CT Construction Digest Wedneaday July 8, 2020
Plan for $100 million biotech building gets final approval in New Haven
Mary E. O’Leary
NEW HAVEN — Carter Winstanley’s $100 million biotech research building that will feature a public plaza, a biotech training program for students and a workforce pipeline got final approval from the Board of Alders.
The state-owned site at 101 College St., which will support the 10-story, estimated 500,000-square-foot specialized lab, research and incubator space will be transferred to Winstanley Enterprises.
It will be the second major lab building on reclaimed land that was the Route 34 connector, where the goal is to keep research companies here and attract more to create a critical mass in this growing sector.
Construction is expected to start this summer and will be carried out at the same time the Downtown Crossing infrastructure project advances.
There is no shortage of companies looking for this type of research space, including some 30 companies coming out of research at Yale University, according to state officials. A total of 75 companies have emerged in the last 15 years from research at Yale, with 50 in the New Haven area.
Winstanley is donating $400,000 to a community fund under the “Together We Grow” agenda that will provide access to jobs, through construction and permanent workforce ladders, local supply chain development and environmental sustainability.
The project is expected to create between 700 and 1,000 permanent jobs at all skill levels supporting some 3,000 jobs in the regional economy and generating more than $250 million in wages, according to one study. There are commitments to hire minorities and women, a city rule that applies to all property the city sells.“Planning for New Haven’s future amid the challenges associated with the COVID-19 public health crisis is difficult but vital for our future,” Mayor Justin Elicker said in a statement.
“Our foremost priority continues to be managing and mitigating the devastating effects of this pandemic. However, we must continue to move forward to further establish New Haven as a significant bio-cluster hub in the state and innovation is the key to spark growth and create a significant rebound for our local economy,” Elicker said.
Winstanley has developed more than 1 million square feet of laboratory and office space at five city locations.
The 101 College St. project will remain taxable for the next 30 years regardless of who may buy it in the future.
A new feature connected with the project establishes a pilot program, SOURCE NHV, which is designed to connect small, local businesses to middle-markets through a brokerage service.
The alders also adopted a zoning ordinance text amendment for green ordinances and standards for public plazas in commercial developments in the BD-3 zone. This directly benefits the 101 College St. development.
It features a scorecard that gives points to increase the height and width of a building, when the impact of these structures are mitigated by such sustainable options as installing green roofs, or building privately owned public plazas, now commonly seen in large cities across the country.
The BD-3 zone applies to some 38.4 acres downtown in the area of George Street, Martin Luther King Boulevard, South Frontage Road, Lafayette Street, Congress Avenue and Amistad Street.
Groton City awarded grant for eight-slip dock along Thames River
Kimberly Drelich
Groton — The Connecticut Port Authority has awarded the city a grant to build an eight-slip boat dock with a handicap-accessible kayak boat launch along the Thames River.
The proposed dock will be located at Thames View Park, a property owned by the city and formerly called the Lower Costa Property, on Thames Street adjacent to the Pollution Abatement Facility.
A Small Harbor Improvement Projects Program grant through the Connecticut Port Authority will cover $649,332 of the cost, while the city will provide a matching grant of $166,083, according to a Port Authority document.
The city also was approved for a $75,000 SHIPP grant to fund the design review for a handicap-accessible path through the park to the kayak boat launch. City Mayor Keith Hedrick said the city will pursue other grants to fund its construction.
Hedrick noted in the grant application that “this project will provide a much needed transient boating facility and recreational facilities in a location with very limited public access to the water.”
Hedrick said that one of the city’s goals, as outlined in the Plan of Conservation and Development, is to provide all people with access to the water. He said almost three quarters of the city is surrounded by water and yet many people do not have access to the water.
“We have a great beach,” Hedrick said. “This will be another opportunity for people to get access to the water and to enjoy the water, even through passive recreation by sitting in the park and looking out over the water and looking at the boats.”
He also said the project would help spur economic development on Thames Street.
The dock would bring boaters down to Thames Street, and if the city can attract a restaurant to open nearby, he hopes it will become a destination location. The brick building — next to the park — which once was a police building and was most recently a restaurant, is vacant and up for sale, Hedrick said.
The funding for the project still needs to go before the State Bond Commission for authorization, and then to the city for local approval, he said. A timeline for construction of the dock is not yet available. With the funding awarded, the city will be able to seek further permitting and approvals.
Hedrick said the city previously took steps to spruce up the site, and the project has “been a long time coming.”
An online survey conducted as part of a redevelopment study of Thames Street, found that respondents’ top two priorities were a “walkable historic core with water access” and “potential riverwalk and docks,” according to the application.
“The successful development of the project site for waterfront public access and transient berthing will encourage future development at other waterfront locations within the City of Groton, both public and private, as there will be greater awareness of the accessibility to and viability of recreational boating access along the Thames River shoreline,” the application states.
Feds: CT’s 1Q economy declined 4.6%, bests other Northeast states
Joe Cooper
onnecticut’s $288 billion economy shrunk 4.6% in the first quarter of 2020, putting it on pace with the national average and ahead of other Northeast states as the country deals with the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, new data shows.
The state’s Gross domestic product (GDP), or the market value of goods and services produced by labor and properties, adjusted for inflation, fell 4.6% from Jan. 1 to March 31, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA).
Economies in all 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C. shrunk between a range of 1.3% (Nebraska) and 8.2% (New York and Nevada). Connecticut’s GDP rate ranked as the 18th best nationally, and ahead of 10 other states listed in the New England (average 5.2% decline) and Mideast (6.6% decline) regions.
Sectors recording minimal gains in GDP were nondurable goods manufacturing (0.26%), construction (0.16%) and management of companies and enterprises (0.15%).
Connecticut’s decline in GDP comes after the state recorded growth in each quarter in 2019 ranging from 0.9% to 4.3%.
View BEA’s latest GDP report here
Pirelli building conversion to a hotel on Long Wharf moving on schedule
Mary E. O'Leary
Mary E. O’Leary
NEW HAVEN — Carter Winstanley’s $100 million biotech research building that will feature a public plaza, a biotech training program for students and a workforce pipeline got final approval from the Board of Alders.
The state-owned site at 101 College St., which will support the 10-story, estimated 500,000-square-foot specialized lab, research and incubator space will be transferred to Winstanley Enterprises.
It will be the second major lab building on reclaimed land that was the Route 34 connector, where the goal is to keep research companies here and attract more to create a critical mass in this growing sector.
Construction is expected to start this summer and will be carried out at the same time the Downtown Crossing infrastructure project advances.
There is no shortage of companies looking for this type of research space, including some 30 companies coming out of research at Yale University, according to state officials. A total of 75 companies have emerged in the last 15 years from research at Yale, with 50 in the New Haven area.
Winstanley is donating $400,000 to a community fund under the “Together We Grow” agenda that will provide access to jobs, through construction and permanent workforce ladders, local supply chain development and environmental sustainability.
The project is expected to create between 700 and 1,000 permanent jobs at all skill levels supporting some 3,000 jobs in the regional economy and generating more than $250 million in wages, according to one study. There are commitments to hire minorities and women, a city rule that applies to all property the city sells.“Planning for New Haven’s future amid the challenges associated with the COVID-19 public health crisis is difficult but vital for our future,” Mayor Justin Elicker said in a statement.
“Our foremost priority continues to be managing and mitigating the devastating effects of this pandemic. However, we must continue to move forward to further establish New Haven as a significant bio-cluster hub in the state and innovation is the key to spark growth and create a significant rebound for our local economy,” Elicker said.
Winstanley has developed more than 1 million square feet of laboratory and office space at five city locations.
The 101 College St. project will remain taxable for the next 30 years regardless of who may buy it in the future.
A new feature connected with the project establishes a pilot program, SOURCE NHV, which is designed to connect small, local businesses to middle-markets through a brokerage service.
The alders also adopted a zoning ordinance text amendment for green ordinances and standards for public plazas in commercial developments in the BD-3 zone. This directly benefits the 101 College St. development.
It features a scorecard that gives points to increase the height and width of a building, when the impact of these structures are mitigated by such sustainable options as installing green roofs, or building privately owned public plazas, now commonly seen in large cities across the country.
The BD-3 zone applies to some 38.4 acres downtown in the area of George Street, Martin Luther King Boulevard, South Frontage Road, Lafayette Street, Congress Avenue and Amistad Street.
Groton City awarded grant for eight-slip dock along Thames River
Kimberly Drelich
Groton — The Connecticut Port Authority has awarded the city a grant to build an eight-slip boat dock with a handicap-accessible kayak boat launch along the Thames River.
The proposed dock will be located at Thames View Park, a property owned by the city and formerly called the Lower Costa Property, on Thames Street adjacent to the Pollution Abatement Facility.
A Small Harbor Improvement Projects Program grant through the Connecticut Port Authority will cover $649,332 of the cost, while the city will provide a matching grant of $166,083, according to a Port Authority document.
The city also was approved for a $75,000 SHIPP grant to fund the design review for a handicap-accessible path through the park to the kayak boat launch. City Mayor Keith Hedrick said the city will pursue other grants to fund its construction.
Hedrick noted in the grant application that “this project will provide a much needed transient boating facility and recreational facilities in a location with very limited public access to the water.”
Hedrick said that one of the city’s goals, as outlined in the Plan of Conservation and Development, is to provide all people with access to the water. He said almost three quarters of the city is surrounded by water and yet many people do not have access to the water.
“We have a great beach,” Hedrick said. “This will be another opportunity for people to get access to the water and to enjoy the water, even through passive recreation by sitting in the park and looking out over the water and looking at the boats.”
He also said the project would help spur economic development on Thames Street.
The dock would bring boaters down to Thames Street, and if the city can attract a restaurant to open nearby, he hopes it will become a destination location. The brick building — next to the park — which once was a police building and was most recently a restaurant, is vacant and up for sale, Hedrick said.
The funding for the project still needs to go before the State Bond Commission for authorization, and then to the city for local approval, he said. A timeline for construction of the dock is not yet available. With the funding awarded, the city will be able to seek further permitting and approvals.
Hedrick said the city previously took steps to spruce up the site, and the project has “been a long time coming.”
An online survey conducted as part of a redevelopment study of Thames Street, found that respondents’ top two priorities were a “walkable historic core with water access” and “potential riverwalk and docks,” according to the application.
“The successful development of the project site for waterfront public access and transient berthing will encourage future development at other waterfront locations within the City of Groton, both public and private, as there will be greater awareness of the accessibility to and viability of recreational boating access along the Thames River shoreline,” the application states.
Feds: CT’s 1Q economy declined 4.6%, bests other Northeast states
Joe Cooper
onnecticut’s $288 billion economy shrunk 4.6% in the first quarter of 2020, putting it on pace with the national average and ahead of other Northeast states as the country deals with the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, new data shows.
The state’s Gross domestic product (GDP), or the market value of goods and services produced by labor and properties, adjusted for inflation, fell 4.6% from Jan. 1 to March 31, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA).
Economies in all 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C. shrunk between a range of 1.3% (Nebraska) and 8.2% (New York and Nevada). Connecticut’s GDP rate ranked as the 18th best nationally, and ahead of 10 other states listed in the New England (average 5.2% decline) and Mideast (6.6% decline) regions.
The largest industry declines in Connecticut’s GDP included the health care and social assistance (-0.77%), accommodation and food services (-0.73%), and the finance and insurance (-0.71%) sectors. Other industries in decline included real estate and rental and leasing (-0.45%), government (-0.40%) and arts, entertainment and recreation (-0.39%).
Sectors recording minimal gains in GDP were nondurable goods manufacturing (0.26%), construction (0.16%) and management of companies and enterprises (0.15%).
Connecticut’s decline in GDP comes after the state recorded growth in each quarter in 2019 ranging from 0.9% to 4.3%.
View BEA’s latest GDP report here
Pirelli building conversion to a hotel on Long Wharf moving on schedule
Mary E. O'Leary
NEW HAVEN — Conversion of the iconic Marcel Breuer designed Pirelli Tire Co. structure on Long Wharf to a hotel is on schedule, one of many building projects progressing in New Haven.
Bruce Becker, whose last foray into the city was the 36-floor 360 State Street apartment complex, said workers have been abating the asbestos insulation on the steel within the building since February and should be finished with this phase by August.
“We are making great progress,” the Westport architect and developer said. “We are just plugging away. There are a lot of challenges.”
The Brutalist structure, which Becker bought for $1.2 million in January from IKEA, was essentially abandoned for 20 years.
It was approved for a new life as a 165-unit hotel by the City Plan Commission in November 2018 as IKEA looked for a buyer with the idea of getting the regulatory issues taken care of as an enticement.
Becker said they are working on a design “that honors the architectural legacy of this sculptural masterpiece.”
The architect said the dramatic cantilevered building lets passers-by on Interstate 95 look through it to the city beyond.
He said the original design in 1968 was meant to signal the prominence of New Haven, to put New Haven on the map as a modern city.
Becker said he feels the building will make a better hotel than when it served as the headquarters of the Armstrong Rubber Company, before it was bought by the Italian tire company, Pirelli.
“The views are spectacular,” Becker said as the building looks to the harbor and waterfront on one side and an unobstructed city view on the other.
“No other hotel has water views,” he said.
Becker said his company is designing a boutique hotel with an independent “soft brand” that will be affiliated with a major chain. He said he wasn’t in a position to discuss the brand yet.
In addition to his love of the architecture itself, Becker said it is being designed as the first Passive House hotel in the country, a structure that will use very little energy. He said there will be no fossil fuel used for heating and cooling, with renewable energy generated on the site.
Becker said staying in such a storied building should appeal to visitors concerned about the environment, as well as those interested in architecture.
Becker estimated that it should be ready for patrons next summer. “Hopefully the timing is good,” he said, given that the hospitality industry has been a sector hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said he just got through working on another mid-century modern structure, remodeling the former Bank of America building at 777 Main St. in Hartford, which reminded him of the Pirelli building.