CT Construction Digest Wednesday August 23, 2023
Enfield's All Sports Village to have 10-year fixed tax assessment once complex site plan is approved
ENFIELD — Fast Track Realty, the company that is proposing to build a sports and entertainment complex near the Massachusetts border, is set to pay a fixed tax assessment for 10 years, providing the project's site plan is approved.
Developer Andrew Borgia is planning to redevelop the now empty 65-acre MassMutual office park at 100 Bright Meadow Boulevard, along with an adjacent 3.78-acre farmland parcel at 113 Brainard Road, into a sports and entertainment complex.
All Sports Village, as the project is called, is expected to have outdoor athletic fields and a new basketball building along with a hotel, restaurant, spa, bar, additional retail space, and entertainment center.
The Town Council on Monday approved the agreement with Borgia's Fast Track Realty, which would only freeze tax revenue on any improvements made on the property for 10 years but preserve the tax revenue coming to the town during that time period. The developer would pay a fixed assessed valuation amount of $22,986,200 for the grand lists from Oct. 1, 2025, to Oct. 1, 2034.
Beginning with the Oct. 1, 2035, grand list, and for all those thereafter, the assessed value of All Sports Village would be 100 percent of the customary assessed valuation.
MassMutual, which was one of the town's largest employers and is a top taxpayer on Enfield's grand list, closed its campus in 2021 and moved the company's operations across the border to Springfield, Massachusetts. Town Manager Ellen Zoppo-Sassu said the company paid $695,124 in taxes last year. She said the agreement preserves the tax revenue received by Enfield so that it may continue to rely upon it.
It is forecast that the project's improvements and new construction will increase the total fair market value of the property by about $85 million and provide a significant amount of economic spillover to the region as well as serve as a job creator, Zoppo-Sassu said.
On July 17, the Town Council tabled a vote on the agreement so lawyers could weigh whether to set the assessment or the tax dollar amount for 10 years. On Monday, council members praised the work done by staff and attorneys on the agreement as well as what it will mean for Enfield going forward.
"Ordinarily, I'm opposed to giving tax breaks to wealthy developers but when we're talking about development of empty buildings, it's more palatable," said Town Council member Matthew Despard.
Others voiced appreciation for the economic development tool allowed by state law whereby municipalities can fix the tax assessment increase resulting from improvements made to real property for a certain amount of years to improve the economics of the project and aid the developers in financing it.
"I'm very excited to see the potential to bring business to North Thompsonville, a part of town that needs some help," said Town Council member Nick Hopkins. "This is a well-balanced tool."
Town Council member Michael Ludwick said officials have done a tremendous amount of work on the agreement and he's pleased the proposed complex will not include any building on Brainerd Park.
The project originally called for Fast Track Realty to lease a portion of the 32.6-acre Brainerd Park, which was donated to Enfield by Agnes M. Brainerd in 1958, for playing fields. In response to residents' concerns about using any part of the park for private development, however, Borgia revised his plans to allow for the fields originally planned for the park to be placed on the MassMutual site and Brainard Road property.
West Hartford developer plans 70 housing units on New Park Avenue: 'Creating a neighborhood'
WEST HARTFORD — A developer who wants to build a new housing development on New Park Avenue returned to the town last week with updated plans.
In May, the development group Li Brothers Construction submitted plans to the town that includes demolishing the Gozzo Design & Remodel building at 579 New Park Ave. to make way for a 70-unit mixed-use housing development called The Jayden. The development would include 14 affordable housing units.
Tommy Li, part of the team leading that group, said it was appealing that the property falls within the town's transit-oriented development district it established last June, an area encompassing the nearby Elmwood and Flatbush CTfastrak bus stations.
The Li Brothers' proposal is the second of its kind in the transit-oriented district, following Sami Abunasra's plans to turn the former Puritan Furniture site into a 150-unit mixed-used housing development.
"The town has created this district to make the process a bit faster," said Li, who grew up in West Hartford. "I think that’s pretty standard in terms of what other cities and and states are doing with their transit-oriented focused development. The approval process for the transit-oriented development is typically faster than your other zones, so that’s another attractive element and part of why we’re excited."
The transit-oriented district was created to promote non-vehicle modes of transportation and what West Hartford's town planner Todd Dumais has said in the past are the four D's of this kind of development: "distance, density, diversity and design." Building in the district also allows for developers to opt for higher density occupancy, lower parking requirements and incentives for including affordable housing.
And as Li said, the approval process can be quicker than other developments in town, as developments only need authorization from town administrators and aren't subject to public hearings and Town Council meetings and approval.
"West Hartford has always been on our top list," Li said. "We look at what the town's goals are, what they want in this part of the town and we look at how we can achieve that goal and look at different designs and opportunities."
In their most recent plans, Li Brothers Construction offered three different shapes and sizes of buildings for the site. Li said the group would now consider a preferred option, after having those plans reviewed at last week's Design Review Advisory Committee meeting.
No matter what design they pick, Li said, their mixed-used construction plans to offer 70 units of housing at the site split between one and two-bedroom units. The 29 one bedroom units, he said, would be around 800 square feet while the 41 two-bedroom units would be between 1,000 and 1,100 square feet. Two retail spaces would be included on the ground floor. Li's plans also indicate they would include 80 total parking spaces, with 10 of those being for the retail spaces.
The proposed development is part of over a dozen housing projects — including many new constructions and some property expansions — that account for around 1,688 new housing units potentially coming onto the market, with around 268 of those being "affordable" units. Some of those projects are finished and open to residents and others have begun construction, while some developments are in the early stages of being proposed.
Li said he's excited to build this development along New Park Avenue, which has had several other new housing developments open recently and is home to popular West Hartford destinations like the GastroPark food truck park and New Park Brewing. The town is also working on plans to improve the busy roadway, with discussions including a road diet and protected bike lanes as possibilities.
"That’s the focus of the town," Li said about the area's development. "Not just different shops and restaurants, but making it a more pedestrian friendly area. Someone can walk from the development to the food truck park or to New Park Brewing. It’s not just driving new businesses, but actually creating a neighborhood. We want to be part of that process."
Norwalk board OKs $2.9M to acquire 6 properties next to planned SoNo school
NORWALK — The city’s estimate and taxation board approved $2.9 million in special capital appropriations to purchase six properties abutting the proposed South Norwalk School at 1 Meadow St. Extension.
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The funds will come free balance from the Jefferson Marine Science Elementary School improvement project account. The city previously budgeted $1 million from that account and another $1 million from the Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy's improvement project account toward the school.
The six properties the city looks to purchase for the school are 28 Oxford St., 32 Oxford St., 36 Oxford St., 38 Oxford St., 16 Meadow St. Ext., and a 1.13-acre S. Main Rail Corridor, as identified in documents displayed during the board’s meeting. The city acquired the 11.7-acre former Hatch and Bailey Lumber Company property at 1 Meadow St. Extension for the $76 million school last year.
Alan Lo, the construction manager for the city, said the land would be used “to provide additional open space as well as provide improved parking and drop-off for the new proposed school.”
The 1.13-acre parcel is sandwiched between the northern property line of the proposed South Norwalk School and South Main Street.
Lo said that the $2.9 million is an initial allocation for the property acquisitions, but more funding may be required.
“The final cost of the acquisition is unknown this time,” he said.
According to a memo Tom Ellis, director of management and budgets, sent to the Board of Estimate & Taxation attached to the meeting’s agenda, “it is anticipated that additional funds would be required in the future to cover final purchase price, relocation costs and site development costs that are not included in current budgets.”
Lo said he and his team have been in contact with the owners of all properties to negotiate acquisitions, except for the owner of the 16 Meadow St. Ext. property.
“It's an empty lot used for commercial truck parking right now,” Lo said. “There's no building on the property. That's the only property that the property owner hasn't got back to us.”
Mayor Harry Rilling attended the meeting and addressed negotiations for the acquisitions.
“We're looking at good faith negotiations,” Rilling said. “We can work with the owners of the property and see if we can't come to an agreement.”
Should agreements not be met, the city would look toward invoking eminent domain to acquire the properties.
Mario Coppola, corporation counsel for the city, said that negotiations with the property owners have been “friendly” so far leading up to potential purchases.
“Ultimately, there will be a vote by the Common Council, which we anticipate to be sometime at one of their September meetings, to authorize us to proceed with acquiring the properties, including taking it by eminent domain,” Coppola said.
The South Norwalk School is slated to open in fall 2025, serving pre-kindergarten through third grade students in its initial year.
The city’s Land Use and Building Management Committee will meet Wednesday at 6 p.m. and will discuss authorizing the acquisitions and a referral for a Municipal Planning Commission Report on the six properties.
Path cleared for construction of Revolution Wind farm
Greg Smith
The federal government on Tuesday cleared a path for the start of construction of Revolution Wind, the first offshore wind farm that will bring electricity to Connecticut.
The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has approved the construction of up to 65 wind turbines and two offshore wind stations in federal waters 15 nautical miles southeast of Point Judith, R.I.
The 199-page Record of Decision released by the bureau on Tuesday describes alternatives and incorporates plans for mitigation of environmental impacts on a project that will supply electricity to Connecticut and Rhode Island.
The decision is one of the final hurdles for a project that is a joint venture of Danish wind company Ørsted and Massachusetts-based utility Eversource, the same team developing State Pier in New London as a staging and assembly area for Revolution Wind and other offshore wind projects. Eversource has announced an end to the partnership with Ørsted but is still a partner in the Revolution Wind project.
State Pier in New London, nearing completion of a $300 million upgrade project, is already in use and hosting massive wind turbine components to be installed at South Fork Wind, a smaller-scale 12-turbine project under construction off the coast of Long Island. That project will bring offshore wind power to New York.
“I recently visited the new State Pier to see the first of several shipments of offshore wind turbine blades for Ørsted and Eversource’s first project unloaded from the cargo ship,” U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney said in a statement. “Today’s announcement is another positive step towards cleaner energy and great economic opportunity for Connecticut and the region. Revolution Wind—one of the first projects of its kind in the Northeast U.S. ― will directly power Connecticut homes, create good-paying jobs, and significantly reduce carbon-emitting power.”
Revolution Wind, as approved by the federal government, is a slightly scaled back version of what was initially pitched as a 100-turbine wind farm but still expected to produce 704 megawatts of electricity ― power for about 250,000 homes by federal estimates.
Revolution Wind is designed to bring 400 megawatts of power to Rhode Island and 304 megawatts to Connecticut via an undersea cable to Quonset Point in Rhode Island.
“This significant federal decision reflects a thorough review and assessment of the project's impacts by BOEM. Now, we may proceed with the project's construction, heading into 2024 with the goal of being commercially operational in 2025," Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee said in a statement. "The Revolution Wind project will play a significant role in advancing the state's Act on Climate law, growing our clean energy economy, and achieving our 100% renewable energy standard objectives.”
Rhode Island lays claim to the nation’s first commercial offshore wind farm, the 30 megawatt, five-turbine Block Island Wind Farm, a demonstration project first developed by Deepwater Wind, which was purchased by Ørsted.
Gov. Ned Lamont, in a statement on Tuesday, highlighted the urgency of climate action in the face of extreme weather events and underscored the need to address the “climate crisis.”
“This decision from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, which paves the way for Connecticut’s first offshore wind farm, is welcome news for the state’s clean energy goals, and will help improve our environmental health and drive economic growth, particularly in towns along the shoreline where staging and assembly work is occurring,” Lamont said.
David Hardy, executive vice president and CEO of the Americas region at Ørsted, expressed gratitude for the federal approval and the opportunity to drive job creation and local supply chain growth. He said the Record of Decision moved Revolution Wind to the construction phase "bringing good-paying jobs to hundreds of local union construction workers, keeping local ports busy with assembly and marshaling activities and further growing the local supply chain.“
The first phase of onshore construction for Deepwater Wind, the digging of test pits in the area of the Quonset Business Park and nearby town-owned roads, is expected to begin this month. Offshore construction is slated to begin next year with the installation of monopile foundations and wind turbines.
The project still awaits final approval from the Department of the Interior of the Construction and Operations Plan (COP), along with other necessary federal and state authorizations. The final decision is anticipated this fall.
LiveWell bets $50M campus renovation will pave way for future of dementia care
While many elder care facilities are struggling financially or even closing, dementia-focused LiveWell is in the midst of a massive $50 million expansion and renovation project at its campus in the Plantsville section of Southington.
It’s a major project in an industry that has faced many challenges — from financial woes to staffing shortages.
Earlier this year, the Hughes Health and Rehabilitation Center in West Hartford announced it would close, citing factors such as higher costs, the trend toward home and community-based services, and declining occupancy and state assistance.
But LiveWell sees its project as an investment to ensure its long-term financial viability and growth, by responding to future trends in health care and giving people what they want.
“The places I do see that are closing haven’t adapted to the changing expectations of clients,” said Michael Smith, LiveWell’s president and CEO. “You can’t continue in (traditional) settings and expect to be vibrant in the future.”
LiveWell, a not-for-profit care provider that formed in 1990, was formerly known as the Alzheimer’s Resource Center of Connecticut Inc. It is solely focused on providing services for people with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
Its 8-acre campus features nursing, assisted living and adult day facilities at 1261 South Main St.
To align with changing customer preferences, LiveWell’s expansion involves transitioning to more assisted living beds as opposed to nursing home beds. It is also providing more community services, to help support those with dementia who aim to stay at home as long as possible.
People with dementia who still live at home run the risk of being isolated, which can be detrimental to disease progression, Smith said.
“People can benefit from some social connection,” he said. “We give people resources so they can live at home.”
The project will allow LiveWell, which employs about 220 workers, to reach more people with dementia, both on and off campus, by expanding its adult day and home care capacity. That will improve its long-term financial profile, Smith said.
In fiscal 2021, ending Sept. 30, LiveWell reported nearly $22 million in revenue and $3.8 million in net income, according to its latest available 990 tax form.
Early decisions
The state Department of Social Services has partnered with Mercer Government Human Services Consulting to better understand the future need and support for long-term healthcare services in Connecticut.
Mercer has projected an increased demand for home care and community-based services, with an estimated need for 6,000 fewer nursing home beds in Connecticut by 2040.
While the desire to live in institutional semi-private skilled nursing care is expected to continue to decline, dementia is becoming more common, notes Smith.
As of 2020, there were roughly 55 million people worldwide with dementia, a number expected to grow to 78 million by 2030, according to London-based Alzheimer’s Disease International.
LiveWell’s leadership said it aims to engage people with early impairment so they can make decisions about their future, as opposed to family members doing so when they are further along in their disease.
Construction at the LiveWell campus started in 2022. The work is being done in phases, with the entire project on track to be finished by mid-2024.
Before the project began, LiveWell offered 120 skilled nursing beds and 13 assisted living units.
Once finished, this ratio will change dramatically to 76 skilled nursing beds and 65 assisted living units. The project also will increase campus capacity from 133 to 141 residents.
The Connecticut Health and Educational Facilities Authority in 2022 approved an $81.6 million bond package for LiveWell, with the bulk going toward the project’s construction and operation.
The project includes a new 20,000-square-foot Center for Resilient Living, plus new homes. The last phase involves renovations to the original facility.
The center will expand LiveWell’s home and community-based services, which target both its residents and nonresidents.
The center’s services aim to help slow down dementia’s progression and give people hope, via in-person, virtual and hybrid programming.
“Managing blood pressure, reducing stress, addressing hearing loss, focusing on nutrition and sleep, physical activity, cognitive fitness and social connection — these are all key,” Smith said.
The nearly finished new center includes amenities such as a social hub and café. There is a test kitchen where people can take classes on how to cook for brain health. A studio for performances and movies can accommodate up to 145 people.
The center also features a greenhouse, fitness center, yoga and movement studios, and an art studio to take classes in writing, pottery, painting and theater.
Wall art will change periodically. It will have maker spaces, a learning lab, technology center and classrooms, outdoor dining, and outdoor exercise and play spaces. Hydrotherapy and massage beds help with relaxation and reducing stress.
The Bradley Henry Barnes and Leila Upson Barnes Memorial Trust awarded a $150,000 grant that LiveWell is using for fitness and relaxation equipment.
The center also features a health clinic where people can get physician and psychiatric care, therapy and counseling, physical, occupational and speech therapy, and other nutrition and wellness services.
Finishing touches were being put on the new center as of late July, and LiveWell anticipates having a full certificate of occupancy in the fall of 2023.
“It is not a senior center or basic adult space,” Smith said. “It is a dynamic space for people who want to be a part of redefining life with dementia. LiveWell wants to give people a sense of optimism.”
Maley Hunt, LiveWell’s chief operating officer, said people don’t have to live on campus to get access to its services.
“We focus on prevention, timely diagnosis and providing resources for people to have more control over their lives,” Hunt said.
New living spaces
Also under construction are new multi-story residential buildings that LiveWell calls its “River Homes.”
They feature eight bedrooms, eight and a half baths and shared custom kitchen space. Residents will be able to enjoy features such as a four-season sunroom, living and family rooms, parlor, study, indoor and outdoor fireplaces, outdoor decks overlooking the Quinnipiac River and garages, according to Hunt.
These are expected to be ready to open this fall.
Couples are welcome to live at LiveWell, even if only one spouse has dementia, so they aren’t separated.
In many elder care facilities, those with dementia might typically be in a special, locked section, away from others, according to Smith.
LiveWell avoids this by using technology to track people and ensure safety, such as with geofencing and wearable devices. This allows residents more freedom to move around the campus.
“We are trying to redefine life with dementia,” Hunt said.
In 2024, LiveWell will be renovating its original footprint, the project’s final phase.
Spaces where clients live currently will be revamped and updated with a goal of supporting resident privacy and autonomy.
Strategies for sustainability, growth
As the elder care industry continues to encounter challenges, there are several ways facilities can adapt to be financially successful, according to Kendra Nicastro, director of business development with healthcare consultant LeaderStat.
In addition to providing exceptional care, having a particular specialty, such as outpatient therapy or dementia services, can help.
Care facilities should also develop a recruitment and retention plan to stabilize staffing and drive employee satisfaction, Nicastro said.
“Quality of care stems from staff satisfaction, and it is difficult to achieve quality and satisfaction with high turnover,” she said.
While several elder care facilities in Connecticut have complained of high turnover and staffing issues, Smith said that hasn’t been the case at LiveWell.
“When you do things well, you support the viability of the organization and its mission,” Smith said.
Latest Vessel ‘attainable’ housing project approved in Rocky Hill
Vessel Technologies has won approval for its planned multi-unit apartment development in Rocky Hill.
The proposed two-building complex on a vacant site at 125 Henkel Way will contain 96 “attainably priced” homes.
The town Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved the application. An earlier pitch by Vessel for a five-story building on Main Street with 30 units was denied after board members cited concerns with traffic flow, lack of sidewalks or greenspace, inadequate parking and electrical grid capabilities.
The property, at the intersection of Henkel Way and Brook Street, is nearly six acres of mostly wooded land in an office park zone, in close proximity to Interstate 91.
The new plans include 90 one-bedroom units and six two-bedroom units; 29 of the units, or 30%, would be deemed affordable.
Vessel is under contract to purchase the land from Corpridge Land Co. LLC, an affiliate of Lowell, Mass.-based Farley White Management Co., for an undisclosed amount following site plan approval. The land has a total appraised value of $704,400, according to town land records.
Vessel officials said they are hoping to start work on the Rocky Hill site in early 2024, and have it completed later that year.
The Rocky Hill complex would be the first two-building project by Vessel in Connecticut.
A 70-unit Vessel project, at 146 Realty Drive on a lot along Highland Avenue in Cheshire, has been approved.
Another project in Granby, at 37 Hartford Ave., is in the permitting process, Vessel officials said.
A Simsbury project was denied and an appeal has been filed.
A New London building, which was the first Vessel project approved in Connecticut, is expected to open in October.
The Vessel model looks to build small, energy-efficient apartments that are accessible to middle-income professionals like first responders, teachers and other residents who don’t qualify for subsidized housing but for whom luxury or even market-rate rents are out of reach, Vessel CEO and Founder Neil Rubler said.
Vessel RE Holdings is an affiliate of New York City-based Vessel Technologies.