Addressing Housing Shortages: Meriden Breaks Ground on Historic Factory Conversion

By Hugh McQuaid

October 22 @ 2:00 pm

Developers and public officials representing Meriden broke ground last week on a project to convert the historic Aeolian Organ and Music Company factory into a mixed-income apartment building, which will provide 82 new housing units in the city’s North End.

During a groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday, town officials and members of Meriden’s legislative delegation said the adaptive reuse of the 140-year-old factory complex would provide housing solutions for new residents in a variety of income brackets.

“It’s a great opportunity,” Sen. Jan Hochadel, D-Meriden, said, “not only for the residents but the community and Meriden as a whole, because Meriden is known as a great place to live and raise your family and I think this project exemplifies that so I cannot wait to see this final project finished. I hope it becomes a model for everywhere in this state because this project will change lives while revitalizing those communities.”

Of the 82 housing units that will be created by the project, 71 units will be affordably priced for household making at or below 80% of the area’s median income. The project is located within walking distance of public transportation and will include amenities like a fitness center, kids’ playroom, indoor bike storage, and a community room.

Dan Drazen, a vice president at developer Trinity Financial, described the factory’s storied history as a one-time leading producer of automated organs and pianos. The Meriden-based facility produced high-end musical instruments between 1887 and 1930, he said.

Trinity’s “adaptive reuse” project seeks to preserve much of the facility’s historical charm by including original features like exposed beams or new energy-efficient windows built in an historically accurate style. Drazen joked that the project’s developers had settled on a new name, Tremont Flats at the Piano Factory, because “it’s easier to say.”

The redevelopment of the 123,000 square-foot building at 85 Tremont St. has been funded in part by $9.5 million in financing from the Connecticut Department of Housing and $4.78 million in financing from the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority.

U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes, D-5th District, said the project came at a perfect time, as Connecticut seeks to address an ongoing shortage of available housing units, and served the dual purpose of repurposing a long-vacant property.

“This community has had to live with this blighted property for so long that I can imagine the excitement and the anticipation of seeing it transform,” she said.

Early Voting Begins in Connecticut

By Hugh McQuaid

October 21 @ 12:15 pm

Early voting in the 2024 general election began Monday in Connecticut — a milestone for the state which, until this year, was among a tiny minority of jurisdictions that did not allow voters to cast ballots in-person before Election Day.

Voters in each of Connecticut’s 169 municipalities have access to at least one location to vote early until Sunday, Nov. 3. Early voting hours will run most days from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. However, these hours will be expanded from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on both Oct. 29 and Oct. 31.

The option to vote early follows a constitutional amendment, which was approved by Connecticut voters in 2022, and subsequent legislation crafted by state lawmakers last year.

Although residents had the opportunity to vote early in primary elections earlier this year, Monday marks the first time Connecticut voters will have the option to vote early in a presidential general election, when turnout is typically higher.

In a press release last week, Gov. Ned Lamont said the new policy would provide voters with an early option that mirrored the traditional in-person Election Day voting process.

“Connecticut is finally joining the rest of the nation by having a system of early voting, and our hope is that the convenience this creates will encourage more people to vote,” Lamont said.

Connecticut’s adoption of an early voting policy leaves voters in only Alabama, Mississippi, and New Hampshire without the option to cast ballots ahead of Election Day.

After residents voted to amend the state constitution to permit early voting in Connecticut, legislators approved a policy allowing 14 days of in-person voting.

The two-week period is shorter than the early voting window in many other states, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, which found the national average was 20 days. However, voting periods in U.S. states ranged from three to 46 days, the NCSL found.

Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas said the start of Connecticut’s early voting window followed months of efforts by her office and local administrators across the state to ensure a safe and secure election.

“After years of waiting, voters will no longer need to worry that an emergency or unexpected event could prevent them from casting their vote,” Thomas said.

In many municipalities, local election officials are conducting early voting at the town or city hall. However, municipalities with populations exceeding 20,000 residents have the option of operating additional early voting locations.

Voters can visit myvote.ct.gov for a list of early voting locations in each Connecticut town and city.