Construction of apartment and retail complex near Dunkin' Park in Hartford will start in fall

Liese Klein,

Developers are planning to break ground soon on a new project in Hartford’s Arrowhead district even as apartment development surrounding the nearby Dunkin' Park has stalled due to an ongoing legal case. 

The Gateway Partnership, a public-private alliance that includes the nonprofit San Juan Center and Carabatta Cos., plans to start construction on an $18 million apartment-and-retail project at Ann Uccello and Main streets in early fall, said San Juan Center Executive Director Fernando Betancourt.

“We have made a lot of progress in terms of the development,” Betancourt said, citing recent key approvals from city officials and grant awards.  “I think that this is one of those projects that is advancing probably at a better pace than some other projects in the city.”

The Gateway Project aims to build a new structure and renovate long-derelict historic buildings in the city’s “Arrowhead Gateway” just to the north of Dunkin’ Park. In total, 44 to 46 units of housing will be created or renovated along with 7,000 square feet of retail space and a community plaza.

The most recent approval for the project came from the Hartford Planning Planning & Zoning Commission on July 25, which green-lighted a special permit to allow a parcel at 522 Ann Uccello St. to be used as a parking lot. The new 5-space lot would include a spot for a van that could be used to transport disabled residents.

A gravel-covered lot at 522 would be combined with an existing lot at 520 Ann Uccello to create a larger parking area for the 39 new apartments and new retail stores planned for that part of the Gateway development. 

The week before, Hartford’s Historic Preservation Commission approved plans for the Co-op Building at 506 Ann Uccello, which would be revamped as part of the project. After a discussion of the historical accuracy of replacement windows on the 1890-vintage building and the preservation of its Yankee gutters, the commission approved the renovations. 

“With the Arrowhead and the Flatiron building, [this is] another restoration project that this team is hitting out of the ballpark,” said Mary Falvey, executive director of the Hartford Preservation Alliance.

As part of the project, Hartford planners rezoned the neighborhood’s historic “Flatiron” building at 529 Ann Uccello St. in June to prepare for redevelopment. 

Rezoning was also approved in June to allow for a new building on vacant land at 532 Ann Uccello in combination with property at 1359 and 1355 Main Street. The new structure will house 23 apartments and 5,000 feet of commercial space for the Gateway Project.

Betancourt said the development's financing is in place and permits have been pulled for construction and renovation work. What remains is environmental work at the building sites and the official transfer of the city-owned land involved in the project. The Hartford City Council is expected to act on the land transfers this month, he said. Once the deal has closed, Gateway Partnership plans to break ground the next day, likely in September or October. 

“We're very excited because the corner… has been vacant for close to 30-40 years,” Betancourt said. “We’re going to be doing not only a project that will respond to the need for apartment units in that area, but also at the same time, rehabbing and refurbishing three historical buildings that were abandoned for a long, long time.”

Construction can’t come soon enough for business owner Elijah Hilliman, who opened Semilla Café + Studio down the block from the planned Gateway Project in 2021. The area has seen some uptick in foot traffic due to new apartments coming online in downtown Hartford, but the recent ruling against the city in a case around development of Dunkin’ Park has slowed activity. 

A superior court judge in May ruled against the city in an ongoing lawsuit by the park’s original developers, pausing plans for more apartment development in the area. The city has spent about $6 million in legal fees on the case so far and is planning for a trial in 2023, Hartford city attorney Howard Rifkin said on Tuesday.

“There needs to be more of an ecosystem,” said Hilliman, citing the need for more new businesses and more apartments in the area. The city should also look at reconfiguring Main Street in the area to allow for pedestrians to cross and drivers to turn safely. 

Hilliman said the Gateway Project’s progress has given him hope that the Arrowhead district will continue to grow. “That’s something that I look forward to with more of those renovations, people coming in,” he said.

“I am excited for those renovations, but also, like thinking critically about the intention into steps is being done,” Hilliman said. “I’m really excited looking forward, cautiously optimistic.”

South Norwalk School project slated for $2 million in road, flood improvements

Kalleen Rose Ozanic

NORWALK — The city Planning and Zoning Commission will review a request for $2 million in special capital appropriations funding to make road and flood mitigation improvements near and on the site of the new South Norwalk School at its Wednesday meeting.

Alan Lo, Norwalk’s building and facilities manager, submitted a request to the mayor on May 22 to provide $1 million to the Transportation, Mobility and Parking Department for design and construction to improve the intersection of Meadow Street and Meadow Street Extension near the school site at 1 Meadow St. Ext.

The request also called for $1 million for the Public Works Department to “address flooding issues at the intersection of South Main Street, Meadow Street and Wilson Avenue” at the southeast corner of the school property.

In the request, Lo recommended that the funds could be moved from free balances from improvement project budgets at Jefferson and Ponus Ridge schools.

According to the Norwalk Public Schools construction website, there are no active projects at those schools. Jefferson’s new gym was constructed in 2021 and Ponus Ridge had an expansion in 2020, per Emily Morgan, NPS media relations specialist.

“Those projects have been completed at Ponus Ridge and Jefferson,” Morgan said.

The new South Norwalk School is slated to open in fall 2025.

The Planning and Zoning Commission will also review a special permit application for South Norwalk School and hold a public hearing.

The commission additionally will evaluate the project's coastal area management application — which identifies coastal features that may be affected by a construction project. This project's application does not identify any coastal features on the property that may be impacted by construction.

The commission will also determine whether the school project aligns with the city’s Plan of Conservation and Development in accordance with Connecticut General Statute 8-24. 

The statute states that municipal improvements, such as building the school or improving flooding problems or the nearby intersection, cannot begin until a project has been reviewed and approved by the appropriate commission — in this case, the Planning and Zoning Commission.

So far, materials submitted for the South Norwalk School construction project include its special permit  and CAM applications, Connecticut General Statute 8-24 referral, the special appropriation request, project narrative, site plans and architectural drawings, stormwater management report, traffic impact study, traffic and parking management plan, aerial image, permit authorization, abutters list, and sidewalks catch area map.

Last month, the South Norwalk School project was discussed at a Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, where leaders in the project addressed plans to power the new school entirely by solar energy.

The Planning and Zoning Commission meeting will take place at 6 p.m. Wednesday on Zoom. 

Stamford's Washington Boulevard to close at night through Thursday for a new pedestrian bridge

Jared Weber

STAMFORD — A highly trafficked section of Washington Boulevard will be closed overnight and early mornings this week for nearby construction.

The closed stretch, between Richmond Hill Avenue and Station Place, will be shuttered from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., as crews install a pedestrian bridge that connects the station's new parking garage to the main building.

The work is scheduled to conclude Thursday morning, according to the city.

"Please plan ahead for expected delays and follow detour signs," the city said in an Instagram post.

The Stamford Transportation Center's new 928-spot garage, off of Interstate 95's Exit 7, is scheduled to open by the end of the summer, state officials have said. The pedestrian bridge will link the new structure to the northwest end of the train station, which enters near Java Joe's, a coffee shop and cafe.

Additional construction work has also started this week at the intersection of Greenwich Avenue and Pulaksi Street, where officials are installing a roundabout.

A temporary roadway is in place to take motorists around the perimeter of the work area.

It's one phase of a three-part project aimed at improving transportation flow in the Waterside neighborhood for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists, according to the city's website. Other changes include "intersection improvements" at the intersection of Selleck Street and Southfield Avenue and a "one-way circulator" on Greenwich Avenue and Davenport Street.

Rhode Island developer submits new plan for Old Saybrook Whole Foods

A Rhode Island commercial developer has submitted a new plan for a Whole Foods Supermarket on the Boston Post Road in Old Saybrook.

The new plan submitted to the Inland Wetlands & Watercourse Commmission comes after the Carpionato Group pulled its original application back in May. The plan would have converted a former Benny’s discount store at 1654 Boston Post Road into a 40,000 square-foot Whole Foods.

The commission's first public hearing on the new Whole Foods application is scheduled for Aug. 17. If the plan for the high-end supermarket gets the necessary approvals from the town, it would take 14-to-16-months to complete the renovations and additions to existing buildings and would cost $16 million to complete, according to the application now before the commission. 

Carpionato officials have not responded to inquiries from Hearst Connecticut Media about the changes made from the first application to the second one. Old Saybrook First Selectman Carl Fortuna said he is happy Carpionato officials elected to continue to move ahead with their plans for the store.

"I think it's something that people I've talked to in the community are looking forward to having in town," Fortiuna said.

It was a combination of factors that led Carpionato to withdraw its original application, he said.

"I think there was concern about how close the store would be to the road as well as the impact the project would have on wetlands that are close to the property," Fortuna said. Tidal wetlands near Long Island Sound are located on adjacent properties that are south and west of where the new grocery store would be built, according to the application before town officials.

The plans currently before the Inland Wetlands commission call for several different options in terms of how the property would be developed.

Carpionato Group already has a track record of working with Whole Foods in Connecticut, having brought a store to the Avon Village Center that opened in September 2021 The company initially announced plans for the Old Saybrook location in August 2022.

If the Whole Foods is built in Old Saybrook, it would be the chain's first store on the Connecticut shoreline east of New Haven. Texas-based Whole Foods, which is owned by e-commerce giant Amazon, currently has 10 Connecticut stores with an additional locations under construction in the Evergreen Walk retail complex in South Windsor and on High Ridge Road in Stamford.

The South Windsor store is scheduled to open in during the first quarter of 2024, according to officials with Charter Realty, the Greenwich-based company that manages the Evergreen Walk complex.

"This is the kickoff" YMCA revitalization begins as groundbreaking nears

If you took a look behind the old Norwich YMCA last week, from the parking lot or over the bridge, you would see trees, trash and dirt getting cleared.

On Thursday morning, there will be an official groundbreaking for the redevelopment of the 20,000 square foot former YMCA building, which was closed in 2009. When it is all said and done, the property will be turned into the headquarters of Mattern Construction, currently in Sprague, and feature space for a brew pub and at least two retail spots.

Among those attending the groundbreaking will be officials from the state Department of Economic and Community Development. That organization was able supply $2 million from the Communities Challenge Grant to help the city with Brownfield cleanup. Other funding was also needed to help with the cleanup, including EPA funds administered by the Capitol Region Council of Governments and American Rescue Plan funds given to the city, Norwich Community Development Corporation President Kevin Brown said.

It's critical for DECD to get projects funded, and to see them in progress. The YMCA project is a strong example of what the Challenge Grant should do, building relationships between municipalities and private entities and downtown focused development, Executive Director of Community Development Matt Pugliese said.

"It exemplifies what we're trying to do across the state," he said.

YMCA conversion just one of several city rehabilitation projects

After gaining control of the YMCA property, Norwich was able to sell it to Mattern Construction for $1. Norwich put out the RFP for environmental abatement work on Friday, and construction company is working to secure the proper city permits for their part of the project. Construction is expected to being late fall or early winter, Mattern Construction President Eric Mattern said.  

“This is the kickoff to seeing some physical improvements on the site,” he said “That’s exciting for us and everybody in the city to see work get underway.”

Norwich City Planner Deanna Rhodes has given the go-ahead for soil testing, and work will start on the side of the building with the Y, and move across the property. Other redevelopment in downtown Norwich is continuing, from the Hotel Callista, a former Elks lodge, opening soon, to further work on Reid and Hughes and apartments on 77-91 Main St. that will have a ribbon cutting in September,  Brown said.

“If you come in through the east side and see the YMCA building and wonder when something is going to happen, we are at that moment,” he said. “The dominoes are starting to fall.”

Rhodes and Norwich Public Works Director Pat McLaughlin and their respective departments have also been important in making this happen, Brown said.

“Many hands make for light work,” he said.