FAIRFIELD, CT — A four-story, 40-unit apartment building is being proposed on Berkeley Road in Fairfield, under the state’s controversial 8-30g affordable housing regulations.
The developer, Berkeley Rd. LLC, is proposing the complex would hold three two-bedroom units, eight studio units, and 29 one-bedroom units; 12 of the units, which represents 30 percent of the proposal, would be designated affordable under 8-30g.
Three properties would be combined to accommodate the building, which measures 33,777 square feet. Those three lots — 277, 291 and 301 Berkeley Road — total .75 of an acre. There will be 10 units per floor.
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Fifty-one parking spaces will be provided, 19 of which will be under the complex, and the other 32 spaces would be outside at surface level.
In what was the first public hearing on the proposal Tuesday night, the Town Plan and Zoning Commission expressed some concerns over the plan, while acknowledging that there might not be much they can do to stop it under the 8-30g statutes. In many cases, those regulations supersede local zoning laws.
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“Our local regulations basically go out the window when it comes to 8-30g,” commission Chair Tom Noonan said, adding that the proposal looked overly dense for the neighborhood.
The 8-30g statute gives developers an edge to build housing complexes, as long as 30 percent of the units are designated as affordable for 40 years. Local land use boards and commissions largely have no power to stop projects that fall under 8-30g, unless they can prove that there is a “quantifiable probability that there will be a harm to the community” if the project is built, according to Attorney John Fallon, who represents the developers.
“This commission has done a very admirable job of addressing affordable housing in this community, but only 3 percent of units in Fairfield are considered affordable,” Fallon told the commission. Fairfield officials hope that number reaches 12 percent in the future.
“We still have a great deal of work to do,” Fallon added.
Noonan asked Fallon if the developers could “knock off a floor” and still make the project work?
According to Fallon, not likely.
“You need density to make a project work financially,” Fallon said.
Commissioner Meg Francis did not appear to be impressed.
“It doesn’t fit in the neighborhood at all,” she said of the proposed development, emphasizing that Berkeley Road has small capes, ranches and colonial homes.
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Commissioners also expressed concerns over the proposed placement of dumpsters next to neighbors’ properties, with one resident saying his pool would be next to the dumpsters.
Resident Scott Paglia, one of several neighbors who spoke against the plan, said that because vehicles are parked on both sides of Berkeley Road, it is essentially a one-lane street. Added to that is a hill that cuts off visibility, making driving difficult.
“It is a working class neighborhood, a lot of contractors live on the street and park trucks on the street,” Paglia said.
The commission kept the hearing open for its next meeting on May 23, in order to hear more public comments.
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