Connecticut

Years after its first buses rolled, CTfastrak delivering new development in West Hartford

Published

2 years ago

January 31, 2024

Years after its first buses rolled, CTfastrak delivering new development in West Hartford

With CTfastrak about to enter its ninth year, The Jayden mixed-use project in West Hartford is on track to be the latest instance of transit-oriented development along its route.

Hexagon New Park LLC intends to build a five-story, 70-unit apartment building on a New Park Avenue site near the busway’s Elmwood station.

The plan advanced last week when the town’s Design Review Advisory Committee gave its endorsement following months of discussions with the developer. If Town Planner Todd Dumais grants a permit, construction on The Jayden could begin later this year with an opening planned as early as the end of 2025, Tommy Li, a Hexagon partner, said in the fall.

The Jayden would become the latest of more than a half-dozen major residential and mixed-use projects that developers attribute to CTfastrak, the bus rapid transit system that links New Britain, Newington, West Hartford and Hartford. High-frequency shuttles run between those communities and link to traditional bus routes serving most other central Connecticut communities.

When the busway was built for more than $570 million, then-Gov. Dannel P. Malloy predicted it would drive new residential and commercial development along the corridor, a 9.4-mile former freight rail line that was dominated by long-vacant factories and machine shops.

A CTfastrak bus at one of the system’s 11 stations. (Don Stacom/The Hartford Courant)

Since then, investors have built or started more than a half-dozen apartment complexes along the route, mostly clustered in downtown New Britain but also in West Hartford and Newington. In all, that represents more than 600 new apartments in the region, with many marketed to retired seniors and young professionals who want semi-urban living with either less driving or even none.

The Jayden would be a key victory for transit-oriented development advocates who defended the busway against heavy political opposition, with some conservatives in the General Assembly arguing that it was an expensive boondoggle.

In 2019, state transportation planners issued an analysis concluding the New Park Avenue corridor was ripe for an overhaul. That stretch of the busway parallels the main street from West Hartford’s Elmwood section to the Parkville section of Hartford.

“This industrial band is generally sandwiched between low-density residential and large-footprint commercial strip development,” they wrote. “However, recent and forthcoming investments have positioned the corridor for transformation. The New Park Avenue corridor has the potential to become a walkable, mixed-use and transit supportive environment.”

Two communities that quickly and most heavily made use of the busway’s ridership potential were New Britain and West Hartford. Both undertook planning studies and then amended their zoning rules to encourage higher-density housing and other development within walking distance of CTfastrak stations.

“The busway undoubtedly was the catalyst that allowed me the opportunity to redevelop so many of the sites around the station,” New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart said Tuesday. “Access to public transit is important for a new generation of Connecticut residents and young people.”

The result has been a series of new housing starts in New Britain’s downtown; four of the largest projects alone — The Brit, The Highrailer, The Strand and the first phase of Columbus Commons — are creating more than 400 apartments near the CTfastrak station on Columbus Avenue.

The Jayden on New Park Avenue in West Hartford. (Courtesy of Town of West Hartford)

In 2018, West Hartford’s housing authority developed the 616 New Park complex with 54 apartments, including 30 at affordable rates. Last year it opened The Residences at 540 New Park, which rents 41 of its 52 units at affordable rates.

The Jayden is being developed by a private builder, though, and will lease 80% of its one- and two-bedroom units at market rates. Mayor Shari Cantor credited the town’s new rules in 2022 that make transit-oriented development smoother and faster for the builder.

“This is the first development since we adopted our TOD ordinance which allows a development like the Jayden with 80% market rate units and 20% affordable to be approved with administrative approval,” Cantor said. “This project is exactly what we had envisioned when we adopted the ordinance.”

Cantor said town leaders expect the transit-oriented development zone will continue to attract new construction in the future, and are hoping for a local link to the CTrail Hartford Line to help. The commuter rail trucks run parallel to the busway in that section of West Hartford.

“We believe a Hartford rail line station in this corridor is consistent with the state’ goals and will only enhance the state’s investment in CTfastrak,” Cantor said.

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Connecticut

Opinion: Three things CT must do to up its food game

Published

7 hours ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Opinion: Three things CT must do to up its food game

If you grew up in North Carolina, you don’t just eat fast food — you inherit it. The first time I walked into a Connecticut drive-thru, I realized something that shocked my younger self: I missed home because I missed the food. Connecticut may pride itself on being the Pizza Capital of the United States, but for anyone raised in the South, that crown doesn’t solve the state’s biggest problem — it lacks the fast-food culture that keeps everyday meals fun, comforting and quick.

Before Nutmeggers fire their ovens to defend New Haven, let me acknowledge the obvious: Connecticut has world-class pizza. The state is so proud of it that the governor’s office issued a press release doubling down on the title, even noting that there are 1,376 pizza restaurants statewide and 63 in New Haven alone.

And yes, the pies are incredible. Many are handmade, cooked in old ovens and worth the wait.

But that’s the point: You have to wait. A lot.

Most weekends, you’ll stand in line at Pepe’s longer than it takes to drive from New Britain to Hartford. Connecticut pizza may be extraordinary, but it’s not fast food. And it can’t replace what the South does best: comfort meals you can get in minutes.

As a North Carolina native now living in Connecticut, here are three things this state needs to truly level up its food game:

A legendary fast-food chain — ideally Bojangles.

Southerners don’t go to Bojangles. We return to it. It’s fried chicken that tastes like home, biscuits you can’t replicate, and seasoned fries that make road trips worth it.

Connecticut may not realize it, but people here miss it too. Some residents literally drive from Connecticut to North Carolina just for Bojangles, as shown in this Reddit thread from transplanted Southerners longing for a “Bojangles fix.” Another Reddit post raves about trying Bojangles for the first time.

Even YouTube creators have jumped in, praising the chain with videos like this review of its famous chicken and biscuits.

There’s also a full breakdown of the chain’s significance in “The Untold Truth of Bojangles,” which you can read here. For an outside perspective, a Connecticut-based writer included Bojangles in a ranking of the best Southern chains.

And recently, Bojangles made business news when reports suggested the company is up for sale — a reminder of how culturally important it is to its fans.

Bottom line: Bojangles has more than 800 locations across 17 states, a loyal fan base and a flavor profile the Northeast simply doesn’t match.

More variety. The South’s fast-food universe is huge.

A writer who lived in both New England and the South described the contrast clearly in this Business Insider piece: “The fast-food options are seemingly endless in the South.”

North Carolina has Cook Out, Zaxby’s, Biscuitville, Smithfield’s Chicken ’N Bar-B-Q, and more. Connecticut has far fewer regional chains, meaning fewer signature flavors and fewer low-cost comfort foods. It’s not just about fried chicken — it’s about choice.

A stronger culture of quick, flavorful meals.

Fast food in N.C. isn’t just food — it’s rhythm. It’s grabbing a Cajun Filet Biscuit before school, hitting Cook Out after a late game or stopping at Bojangles on road trips because you know exactly what that first bite will taste like. Connecticut leans heavily on sit-down meals and pizza culture. Great traditions, but not always practical for families, students or workers looking for fast, inexpensive meals on the go.

The Counterargument: But Connecticut Has Pizza.

True — Connecticut has some of the best pizza in the country, and locals love it fiercely. But pizza isn’t filling the same role Bojangles does in North Carolina. It’s not a drive-thru meal; it’s not a cultural touchstone, and it doesn’t come with a sweet tea strong enough to fix a bad day. Pizza can be phenomenal while still leaving a gap in the food landscape.

The Solution

It’s time for Connecticut to welcome a major Southern chain, ideally Bojangles, and embrace the culture that comes with it. Even a single location would bring new flavors, new customers, new jobs and maybe even a new sense of identity around quick comfort food. Connecticut doesn’t have to stop loving pizza. But it can expand its palate — and its drive-thru options.

Because here’s the truth that no Connecticut resident wants to hear from a Southerner: Your pizza is amazing. But you have no idea how good life can be with a Bo-Berry Biscuit.

Max Frazier is a sophomore, a Blue Devils basketball player and a proud North Carolinian studying communication at Central Connecticut State University.

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Connecticut

State police investigating suspicious incident in Burlington

Published

19 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

State police investigating suspicious incident in Burlington

BURLINGTON, Conn. (WFSB) – Connecticut State Police are investigating a suspicious incident at a residence on Case Road in Burlington.

Multiple state troopers and police vehicles were seen at the home conducting an investigation. A viewer reported seeing nine police cars and numerous troopers at the scene.

State police said there is no threat to the public at this time. The investigation is ongoing.

No additional details about the nature of the suspicious incident have been released.

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Connecticut

Ecuadorian national with manslaughter conviction sentenced for illegally reentering United States through Connecticut

Published

1 day ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Ecuadorian national with manslaughter conviction sentenced for illegally reentering United States through Connecticut

NEW HAVEN, CT. (WFSB) – An Ecuadorian national with a manslaughter conviction was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison for illegally reentering the United States through Connecticut after being deported.

40-year-old Darwin Francisco Quituizaca-Duchitanga was sentenced and had used the aliases Darwin Duchitanga-Quituizaca and Juan Mendez-Gutierrez.

U.S. Border Patrol first encountered Quituizaca in December 2003, when he used the alias Juan Mendez-Gutierrez and claimed to be a Mexican citizen. He was issued a voluntary return to Mexico.

Connecticut State Police arrested him in March 2018 on charges related to a fatal crash on I-91 in North Haven in March 2017. He was using the alias Darwin Duchitanga-Quituizaca at the time.

ICE arrested him on an administrative warrant in Meriden in August 2018 while he was awaiting trial in his state case. An immigration judge ordered his removal to Ecuador in September 2018, but he was transferred to state custody to face pending charges.

Quituizaca was convicted of second-degree manslaughter in January 2019 and sentenced to 30 months in prison.

After his release, ICE arrested him again on an administrative warrant in Meriden in August 2023. He was removed to Ecuador the next month.

ICE arrested Quituizaca again on a warrant in Meriden on June 28th, 2025, after he illegally reentered the United States. He pleaded guilty to unlawful reentry on July 30th.

He has been detained since his arrest. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated the case.

The case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat illegal immigration and transnational criminal organizations.

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