Industry and IBEW News

Santander Bank provided $88 million in construction financing for Benedict Court, a 120-unit multifamily property in Greenwich. The consortium led by Lonicera Partners, Nimbus Properties, and Benedict Capital will build the development at 7-23 Benedict Place with 72 market-rate and 48 affordable units, plus 170 underground parking spaces. Completion scheduled for August 2028.
Local organizations face a January 20 deadline to submit redevelopment proposals for two former New Haven school buildings vacant since 2021. The former West Rock STREAM Academy and Quinnipiac Real World STEM School closed during COVID-19 due to outdated HVAC systems. Nonprofits including Hope for New Haven and All Nations Christian Academy are preparing bids to repurpose the properties for daycare, educational, and community uses.
Woodbridge zoning commissioners voted 6-0 to amend town zoning rules prohibiting future projects similar to a 96-unit mixed-income apartment complex they approved just one month earlier. The reversal came after over 150 residents gathered to oppose the December 2025 approval of the four-story development at 804 Fountain Street on the Woodbridge-New Haven border, which would include only 12 affordable units.
IBEW members conducted intensive get-out-the-vote efforts in New Jersey and Virginia's November 2025 elections, helping elect pro-worker governors and substantial majorities in state legislatures. The campaigns emphasized how union rights, collective bargaining, PLAs, and worker wages were directly at stake in these crucial odd-year elections.
International Executive Council Chairman Chris Erikson retires after a 50-year IBEW career, including nearly 20 years leading New York Local 3's 30,000+ members. Grandson of legendary Local 3 Business Manager Harry Van Arsdale Jr., Erikson championed diversity, mentored young leaders nationwide, and helped maintain union wages at $141/hour while serving as IEC chairman for a decade.