Charter headquarters work quietly advances

Ayear after it announced an ambitious plan to build a new headquarters in downtown Stamford, Charter Communications says the project is moving ahead. But it is not saying much more at the moment.

The telecommunications giant’s plan calls for the construction of a 15-story building on top of an existing parking garage, which stands adjacent to the downtown Metro-North station and is owned by Stamford-based developer Building and Land Technology. The undertaking reflects Charter’s marked growth in recent years and would reshape the city’s office market, which has seen few additions to its building inventory in recent years.

“Construction has begun at the Gateway Harbor Point site, and we expect the project to take approximately two years to complete,” Charter and BLT officials said in a joint statement.

The companies declined to comment further and did not make any officials available for interviews for this article.

Charter announced on Oct. 3, 2017, that it would relocate its headquarters from its current home at 400 Atlantic St., to a new 500,000-square-foot building at the Gateway Harbor Point complex, at 406 Washington Blvd. A second building could eventually be built on the same site.

In May, the city’s Zoning Board approved the project.

The project was originally scheduled to be completed next year, compared with Charter and BLT’s new statement projecting a 2020 finish.

Construction so far appears to be focused on foundational work, with no cranes deployed or building skeleton assembled.

Ablue tarp-covered chain-link fence runs along part of the east and south sides of the site. A sign posted on the fence, on Pulaski Street, reads: “Authorized personnel only. Hard hats required. Watch for falling material. Watching for moving equipment. Watch for uneven surfaces.”