Hartford Business Journal

8 Hartford Business Journal • March 21, 2016 www.HartfordBusiness.com Smart growth drives CT's urban development By Matthew Broderick Special to the Hartford Business Journal W hen Alexion Pharmaceuticals held the grand opening of its $100-million global headquarters in New Haven last month, Ted DeSantos was thinking about more than just the biopharma's 14 stories of glass-encased office and lab space, or his eight years of involvement with the project. "I thought about the work that will happen in that building and the people who will be helped by that research," said DeSantos, senior vice president of com- munity development for Manchester civil engineering firm Fuss & O'Neill. "[Community] development is all about people for me now." He's not alone in that thinking. Over the past 20 years, developers, civil engineers, state officials, busi- nesses and communities across Connecticut and the U.S. have been shifting focus away from traffic-ori- ented engineering and urban sprawl to smart-growth development concentrated on walkable, condensed mixed-use space that combines residential, commer- cial and recreational usage. DeSantos points to New Haven's Coliseum Rede- velopment as a model for smart growth. The $430-mil- lion, seven-year project will convert the former Coli- seum parking lot into a community with more than 1,000 apartments, 30 restaurants, retail shops, a four-and-a-half-star hotel and conference space. The project is a component of New Haven's Downtown Crossing development, a massive multi-year plan designed to reconnect the city's downtown with its medical district. Alexion's new headquarters, at 100 College St., serves as one of the centerpieces to the development. "In the 21st-century, towns will need a mixed-use ecosystem to thrive," said Max Reim, managing partner of Montreal-based LiveWorkLearnPlay, the developer spearheading the Coliseum project. "Smart growth is about efficiency and lifestyle." Reim said the infusion of technology — to create energy efficiency and a carbon-neutral footprint — and access to educational and health and wellness ameni- ties are essential to smart-growth development, which in turn, is driving both residential and business demand. It's also driving economic activity — from planning phases through project completion. Reim said his com- pany typically spends one to two years and an estimated $3 million to $5 million in the planning phase alone on architects, engineers, law firms and capturing commu- nity feedback before a shovel ever touches ground. "These large-scale [revitalization] developments generate tens of millions in economic activity," Reim said. And they create jobs — a reality that state officials Q&A Transportation focuses on engineering innovation Q&A talks about the challenges of urban infrastructure develop- ment with Carrie Rocha, associate vice president, Connecticut office leader of engineering-consulting firm HNTB Corp. Q: Talk about improv- ing I-84 through Hartford has been gathering steam as of late. What are going to be some of the engineering challenges if and when this project gets the green light? A: There are many challenges to improv- ing or replacing high- ways that run through major urban areas such as I-84 through Hartford. Engineers typically consider many alternatives and go through a lengthy process to determine those that meet project goals and improve safety and efficiency of trav- el along the highway as well as improving connections. One major chal- lenge is how to stage or phase construction to mini- mize impacts to the traveling public and allow access to neigh- borhoods, businesses and other destinations. Other challenges encountered on these projects include limited space for con- struction activities, the presence of pre-existing infrastructure such as above- and below-ground utilities, environmental and sub- surface conditions, preservation of historic features and multi- modal connections. Q: In the old days, i.e. cur- rently, the tendency is to keep highways partially open while doing the work. But with I-84 there seems to be a sense of tearing it down and then building the new highway. What approach is going to work best and why? A: A decision about the best approach will come after a thor- ough evaluation of the options weighing the impacts of each alternative. Among the factors typically considered are the expected duration of the con- struction process, routing of detours or other travel alterna- tives and the impacts to stake- holders, including the neighbor- hoods, business owners and highway users directly impacted by the construction. If the decision is to keep I-84 open during construction, there are numerous examples where this has been successful. Among them are the recently completed widening of a portion of the New Jersey Turnpike and the current construction on the I-35 Mixmas- ter interchange project in Dallas. Similar highway improve- ment projects have been suc- cessfully completed in other parts of the country by the use of advanced traffic management tech- nologies, the effec- tive use of proven program manage- ment and construc- tion management techniques that can help accelerate the completion of proj- ects, manage costs and minimize the impact of the con- struction process. Q: What are some innovations in engineering that are being used in construc- tion to keep costs down? And keep things moving? A: One new management technique is alternative project delivery. One alternative deliv- ery method increasingly used today is design-build, which involves a partnership typi- cally comprised of the design engineer with a construction contractor who conducts both the design and construction of a project. Design-build can help to shift project risk, reduce proj- ect changes and improve over- all duration, which all directly impact the cost of a project. Another area of innovation is the application of advanced-pro- gram management, general-engi- neering consultant and construc- tion-management techniques. These represent comprehensive approaches that define, develop, deliver and operate major capital improvement programs. Compo- nents include risk management, financial planning, alternative delivery, communications, proj- ect controls and technology, quality and asset management. Additionally, there is the application of creative approach- es to planning and engaging stakeholders and the public that improves communications with those affected by, and benefitting from, transportation improve- ments. These can save time, or CARRIE ROCHA Associate vice president, Connecticut office leader, HNTB Corp. Continued Continued Storrs Center (top), Blue Back Square (bottom, left) and New Haven's Downtown Crossing (bottom, right) are smart-growth development examples. FOCUS ENGINEERING P H O T O S | C O N T R I B U T E D

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