Connecticut Development News

[StamfordCT]

i co-sign you 10 rot. But beleive me when i say that young people complain about CT being "boring"....i hear it all the time in Stamford....and how they want to get away from CT as QUICK as possible.

[D.D.]

man i kind of those individuals . I live in Windham and trust me is boring here.I'm a 21 yrl old man, and one i'm out of college my plan is simply to move either to boston or NYC. i barely do anything that keeps me entretained, except hula hanks in New Haven, a bunch of bars in Manchester and Misquamicut beach. Other than that is pretty boring for people my age. I wish there where more exiting things. And yes connecticut is expensive and is hurting my pocket right now, a big reason to move out of this state.

[havok100]

I was one of the individuals that moved out of the state after college in 98. Decided to go somewhere exciting and love to call Miami my new home.
Connecticut is a nice place to grow up, but as a young adult it is pretty boring.

[RPM]

Dani, what the hell are you doing in Windham? That place is horrible, I spent 4 years of college there at Eastern. The only thing fun in that area is Mohegan Sun. Stamford, Norwalk and New Haven are ok once you are over 21, but until you hit that magic number there is nothing to do in CT.

[D.D.]

Originally Posted by RPM

Dani, what the hell are you doing in Windham? That place is horrible, I spent 4 years of college there at Eastern. The only thing fun in that area is Mohegan Sun. Stamford, Norwalk and New Haven are ok once you are over 21, but until you hit that magic number there is nothing to do in CT.

I'm currently at Eastern ... one semester left for me then I'm out. I can't wait seriously. Yes there is nothing to do here is pretty boring, sometimes i hang out with some friends at some bars in manchester, around buckland hills but other than that is crap.

[RPM]

I loved Eastern, hated Willimantic. Of course when I went to Eastern the school was different than it is today, a ton of new buildings since then. Hell when I was a freshman the Support center was still the library.

[RPM]

Board OKs E. Main Street complex
By Magdalene Perez
Staff Writer
Stamford Advocate

STAMFORD - An 11-story apartment, retail and office building that supporters and opponents believe will transform East Main Street has won approval from the Zoning Board.

The project planned by developers New Hope Realty at 914 E. Main St. is a mix of two- and three-bedroom apartments, street-level retail and 7,360 square feet of office space. It will have 124 residential units, with 15 offered below market rate, and two levels of underground parking.

Developers are hoping to work with the city to establish a bus stop at the site, and hope a new Metro-North Railroad stop will eventually be built nearby at Myrtle Avenue and East Main Street.

Developers have billed the project as tansit-oriented and touted it as helping implement the city's vision for high-density residential communities downtown.

Among the concerns of those who opposed the project were that it would cause too much traffic in the area.

The owners of a strip mall and residence across the street threatened to sue if the project proceeds as planned because they say the height of the building and the planned use of an access way on Sherman Street would infringe on their property rights, a lawyer for the owners, Treiaena Associates LLC, said at a public hearing last week.

The board voted 4-1 Monday to approve the project and change the zoning designation from one that allows light industrial uses and houses to one that permits high-density and mixed-use residences.

Among the board's 22 conditions of approval is a requirement that the developers build a controlled-access gate on the site's Sherman Street entrance that would only be open to residents and service vehicles.

The condition - intended to block commercial use of Sherman Street by visitors to the stores or offices - is in response to concerns that the building would attract traffic on the one-way dead-end street.

James Grunberger, chairman of the East Side Partnership community group and a supporter of the project, said he is happy the developers won approval.

He has championed the project, which sits parallel to the railroad tracks, because it will reinvent the neighborhood from one in which car dealerships and strip malls were once the norm, he said.

"This project complements the city's neighborhood plan in that housing will replace industrial uses on East Main Street," Grunberger said in a statement. "East Main Street is transforming into a walkable, transit-oriented destination for quality living."

But Brenda Rivera, 52, was uneasy about the development, which will tower over her family's home on Sherman Street.

Rivera said it remains to be seen whether the new neighbors, shoppers and workers in the building would take advantage of mass transit, or if the project would only make the neighborhood more crowded and traffic-ridden.

In any case, Rivera said she has accepted that she may not be able to oppose further development in the area.

"When development comes, it's just like cancer," Rivera said. "It doesn't stop."

[Xusein]

Originally Posted by havok100

Connecticut is a nice place to grow up, but as a young adult it is pretty boring.

That sounds about right. The nightlife is totally lacking here.

But to be honest, I'm rarely bored because I'm too busy to be bored.

[StamfordCT]

its expensive- thats the worst of the problems.
No Nightlife or activity- another big problem.

These are two things that almost every other state has that CT doesnt....

[RPM]

Plan for 323,000-square-foot office tower in Stamford downtown still on hold
By Magdalene Perez
Staff Writer


Stamford Advocate

Article Launched:07/22/2008 12:54:23 PM EDT
STAMFORD - There was no green light Monday for Antares' plan to build a 323,000-square-foot office tower near Stamford's public transit hub on Washington Boulevard.
The zoning board opted against making an immediate decision at the end of a four-hour public hearing Monday whether to approve a zoning change for the project, and instead chose to mull over the proposal during its August break.

The board will again take up the issue - whether to convert Antares' waterfront property between Henry Street and the Metro North tracks from industrial to commercial use - on Sept. 8.

"I think they will give it good consideration and serious thought," said John Freeman, general counsel for Antares' projects in the South End. "I'm looking forward to September eighth."

Representatives for the developer said Monday that if the zoning board approves the change, Antares will interpret the decision as a sign that it should move forward with courting potential tenants for the building.

"They have to make a decision," said Rick Redniss, a planning consultant for the project. "Do we want to go out and spend another $2 million or do we want to stop because the city doesn't want us to do this?"

Redniss characterized the project as beneficial to the city. Antares is proposing to make public improvements, such as building a scenic overlook over the Mill River, adding bike lanes to nearby roads, and possibly building a pedestrian bridge from the transportation center into the office.

If the board defeats the proposal, the city may be missing a rare opportunity to take advantage of those improvements, Redniss suggested.

Ray Kowalczyk, a South End native who spoke at the hearing, said his biggest concern is that a looming Antares office tower may block out light on his wife's rental property on Pulaski Street. After growing up in the South End and watching Pitney Bowes first develop, then leave the area, Kowalczyk said he knew how quickly development can change a neighborhood.

"I don't want to see something like Trump Tower there," Kowalczyk said after the hearing. "They can have their office space, just don't have it come right up to Pulaski Street."

Redniss said Kowalczyk need not be concerned that the building would abut his wife's property because the office plans are a block away, above Henry Street.

- Staff Writer Magdalene Perez can be reached at magdalene.perez@scni.com or at 964-2240.

[scalziand]

Originally Posted by RPM

"I don't want to see something like Trump Tower there," Kowalczyk said after the hearing. "They can have their office space, just don't have it come right up to Pulaski Street."

Because streetwalls are evil..

2009 groundbreaking seen

Bronko Says Renaissance Place closer to reality in Naugatuck

Paul Singley Rep-am.

Naugatuck- Development on the Renaissance place downtown revitalization project should be underway by this time next year, Mayor Mike Bronco said Monday.

He said a groundbreaking party for the four-phase, $707 million commercial and residential project is expected in mid-2009.

"Anything can change, but that's what we're shooting for," he said. "and that's the schedule we're on right now."

The state Department of Environmental Protection is finishing the first draft of an environmental impact evaluation of the project's first phase, which would bring a mix of 386 condominiums, retail stores, restaurants, offices, and a movie theater to about 60 acres downtown. The final study should be done in November, the mayor said.

The project is ambitious, leaving many skeptical about whether it is feasible, especially with the national economy in a downward spiral. But now is the time to create projects like Renaissance Place, according to economist Peter M. Gioia, vice president of the Connecticut Business & Industry Association.

He said the 2,500 construction jobs needed for the first phase will jump start the local economy.

"I think downtown revitalization projects are a major benefit to communities when they are done right and are a comprehensive and major effort," he said. "By the time they are completed, the economy comes back stronger if they bring in the right kind of retail that people want."

He said if gasoline prices continue to hover at more than $4 gallon for regular, people will be a lot more careful about where they drive. If there is quality local shopping, he said people will take advantage.

The first full phase of Renaissance place will require $156.2 million in private revenue that developer Alex Conroy said he will secure.

It will also take $30 million in public financing that the borough hopes to receive from the state.

David Prendergast, executive director of the Naugatuck Economic Development Corp., said he believes it is still feasible to get all the money necessary.

" I think (Conroy's) previous track record shows his ability to get the funding," Prendergast said, referring to Conroy's successful projects, especially Providence Place in Providence, Rhode Island and MacArthur center in Norfolk, Va.

Before any money can change hands, the Borough has to complete behind-the-scenes work, Prendergast said.

While officials are waiting on the environmental impact evaluation they are simultaneously working on a municipal development plan which will include engineering studies and detailed planning.

The borough and Conroy have hired by Cheshire-based planning and civil engineering firm Milone & MacBroom to prepare that plan.

The company will be paid $85,000 which will come from a state grant ($40,000) and $25,000 apiece from the borough and Conroy.

[RPM]

Stamford is a sad, to many NIMBYs, people still clutching to the past when Stamford was a small industrial city. Of course those same people are being pushed out by the ever rising cost of living.

[Woonsocket54]

Stamford's incredible collapsing tower...

City vows to act after debris falls from Trump Parc
By Elizabeth Kim
Staff Writer
Stamford Advocate
Article Launched:07/24/2008 01:00:00 AM EDT

STAMFORD - Debris fell from the Trump Parc construction site yesterday for the third time in three months, and city officials said they may close the project down unless more is done to protect residents' safety.

At about 8 a.m., a round metal object, about 3 inches long, crashed into a glass window on the ground floor of the University of Connecticut at Stamford at Washington Boulevard and Broad Street.

No one was hurt in yesterday's incident.

"It looked like a shell casing," said Michael Ego, UConn-Stamford's associate vice provost, who was working inside the building when the object fell.

The projectile created a hole about 4 to 5 feet in diameter in the double-paned glass next to one of the building's main entryways. At 8:30 a.m., seventh-graders enrolled in a college immersion program start to arrive.

City Engineer Lou Casolo and Building Official Robert DeMarco went to Trump Parc after the incident and found workers were not taking steps to ensure safety, City Director of Operations Ben Barnes said last night.

"We have told the (George A. Fuller Co.) they need to completely remove the debris from the floors, to fix the fencing netting around the edges and take some other necessary steps," Barnes said. "We've given them a deadline of (this) afternoon, and if it's not done, we will close them down."

Barnes said the city would put a stop-work order on the building but would allow workers to continue cleaning. He said the city can put stop-work orders on projects that are a danger to the community.

Barnes said Fuller Co. has been responsive in the past, and it already appeared to be responding.

"I went by this afternoon and saw them doing exactly what we told them to do - removing debris and repairing the fence," he said.

After the object fell yesterday morning, Ego said he immediately called the mayor's office. "This is not the first time," Ego said. "I would like to know what steps are being taken."

In May, a piece of debris tore through the cab of a Crystal Rock delivery truck, narrowly missing the driver. He was sent to the hospital with minor injuries.

Last month, a piece of wire cable falling from the 29th floor and smashed a car's roof. The driver was unharmed.

Yesterday afternoon, men in hard hats were atop several of the higher floors working through swirling winds while a crane lifted a block of concrete.

At the campus, UConn student Yusuff Abdu, 21, expressed shock that another object had fallen off the construction site.

After the first incident, he received an e-mail from the administration advising students not to walk near the construction site.

Abdu, who commutes from Bridgeport, walks from the train station several blocks south of the campus.

"Now, I walk through Target," he said, referring to the passageway through the store's garage on Broad Street.

Pedestrian David Gailes, 18, said he walks in front of the construction site on Broad Street on the way from work. Told about the recent incidents, he looked alarmed.

"They should put up signs," he said.

- Staff Writer Elizabeth Kim can be reached at elizabeth.kim@scni.com or at 964-2265.

http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/localnews/ci_9978793

[RPM]

So there is going to be a half built skeleton of a building on the corner of Broad st. and Washington Blvd., right across the street from a college campus. That doesn't sound like a smart idea at all.

[Woonsocket54]

Originally Posted by RPM

So there is going to be a half built skeleton of a building on the corner of Broad st. and Washington Blvd., right across the street from a college campus. That doesn't sound like a smart idea at all.

They should have never allowed it to be built in Stamford in the first place.

[Woonsocket54]

[Xusein]

They should a better safety board to fix the problem, don't kill the entire project over that, it's too late.

[Xusein]

Stuff going on in Middletown.
I consider Middletown to be distinct from Hartford, so I think that it should go here.

Link: http://www.courant.com/community/new...,7203485.story

Middletown Council Expected To Oppose Site For Training Base

By JOSH KOVNER | Courant Staff Writer
July 25, 2008

MIDDLETOWN — - The $90 million, 273,000-square-foot Army Reserve training base slated for the Westfield section would overwhelm the residential neighborhood, destroy the natural habitat and cause serious flooding and traffic problems, a proposed common council resolution asserts.

Opposition to the Army Corps of Engineers' selection of an 88-acre parcel at Middle Street and Boardman Lane, near the Cromwell line, is stiffening with each passing week. U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3rd District, who has already registered her misgivings with Army Secretary Pete Geren, is scheduled to meet Monday with local elected officials and neighborhood residents at city hall.

The council is expected to approve the nonbinding resolution Aug 4. It asks the Army Corps to pursue an in-depth environmental investigation that could take well over a year to complete. The base is intended to replace seven Army Reserve and Connecticut National Guard facilities that are closing in Connecticut. The corps wants to start building next year.

The gist of the council resolution is that the project cannot be built on the Westfield site, but would work at other locations proposed by the city along the Route 9 corridor, off River Road and Saybrook Road. Corps officials have said that they considered both sites, but found neither to be suitable for the training base.

In Westfield, the construction would destroy wetlands, disturb Eastern box turtles and two plant species of special concern, cause flooding, overwhelm residential streets with traffic when up to 800 citizen soldiers come to train on weekends, and worsen water-pressure problems in the neighborhood west of the site, according to the resolution.

"It's like they never read the map. The Army Corps itself wouldn't approve this project if it was submitted by a private developer," said City Planner William Warner, who crafted the resolution.

Diane McCartin, head of the Army Corps' project team, said Warner was indulging in speculation. She said the project would create as much new wetlands on the lower portion of the site as it would remove on the upper portion. She said she is comfortable with plans for the site, but is committed to working with residents to answer concerns. She said a second meeting with residents will be held in August.

The property, near Exit 20 off I-91, is owned by Middle Boardman Associates LLC. It has been for sale for years, with no takers. The Army Corps is negotiating a sale price with the owner.

The Army Corps began searching for a Middletown site late last year and initially chose a location off Freeman Road near the Haddam line. But opposition from neighbors led the corps to drop the plan and to pursue the Westfield site.

Democrat Gerald Daley and Republican Earle Roberts on Thursday predicted broad, if not unanimous, support on the council for the resolution.

"It's fantastic. It makes it very clear why this is not a suitable site for the reserve base," Westfield resident Stephen Devoto said of the document.

McCartin said a site assessment will be done that will lead to either a finding of no environmental impact or a recommendation that the in-depth study, called an environmental impact statement, be completed.

She pledged an honest review and said she wasn't prejudging the outcome.

"We have a process and we won't circumvent that," she said by phone from the Corps' district office in Louisville, Ky.

Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz, whose family maintains a farm in Westfield, said a historic farm and homestead on the property should be preserved. She added that the Army Corps should be building on Saybrook Road or River Road, locations near Pratt & Whitney that already have been used for commercial or industrial purposes.

"If you have a choice, that's where you should go, not pristine farmland," Bysiewicz said.

Contact Josh Kovner at jkovner@courant.com.

[RPM]

Whats wrong with that project Woonsocket, I see no reason that is should not have been allowed. Do you think it belonged in Naugatuck instead?

[Woonsocket54]

The tower would look great in Beacon Falls. They need more transit-oriented development in Beacon Falls.