The River Walk—

Sandy Hook Condo Complex Gains Planning & Zoning Approval

By Andrew Gorosko

Following a public hearing at which there was no opposition, Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) members have unanimously approved a local builder/developer’s plans to construct a 24-unit condominium complex on the west side of Washington Avenue in Sandy Hook Center, known as The River Walk. P&Z members approved the application from Michael Burton on January 22, following a 2½-hour public hearing at which representatives for the applicant explained the details of the construction project planned for a level, sandy 10.2-acre site at 12 through 20-A Washington Avenue, which has R-2 (Residential) zoning.

Voting in favor of granting a special zoning permit for the condo complex were P&Z Chairman Lilla Dean, Jane Brymer, Robert Mulholland, Richard English, and Daniel Cruson.

In approving the project, P&Z members concurred that the project is consistent with the 2004 Town Plan of Conservation and Development, the application meets the requirements for a special zoning permit, and meets the requirements of the town regulations on “affordable housing.”

The River Walk approval marks the first time since 1997 that the P&Z has approved an “affordable housing” complex. Eight of the 24 units at the River Walk would be designated as affordable housing.

In October 1997, the P&Z approved Riverview Condominiums, a 49-unit condo complex on Bryan Lane at which 13 units are designated as affordable housing.

The P&Z’s swift approval of the River Walk multifamily housing project comes in sharp contrast to the P&Z’s 2007 rejection of Danbury developer Guri Dauti’s proposal for Edona Commons, a 26-unit condo complex proposed for a steep, rocky 4.5-acre site at 95 and 99 Church Hill Road in Sandy Hook Center, which would contain eight units of affordable housing.

A basic difference between the two development projects is that the River Walk plans conform with the P&Z’s land use regulations on affordable housing complexes, while Mr Dauti had sought to modify many of the P&Z’s affordable housing rules in order to allow a much more intensive development at his site than would otherwise be allowed.

Also, the Edona Commons proposal drew heavy public opposition from nearby residents for various reasons, while the River Walk proposal drew no such opposition.

Mr Dauti’s court appeals against the P&Z and the Water & Sewer Authority (WSA) over their rejections of granting him a special zoning permit and a sanitary sewer connection, respectively, are pending in New Britain Superior Court. The Danbury developer is pursuing those appeals under the terms of the state’s Affordable Housing Land Use Appeals Act, a law which provides developers with legal leverage in gaining approval for affordable housing complexes.

Commenting on the P&Z’s approval of his project, Mr Burton said, “We went by the town [affordable housing] regulations. We have a development that fits the land and makes sense…We really did try our best to follow the regulations and answer questions as they came up.”

Mr Burton said he hopes to start construction on the condo complex this summer, provided that suitable financing for the project can be arranged. The builder said he has no reservations about starting such a project because there is a clear local demand for such a housing complex. He said he expects it would take about two years to build the complex, with its construction proceeding at a pace to meet the demand for dwellings.

To simplify River Walk residents’ access to the Sandy Hook Center business district, plans call for construction of a footbridge across the Pootatuck River that would link the condo site to the business area near 102 Church Hill Road.

Details

Six new buildings would be constructed. Five buildings would hold four condos each. One building would contain two condos. Also, two existing houses on the site would function as condos.

In the complex, 11 of the new multifamily units would be one-story, two-bedroom ranch-style residences, with the other 11 new residences designed as two-story, three-bedroom townhouse units.

The condos would have no basements. The complex would not have garages. About 3.15 acres of the site would be developed. The condo complex would be served by sanitary sewers and a public water supply.

Mr Burton said that after separate attempts to rezone his residentially zoned properties at 12 through 20-A Washington Avenue for mixed commercial/residential uses failed to gain P&Z approval about a decade ago, and also in 2005, he spent much time considering how best to develop that property before deciding to pursue the construction of a condo complex with an affordable housing component.

About a decade ago, Mr Burton sought to rezone his residentially zoned land to Sandy Hook Design District (SHDD) zoning. In 2005, the P&Z itself sought to rezone that property and other nearby property to SHDD zoning. But both attempts at rezoning the land encountered stiff opposition from nearby residents who did not want commercial land uses allowed in their neighborhood.

The P&Z created the SHDD zoning designation for Sandy Hook Center in 1995. It encourages a mixture of commercial and residential uses with pedestrian amenities, plus off-street parking. It is designed to promote the economic revitalization of Sandy Hook Center.

Ms Dean said this week of the River Walk proposal, “It meets without any exception our affordable housing regulations…Some other projects in the recent past have not.”

Ms Dean said the P&Z received many letters of support for the River Walk project from local organizations.

“I truly feel that people see the need for affordable housing,” she said. “I do think that it’s really an ideal spot,” she said, adding that the River Walk’s residents would create a nucleus of people who would use the nearby business district.

 The P&Z’s regulations on affordable housing provide that town employees are given first priority for both the sale and rental of affordable units in such complexes.

Mr Burton plans a 24-unit complex at which 12 of the dwellings would be for sale, and other 12 units would be for rent.

Of the 12 for-sale units, four units would be reserved as affordable dwellings for people of various income levels. Similarly, there would be 12 units for rent, of which four units would be designated as affordable units for people of differing income levels.

Mr Burton said this week that the starting sale prices for the “market-rate” two-bedroom units would be roughly $299,000, and for the “market-rate” three-bedroom units would be roughly $325,000.

The two-bedroom dwellings would contain approximately 1,200 square feet of space; the three-bedroom units would hold about 1,450 square feet of floor area.

At the January 22 P&Z public hearing, attorney Christopher Smith, representing Mr Burton, presented some sample sale prices for the affordable housing units at the complex.

Depending on the size of the units and the income levels of the owners, the sale prices for affordable units might be approximately $152,000; $177,000; $205,000; and $238,000.

Also, the complex would have separate sets of rental prices for market-rate tenants and for affordable housing tenants. The rental prices for market-rate units would be based on the unit’s size, while the rental prices for affordable units would be based both on the unit’s size and on the tenants’ income.

The P&Z’s regulations on affordable housing provide a “density bonus” to developers, allowing them to construct many more dwellings on a site than would be allowed there under conventional zoning rules. Through such a mechanism, the lower prices of both the affordable rental units and the affordable for-sale units are subsidized by the higher prices of the market-rate rental units and market-rate for-sale units.

 

Public Hearing

At the public hearing, Mr Burton said the condo complex represents a developmental alternative to proposals for commercial growth in the area which drew public opposition in the past. Mr Burton said he has received much public endorsement for the River Walk proposal.

The presence of such affordable housing would benefit young adults, providing them with an opportunity for local home ownership and allowing them to continue living in the community, he said.

The affordable housing units in the River Walk complex would be deed-restricted to ensure that they remain in use as affordable dwellings. Mr Burton would work as the administrator for the complex’s affordable housing regulations.

Kevin Bennett of Bennett Sullivan Associates, Inc of Southbury, the firm that designed the condo complex, said the company has worked on the project for the past 18 months, with the plans evolving through several stages. The apartments designed for the complex are “efficient” designs, he said.

The appearance of the complex would be compatible with local architecture, he said. The project is energy efficient, he added.

Landscape designer Andy Serfilippi of Bethel described the site’s landscaping. The positioning of the buildings on the site would provide for a large buffer area between those buildings and Washington Avenue, he said.

Traffic engineer Michael Galante described the traffic and site-access aspects of the development project.

The presence of a footbridge across the Pootatuck River that links to the Sandy Hook Center business district would tend to keep pedestrians from walking on Washington Avenue, he said.

Washington Avenue in the area carries approximately 800 vehicles per hour during its morning peak hour and its evening peak hour, he said.

Mr Galante said he expects the state Department of Transportation (DOT) at some point in the future to make improvements to the traffic signal at the intersection of Washington Avenue, Riverside Road, Glen Road, and Church Hill Road.

The northern driveway at the condo complex would carry only entering traffic, and the southern driveway would carry both entering and exiting traffic, he said. The southern driveway would have a stop sign for exiting traffic.

Civil engineer Alan Shepard said the sandy soil at the site will permit stormwater runoff to be discharged into the ground, allowing the underlying Pootatuck Aquifer to be recharged.

Public Comment

Ray Costanzo, the proprietor of 100 Church Hill in Sandy Hook Center, told P&Z members that Mr Burton is both a quality builder and a civic-minded person. Mr Costanzo said the River Walk condo complex would be a “low impact” development, which he supports.

Resident Robert Qubick of 21 Washington Avenue said that he might be interested in living at the River Walk complex.

 Resident Mary Fellows of 120 Walnut Tree Hill Road said the condo complex would be a positive addition to the community. “This is the type of development that people are looking for,” she said. It would provide housing opportunities for young adults and older adults, she said.

Ms Fellows said the River Walk is a good alternative to Mr Burton’s past proposal for commercial uses in that area.

“It’s just a dynamite proposal…I think it’s great,” she said.

Ms Fellows contrasted the positive aspects of the River Walk with the negative aspects of Edona Commons. The Edona Commons proposal would amount to “high density” development where “cliff dwellers” would live, she observed.

State Representative Christopher Lyddy of 3 Smoke Rise Ridge said he supports the River Walk project. It is the type of development that the town needs, he said. Mr Lyddy said he commented on the project as a local citizen, not as a state legislator.

 Land Use Agency Director George Benson termed the River Walk proposal “one of the most thorough applications I’ve seen in a long time.”