Hartford HealthCare plans new cancer center as part of major Capital City expansion

David Krechevsky

Hartford HealthCare has filed an application with the city of Hartford seeking to expand its 65-acre flagship hospital campus by adding five buildings.

The special permit application to the Hartford Planning & Zoning Commission outlines Hartford Hospital's draft “facilities master plan.” The projects eyed for the next decade include:

A new parking garage with up to 1,600 spaces and ground-floor space for clinical and community support programs, totaling about 600,000 square feet. 

A new, 470,000-square-foot inpatient bed tower.

A new 80,000-square-foot patient bed wing expansion.

A new 80,000-square-foot cancer center and Emergency Department expansion, and

A new 35,000-square-foot medical office building and President’s Corner revitalization.

The garage expansion would be done in two phases and include demolishing the existing garage at 127 Jefferson St., which is slated to begin in early December. The proposal also would combine the lot at 127 Jefferson St. with lots at 143-145 Jefferson St.

The special permit request is on the agenda for the next meeting of the Planning and Zoning and Inland Wetlands Commission, which is scheduled for Tuesday at 6 p.m. There was no official price tag on all the projects. 

A Hartford HealthCare spokesperson said in an email that the organization is "in the preliminary stages of this project and there is no confirmed financial number at this point."

The spokesperson said there are “many steps as we evaluate potential future buildings and share those plans with the city.” The email added that the proposal is “conceptual in nature to show how the Hartford Hospital campus could evolve to better serve the needs of the community and improve the patient experience.”

The application comes three years after Hartford HealthCare officially opened its $70 million, four-story Bliss Expansion building in October 2021.

That building, at 71 Jefferson St., features 18 critical care beds and five operating rooms. It expanded the hospital’s intensive care unit by 20%, its MRI and diagnostic capabilities by 25% and its operating room capacity by 10%.

With demolition at old train station plaza done, construction to begin on $30M 'Greenwich Crossing'

Robert Marchant

GREENWICH — The demolition phase at the Greenwich train station plaza has been completed, and now workers are beginning the construction phase of the $30 million revitalization project that will yield a modernized train station, a new restaurant and new retail space on Railroad Avenue.

Demolition work started earlier this year at the train station complex, taking down the defunct Bow Tie Cinema and gutting a row of stores and eateries next to the train station. 

Ryan Harvey, the chief executive officer of the Ashforth Company, which owns the site, told a gathering of local business leaders and elected officials Monday morning that the project was on schedule and ready for completion by the end of 2025. The event marked the construction phase of the project called Greenwich Crossing.

Gov. Ned Lamont, citing his longtime ties to Greenwich, said the region would benefit from the construction work.

"I love what this means to Greenwich, my hometown, and our vibrant downtown. I love seeing Greenwich Avenue come to life, I love to see the outdoor dining," he said, "And I love to envision what Greenwich Crossing is going to be right here." Lamont said he was looking forward to having a glass of wine at the new transportation complex.

Noting that Greenwich is billed as "the gateway to New England," Lamont said: "This is a big front door to our state and the entire region."

The next phase of the development will build a 5,000-square-foot restaurant with a large outdoor patio, according to the development team. New retail space and the refurbishment of the train station will follow.

The station was originally built in the early 1970s and was widely seen as outmoded. The modernized station will be recast with granite, cedar and a metal alloy that looks like bronze, and a large clock will be installed in the style of a European train station.

Greenwich First Selectman Fred Camillo called the project a "transformational" one for the town.

Architect Frank Prial said the work he has done for Greenwich Crossing was a landmark in his career. "It's the kind of project that every architect goes to architectural school for," he said.

The architect said the new station would "make it more than just a place where people ran through quickly to get a train." Prial said he hoped the station would become "a place where people wanted to stay, to enjoy and engage and connect with community around them."

Downtown Meriden's black box theater project also adds housing, possibly restaurants

Mary Ellen Godin

MERIDEN —  A 10-year-old plan to build a 600-seat black-box theater with potential to draw musical acts to Meriden is being reviewed by the city's building department so construction may begin in several months.

The proposed 7th House Music Theater at 143 W. Main St. is in the final stages of financing with a bond closing expected later this week, said Robert Cappelletti, executive director of the Meriden Housing Authority.

The Meriden Housing Authority and its development arm the Maynard Road Corp. has site plan approval to build the 55,000-square-foot mixed use commercial development and is now waiting for the building department to give it the green light to begin construction. If approved, construction will last 18 months. 

"143 W. Main St. is a pretty amazing building," Cappelletti said. "We designed it to meet the end of the historic district."

The complex will have 54 market-rate studio, one bedroom, and two-bedroom units on the second and third floors of the building. The first floor will be designed for potential restaurants, shops and performing arts studios.

The 7th House Music Theater will be built into a hill and feature flexible seating, total soundproofing and recording space. Cappelletti and other partners have allied with booking agent Pike Street LLC, a Live Nation contractor, and the Crofoot Theater in Pontiac Michigan. 

"Why Meriden?" Cappelletti asked a group of city councilors assembled to hear an economic development presentation last week. "Not only is this location mid-way between New York and Boston but between New Haven and Hartford. They are pretty active in the area. You have a good advantage to attract artists in this area. And because of its portability you can have theater, music and social events."

The theater has generated interest with local and statewide music promoters and radio stations and expects to book 80 acts a year. Schools and the YMCA Youth Theater colleges and community groups will also be given available space and dates, Cappelletti said.

The Meriden Housing Authority and Maynard Road Corp. introduced the idea in 2014 but has struggled to find financing because Low Income Housing Tax Credits could not be used on the project.

There is a $22 million debt now in litigation on a 2022 preconstruction loan. However a change in federal tax laws allow for rebates on construction using energy-efficient technology. The 7th House Theater complex, like other MHA development, will use solar and geo-thermal construction. 

"You will get exposure for all this, it is very important for the success of downtown," Cappelletti said.  

City Manager Brian Daniels informed city council the venue is one of two downtown projects that will significantly change the transit-oriented district and can be built in about 18 months. The Colony Project is developing six lots along Colony Street to market a lifestyle center to Millenials who want to take advantage of living near the train station.

The proposed 7th House adds to the linear trail, parks, airport, golf course and other amenities available nearby, city officials said.

"You're looking at over $100,000 million in investment in downtown," Daniels said. 

Busy West Hartford intersection the focus of state's $7.8 million construction plans

Michael Walsh

WEST HARTFORD — The state's Department of Transportation has expanded on its plans to overhaul and reconstruct the busy Bishops Corner intersection at North Main Street and Albany Avenue. 

The plans, which were first revealed last summer, are intended to make the area safer for pedestrians. The plans will be the subject of a public meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 22, at the Bishops Corner Senior Center at 6:30 p.m.

"The purpose of the project is to improve pedestrian mobility and overall operations at the intersection," the state wrote in its project description. "The deficiencies with current pedestrian facilities, undesirable geometry, and traffic congestion make this area unfavorable for pedestrian travel."

The state has also implemented bike facilities, which were requested last summer by some residents during a public feedback meeting. The current sidewalks will be replaced by eight foot side paths that will be equally divided for use by pedestrians and cyclists. West Hartford itself is currently in the process of creating its own bike facility plan that will guide them in expanding and updating its bike lane network.

Currently, pedestrians trying to cross at North Main Street and Albany Avenue have to cross a channelized right turn lane that has no crosswalk signal. Then, once on an exposed pedestrian island, the pedestrian has to wait for their signal before crossing to another pedestrian island, where they must again cross against a channelized right turn lane without a signal.

The state's plans would eliminate those pedestrian islands, creating what they said would be a shorter crossing distance.

"Pedestrian push buttons will be relocated from the islands to the corners of the intersection," the state said. "Relocating the pedestrian push buttons and eliminating the islands will allow pedestrians to cross directly from one side of the road to the other, providing the shortest crossing distance."

The plans are estimated to cost the state around $7.8 million, an increase from the previous estimate of $5.5 million, which was before the inclusion of the new side path meant to accommodate pedestrians and cyclists. The state said that 80 percent of the project will be funded by federal money, with the rest being state funds.

The proposed plan will require some property acquisitions and easements, the state said, and construction is not expected to begin until 2027.

New Britain OKs $5.4M in Long-Awaited Upgrades to John Downey Drive

Robert Storace,

NEW BRITAIN — For nearly a decade, businesses on the busy John Downey Drive commercial strip have dealt with drivers racing on the wide three-lane road and potholes causing vehicle damage.  

After years of complaints from around 65 businesses along the road, city officials have secured funding to start making the area safer and more attractive. 

The Common Council voted unanimously at its Oct. 9 meeting to approve a $5.4 million bid for the project by Bristol-based Martin Laviero Contractor, Inc. The project will be paid entirely with state funds.

New Britain Public Works Director Mark Moriary said the extensive project will begin in the spring and be completed by summer 2026.

Moriarty told CT Examiner that the project will include narrowing 1.25 miles of roadway from 48 feet to 32 feet, installing new granite curbing, creating a new multiuse trail, building new concrete sidewalks and pedestrian ramps to meet Americans with Disabilities Act standards, installing new catch basins, milling and paving, new signage and pavement markings and new trees. No rehab work has been done on John Downey Drive since 2004, officials said. 

Business leaders with shops along John Downey Drive, which hasn’t had an upgrade since 2004, say the work is long overdue.

Brian Bugnacki, owner and co-founder of the Alvarium Beer Company, told CT Examiner that he, along with his workers and clients often see speeding and accidents.

“It’s turned into a speedway,” he said.

Bugnacki, who has owned the 26,000-square-foot business for nearly eight years, said he feels safe, calling the speeding more of a “nuisance.” However, he noted that it doesn’t create a good impression for those who work in or visit the area.

“Someone got arrested there for going 88 mph,” he said of the area, which has a speed limit of 25 mph. He said it’s disconcerting to “be sitting on the front lawn having a beer” with a client when “all of a sudden two cars drive by at 70 mph.”

Moriarty said the plan is to decrease the opportunity for speeding by considerably narrowing the road. 

“Right now, it’s conducive for speeding. It’s just too wide. Narrowing of the road will better accommodate normal traffic. Putting in street trees will also help slow down traffic,” he said.

Bugnacki, who employs 38 workers, said the pothole-ridden roadway has also caused wear and tear on the company’s three delivery vans.

“I really believe the [project] will elevate the road, which is seen as a beat up industrial road,” he said. “Right now, it is littered with potholes. There is a lot of commercial traffic on it and I know Public Works is doing the best they can.”

Mayor Erin Stewart, who is serving in her sixth two-year term, said the John Downey project has “been on our radar for about four years now as we have been hearing from residents and businesses about their concerns. … As we know these types of projects are incredibly expensive, so as much as I’d love to, we cannot just snap our fingers and find funding for these infrastructure improvements, regardless of how much they are needed.”

Stewart said she worked closely with the city’s Public Works Department over the past few years on a plan that would benefit the city’s taxpayers. The project is being funded completely by a grant from the state’s Local Transportation Capital Improvement Program.