastrak station and the central business district. It will also encourage development on the 12 acres of unused and underutilized parcels adjacent to the project.

The $2 million construction cost for phase seven was funded by a state grant with a focus on transit-oriented development.

“We know how to spend the money and we make the most of the money that we have access to,” Stewart said. “Some people ask why do we focus so much on downtown? It’s because we are already seeing results of the projects with added housing and places for both shopping and eating.”

The success of the projects’ development also requires teamwork, said the mayor. Some of those involved include city staff, the Public Works Commission, Cardinal Engineering Associates, TO Design LLC, Capitol Region Council of Governments and the state Department of Economic Community Development.

By investing in the city and improving the residents’ quality of life, Moriarty said it sends a message that New Britain is a business development friendly city.

“These may not be sexy projects, but they’re very functional and we need good roads for everything,” he said.

Wallingford PZC hears update on Amazon plans

Lauren Takores

WALLINGFORD — A developer that wants to bring an Amazon facility to the former Bristol-Myers Squibb site at 5 Research Parkway presented updated plans to the Planning and Zoning Commission Monday evening.

The commission is considering whether to grant a special permit to Buffalo, New York-based Montante Construction for the 219,000-square-foot, 17-dock Amazon delivery station building and parking lot on the 180-acre site.

The commission first discussed the special permit application during a public hearing at the panel’s May meeting.

The public hearing continued during the commission’s June meeting. After more than four hours of discussion and review of the modifications to the project, the hearing was continued again to Monday night.

Representatives from Montante and its project partners presented site plan modifications, including a sound barrier to block noise from trucking activity.

Benjamin Mueller, Ostergaard Acoustical Associates acoustical engineer, performed a sound analysis for the project

He said that the acoustical evaluation of on-site sound emissions included not only the steady HVAC noise source from the site, but also the intermittent motor vehicle activity.

Those decibel levels were compared to limits under state and local codes, as well as the ambient sound documented over the course of a 24-hour period.

The conclusion was that the project met all codes, as well as blended with existing sound level in the area, Mueller said.

To improve sound mitigation, the plans now include a 14-foot tall, 450-foot length sound barrier around the truck court to reduce noise from night activity.

Tractor trailer trucks are approximately 13-and-a-half-feet tall, according to the presentation.

The wall would be at least 3 pounds per square foot to provide sufficient mass to block truck noise.

According to a sound emission assessment with and without the wall, a “noticeable reduction” of 4 to 6 decibels would be provided to the east and further blending with ambient sound.

Amazon already operates a sortation center nearby at 29 Research Parkway, while Amazon Logistics operates a warehouse and distribution center on South Cherry Street, providing "last mile" service to customers.

Plainfield starts to cash in as construction set to begin on Amazon warehouse

PLAINFIELD — Hundreds of thousands of dollars in permitting fees will begin rolling into the town’s coffers as construction on a massive Amazon distribution warehouse project is poised to begin.

The town’s building office this past week took receipt of a $270,000 check that will pave the way for a building permit to be issued in the coming days for a planned 202,044-square-foot “last-mile” facility set to be built on 61 acres of a former dog-racing track at 137 Lathrop Road.

“We're likely to issue that permit on Monday or Tuesday, but there will be a temporary permit issued before that to allow crews to begin milling off the old pavement and add fencing,” Building Official Richard Martel said on Thursday. “We expect them to break ground for construction next week.”

The town could eventually see more than $400,000 in total permitting fees over the course of the anticipated nine-month construction schedule, officials said.

“The building permit is just for that – the building,” Martel said. “Other permits will be filed for things like the conveyers that will be inside the warehouse, along with utility and plumbing permits.  

The planning department is also expecting a $21,000 check to be dropped off ahead of the issuance of a zoning permit for the work, Zoning Enforcement Official Ryan Brais said.

“We just need to wrap up a couple of filings, like for drainage easements, and once that’s done, we’ll issue the permit,” he said.

Brais said Amazon expects to file for a temporary certificate of occupancy in May with a request for a full permit requested soon after.

On Thursday, a line of heavy equipment, including excavators and milling trucks, were lined up on the weedy, cracked grounds that once served as the racing track's parking lot. First Selectman Kevin Cunningham said crews were scraping brush and erecting fencing in anticipation of work ahead.

The permitting windfall, like all such monies, will be placed inside the town’s general fund, which currently stands at approximately $6.3 million.

“That’s about 13% of our annual operating budget, which can cover one-and-a-half months of town operations in an emergency,” he said. “Revenues from Amazon of $500,000 will put the reserve percentage at the 14.5% level.”

Cunningham said the town has not received such a large amount of permitting fee revenue since the Lowe’s Distribution Center was built years ago.

“The amount we get in permitting money comes down to the volume of the building – the size of the project dictates the revenue,” he said. “But it’s not the kind of thing you can always anticipate coming in. You can’t plan a budget on projects like that.”

In March, the Planning and Zoning Commission approved a site plan for the project, clearing the way for BL Companies to start construction on behalf of the Exeter Group, the project's applicant.

The former Greyhound dog-racing park opened in 1976, rapidly becoming one of the most profitable tracks in the nation, pulling in gamblers from across the state and beyond. Competition from the region’s two Indian-owned casinos in the 1990s, however, proved too much for the park.

The race track closed in May 2005 and the property was bought the next year for $7.5 million by the BVS company, a subsidiary of the Fairfield-based Starwood Cerruzi firm. Winstanley Enterprises, a Concord, Massachusetts, investment and development company that serves as landlord for several office spaces and warehouses in New England, bought the track in November 2017 from BVS Plainfield Investors LLC for $3.37 million.

Original site plans filed by the Exeter Group show the planned structure surrounded on three sides by a total of 664 employee parking spaces with two entrances leading from Lathrop Road to the site. Several loading docks and staging areas rim one end of the building with a pair of retention ponds illustrated on the rear side.

Once open, the warehouse will sort received packages dropped off from 18-wheelers before sending them out to customers via a fleet of third-party contractors trained by Amazon.

Between 300-400 drivers are expected to work at the Plainfield site and arrive in waves of 160 vehicles during the morning hours and depart in vans. During a typical 10-hour shift, the drivers will deliver within a 45-minute delivery area.