State Lawmakers Sign Off On Tweed-Deal Dollars

by Thomas Breen

East Haven is one key step closer to receiving close to $50 million from the state thanks to an airport-expansion-related funding package approved by state legislators.

That Tweed New Haven Airport money is included in Senate Amendment Schedule A for Senate Bill (S.B.) No. 1.

The state Senate adopted that amendment and then passed the amended S.B. 1 on Saturday. The state House of Representatives voted in support of the Senate-amended bill on the same day.

The amended bill — which now heads to the governor to be signed into law — includes a host of funding and other terms consistent with a deal announced last month that was struck by the City of New Haven, the Town of East Haven, Tweed-New Haven Airport Authority, and Avports, which is the private airport management company that runs Tweed’s day-to-day operations.

Per that deal, East Haven has agreed not to contest whatever decision is ultimately handed down by the U.S. Court of Appeals, which is currently considering East Haven’s and Save the Sound’s appeal of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) December 2023 approval of Tweed’s plans to extend its runway and construct a larger terminal. The new terminal would operate from the East Haven rather than the New Haven side of the airport.

In exchange, East Haven will receive a flood of state funds related to the airport’s expansion.

As an Avports spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday, the now-approved bill authorizes the State Bond Commission “to issue up to $40 million for the planning, design, and construction of public safety facilities in the Town of East Haven.”

The bill also includes $4.4 million in annual Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) funds for East Haven and another $2.9 million for New Haven. That PILOT money is contingent upon the “issuance of East Haven building permits” for a new, larger airport terminal.

Furthermore, the now-approved legislation includes $5 million each for New Haven and East Haven “to be used at the sole discretion of the municipalities for roadway safety, traffic, stormwater drainage, and environmental mitigation projects in the neighborhoods adjacent to the airport.”

The deal also maintains East Haven’s local control over some key approval processes related to the airport’s expansion. In particular, the Tweed New Haven Airport Authority must apply for local building permits and receive related approvals from East Haven Planning & Zoning.

Furthermore, if and when those East Haven building permits are issued, the Tweed airport authority board will be “reconfigured” to reassign to the East Haven mayor two seats that are currently appointed by the South Central Regional Council of Governments. That means the authority’s board will have eight members appointed by New Haven and seven members appointed by East Haven. “The legislation also mandates a 10-member supermajority vote for specific future actions by the Authority.”

“The passage of this legislation establishes a necessary procedural framework, marking a significant step in the ongoing evaluation of the proposed East Terminal project,” airport authority Chairman Robert Reed is quoted as saying in a statement provided to the Independent. “This is one more step in a long journey, one that will need additional local and state approvals before moving ahead. Working together with New Haven and East Haven, we’re ensuring that local oversight and community input remain central in a project that can and should benefit the Southern Connecticut economy for years to come.”

In that same statement, Avports CEO Marc Ricksis quoted as saying, “This legislative package reaffirms that decisions about redeveloping Tweed Airport will continue to be made in a joint, coordinated manner with both of HVN’s neighboring communities. We’re deeply appreciative of the General Assembly’s action and support, of Governor Lamont and his team for their work with us, of Town Committee Chair Vin Mauro and other local partners and, as always, of Mayor Elicker and Mayor Carfora for their continued efforts on behalf of their constituents.”

In a separate email statement sent to the Independent on Tuesday, East Haven Assistant Director of Administration & Management Ed Sabatino confirmed that “legislation establishing a framework related to Tweed has recently been passed in Hartford.”

He stressed that the detail “confirms that the Town [of East Haven] retains its local authority,” including in regards to matters that come before the Building Department and the Fire Marshal. “It also makes clear that any proposal must proceed through the full range of required state and federal regulatory processes, including review by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Connecticut Department of Transportation through the OSTA process.”

Sabatino continued by stating, “Most importantly, if any proposal advances through those regulatory stages, it will be subject to local land use review before the East Haven Planning and Zoning Commission. That process includes formal, public hearings with full opportunity for public comment. Any suggestion that a project of this scale would move forward without public review is simply incorrect.

“This framework also reflects changes from earlier concepts. Traffic flow, which had previously been concentrated entirely within East Haven, is no longer structured that way. In addition, East Haven has maintained its legal rights throughout this process. The appeal currently pending in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit remains active, and the Town continues to be aligned with Save the Sound on key environmental issues.

“What this legislation does not do is approve any airport expansion. It does not replace, waive, or predetermine any required local, state, or federal approvals.”

Even as New Haven city government has long supported the airport expansion project, some Morris Cove and East Haven neighbors have long voiced concerns about a larger airport’s impact on noise, traffic, and air pollution.

This article has been updated to include comments from East Haven’s assistant director of administration and management.