Developer Will Seek Two Condominium Complexes In Newtown

By Andrew Gorosko

A development firm is proposing the construction of two separate multi-family housing complexes for people over 55 on Mt Pleasant Road – one near Taunton Lake and the other in Hawleyville, which would contain a total 234 units, with an overall developed value of roughly $80 million.

Thomas Gissen, executive vice president of Ginsburg Development Connecticut, LLC, said Wednesday the New York State-based development company soon plans to submit preliminary applications to town and borough land use agencies, in seeking some of the many regulatory approvals required for the two projects. The housing units in both complexes would be for sale, not for rent. 

One project, which would contain 110 attached townhouses, would be constructed on a 36-acre site on Mt Pleasant Road, near Taunton Lake. The property, now owned by the Grossman family, extends from Mt Pleasant Road to the lake. The sloped site lies west of the Taunton Lake Drive neighborhood. It is outside the municipal sewer district, but is adjacent to the sewer district.

Ginsburg had sought Water Pollution Control Authority (WPCA) approval last year to extend sewers from the central sewer system to the site to develop the land. WPCA members last June told Ginsburg that extending sewers to the site was not a town priority, but told the development firm that if it could convince town officials that there is “major public benefit” in creating such age-restricted housing on the site, the WPCA would reconsider its position about extending sewers to the property.

The other project, which would contain 124 attached townhouses, would be built on a 40-acre site at 178 Mt Pleasant Road in Hawleyville, near the Bethel town line. The property is adjacent to The Homesteads at Newtown, an elderly housing complex now under construction.

In 1999, Avalon Bay Communities, Inc., a major apartment developer, had proposed building 304 rental apartments at the site, but Avalon dropped plans to do so in October 1999, after encountering difficulties in getting WPCA approvals for sanitary sewer connections. The Avalon proposal would have designated 76 rental apartments as affordable housing.

When the Avalon development proposal was pending, sewers for that section of Mt Pleasant Road were in the planning stages. A municipal sewer line leading to the Danbury sewage treatment plant is now installed in that area.

Ginsburg wants to discharge wastewater from both proposed multi-family complexes into sanitary sewers. The Taunton project would discharge wastewater into the central sewer system. The Hawleyville project would discharge sewage into the Danbury sewer system.

The firm has an alternate development proposal for the Taunton site, under which units there would discharge wastewater into large-scale septic systems.

Mr Gissen described the developments as “age-restricted, townhome luxury condominium active-adult communities.” He said the physical design of the complexes would be somewhat different than that of Walnut Tree Village, an age-restricted condominium complex on Walnut Tree Hill Road in Sandy Hook.

The Taunton and Hawleyville complexes would consist of many scattered buildings, each of which would contain either two or four residences. The buildings would have staggered facades to break up the outline of the structures. Each site would have a clubhouse/recreation building to serve as a focal point for residents’ social interaction, said Mr Gissen.

Mr Gissen said Ginsburg would develop the sites either in sequence or simultaneously, depending upon regulatory approvals and market conditions. Each of the two sites would take about two years to develop, he said.

Both sites are desirable ones, Mr Gissen said, noting that each is on a major road, not far from Interstate 84.

 

Demand

There is much pent-up demand in the area for such age-restricted multi-family housing, he said. The development projects are similar to condominiums, but differ from condominiums in some legal respects, he said. Owners would own their homes and would have their own yards. They also would be members of a homeowners association.

Rules would require that at least one spouse of couples who live in the complexes be at least 55 years old. School-age children would not be allowed, so there would be no need to provide public education for the residents, Mr Gissen said. The typical age for purchasers of homes in such complexes is 62, Mr Gissen said.

The price of units would range from the “low $200,000s” for a basic unit, to the “mid-$400,000s” for a larger, more elaborate unit, he said.

The sale value of the each of the complexes would range from $35 million to $45 million, meaning that the combined value of the two complexes would range from $70 million to $90 million, for a combined overall sale value of roughly $80 million, Mr Gissen said.

The quality and type of construction on the two sites would be similar, he said. Units would range from 1,500 to 3,000 square feet. There would be four types of units at each site. Units would have either one-bay or two-bay attached garages.

Plans call for townhouses in which all main rooms would be on the ground level. A second story would contain additional rooms. The units would have full basements, most of which would be walkout basements.

Mr Gissen described the general architectural style of the units as “rambling capes.”

Ginsburg representatives informally presented their development ideas for the sites to the town earlier this month.

Review Process

Mr Gissen said Ginsburg plans to submit initial proposals for the complexes to town and borough land use agencies soon.

In order the build the complexes, Ginsburg would need many approvals from many agencies.

The Hawleyville complex would require a wetlands construction permit from the Conservation Commission; an approval for sewer service from the WPCA; zoning amendments for the site design from the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z); a site plan approval from the P&Z; a special exception to the zoning regulations from the P&Z; and a change of zone for the property from the P&Z.

The Taunton complex would require all of the above approvals, plus zoning amendments from the Borough Zoning Commission; a change of zone from the borough zoners; and a site plan approval from the Borough Zoning Commission. The borough currently has no zoning regulations for age-restricted housing. Most of the Taunton site lies within the Borough of Newtown.

When Ginsburg sought WPCA approvals last year for developing the Taunton site, it encountered opposition from neighborhood residents who questioned the environmental impact that such a complex would have on Taunton Lake, a relatively clean body of water that formerly was used as a public drinking water supply reservoir.

Mr Gissen said Ginsburg would publicly address the concerns that have been raised by nearby residents. The design for the Taunton property positions the townhouses well away from the lake, he said.

Mr Gissen said Ginsburg hopes it can secure all the various approvals that are needed for the two complexes within six to eight months.

The firm will pursue both projects on “parallel tracks,” Mr Gissen said, in seeking town and borough approvals for development.

Ginsburg builds high quality residential projects, Mr Gissen said, pointing to its projects known as Redding Woods in Redding and Woodcrest Danbury.

The Newtown area has a growing number of aging residents who want to continue living in the area and want to live in well-built townhouses, Mr Gissen said.

Development of the two sites would have a positive financial effect on the town in terms of new property tax revenues, he said. Also, there would be no need to provide public education for complex residents, he said.

 Ginsburg Development Corporation of Hawthorne, N.Y., has done extensive development in Westchester County, including condominiums, cooperative apartments, single family homes, apartments, and commercial development. Martin and Samuel Ginsburg are co-principals in the firm.