Developer Drops Plans For Taunton Lake Condo Complex

By Andrew Gorosko

Citing neighborhood opposition to its construction proposal, plus questions about the availability of municipal sewer service, a New York State-based developer has dropped its proposal to build 110 condominium units for people over 55 on Mt Pleasant Road, near Taunton Lake.

Ginsburg Development Connecticut, LLC (GDC), has withdrawn its applications for the project from consideration by the Borough Zoning Commission and the town’s Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z).

Thomas Gissen, the firm’s executive vice president, said Wednesday, “GDC does not see an opportunity for us to do anything on that site… We have dropped our proposal for an active adult community.”

Mr Gissen held out the possibility that the firm might eventually pursue the construction of single-family homes on the property, as is currently allowed by the borough’s zoning regulations.

Although commonly called “condominiums,” the type of complex which GDC had proposed for the property more properly is called a “planned unit development,” Mr Gissen said. The project would have had a sale value of roughly $40 million.

Mr Gissen said the firm’s decision to withdraw its plans came down to two basic factors. People living near the site had expressed serious concerns about the effects that such a development would have on the area, he said. Also, questions remained about whether the proposed development would have access to municipal sanitary sewers, he added.

Mr Gissen stressed that the plans that GDC had in mind for the property would have created a “beautiful community.” The project would have been a local asset and would not have had negative effects on the town, he said. But the project faced many obstacles, Mr Gissen added.

The project, which would have contained 110 attached two-story townhouses, would have been constructed on a 36-acre site. Most of the site is in the borough. The property, now owned by the Grossman family, extends from Mt Pleasant Road to Taunton Lake. The sloped site lies generally west of the Taunton Lake Drive neighborhood. It is outside the municipal sewer district, but is adjacent to the sewer district.

In a past prepared statement, Gene Goodmaster of Taunton Lake Road, president of the Taunton Lake Association, criticized the proposed high-density GDC development. The association is composed of individuals and organizations which own land along the lake.

“There is a great deal of opposition to changing the zoning to fulfill the interests of this developer. We strongly feel 110 condominiums is wrong for the borough and Newtown. A high-density project is particularly unsuitable for this location due to its fragile environment, which is situated on Taunton Lake and includes wetlands. A condominium complex is not consistent with the character of the borough and the surrounding area,” according to Mr Goodmaster.

Mr Goodmaster added that such a project would intensify traffic congestion problems and pose road safety issues. The project poses potential public health and safety issues, he said. The project could also potentially have an indirect but significant impact on local school enrollment, according to Mr Goodmaster.

“Ultimately, we believe that there would be a great deal more negative impact from condominium development on this parcel of land, versus leaving the property at its current one-acre zoning,” he added.

“Newtown has always prided itself on preserving the quality of life of the community and has been vigilant about maintaining its character and protecting its natural resources. We hope that big developers aren’t allowed to compromise our community,” Mr Goodmaster wrote.

In early 2000, when GDC had initially approached the Water Pollution Control Authority (WPCA) about the prospects for a condo complex near Taunton Lake, the proposal encountered opposition from neighborhood residents, who said such a complex would damage Taunton Lake water quality.

GDC had sought WPCA approval to extend sewers from the central sewer system to the site, but encountered a stumbling block. In June 2000, WPCA members told GDC that extending sewers to the site was not a town priority, but added that if the development firm 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.

Dr Robert Grossman, whose family owns the site which GDC sought to develop, said Wednesday, “The town missed a golden opportunity” to create quality housing for people over age 55. Such a development would not have created excessive needs for municipal services, he said.

“It was a positive situation for the town,” he said, adding that the presence of the complex would not have polluted Taunton Lake.

The people who opposed the development proposal will be seeking such housing for themselves in the next five to 15 years, Dr Grossman said.

The doctor said many people had approached him about setting aside a unit for them in the proposed complex. Such a development would have added value to nearby properties, Dr Grossman said.

“It’s unfortunate that the town didn’t take the opportunity,” he said. Property owners in the area who opposed the project had formed an association and had hired a lawyer to oppose the project, he said. Legal challenges would have delayed the construction of such a complex, Dr Grossman said.

Dr Grossman said he will keep an open mind about future potential uses of the property, including the possibility of single-family housing.

Hawleyville Project

Although GDC has dropped its proposal for 110 condos near Taunton Lake, its similar proposal for 125 condo units for people over 55 in Hawleyville is still an active proposal.

The Hawleyville project, which would contain 125 attached townhouses, would be built on a 40-acre site at 178 Mt Pleasant Road, just east of the Bethel town line. The property is west of The Homesteads at Newtown, an elderly housing complex. 

The P&Z is expected to consider the preliminary applications for the GDC project in Hawleyville at an upcoming session.

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 a stumbling block in getting WPCA approvals for sanitary sewer connections.

In its preliminary applications to the P&Z for the Hawleyville project, GDC seeks to modify the town’s EH-10 zoning regulations, which apply to elderly housing complexes. GDC also seeks to convert the zoning for the Hawleyville site to EH-10 zoning. The current zoning designation there is largely R-2 Residential, which requires at least two acres of land for construction of a single-family home.

In its proposal, GDC seeks zoning regulations which would allow second stories on buildings and walkout basements. Existing town EH-10 zoning regulations require that all living space be on one level.

Also, GDC is seeking to reduce the minimum separation distances between buildings in such complexes from the current 40 feet to 20 feet.

In a statement to the P&Z, GDC says the Hawleyville project would contribute toward the town’s economic well-being because it would increase the property tax base, but would require little in the way of town services such as schools and roads.

Mr Gissen attended a May 3 P&Z public hearing on proposed revisions to the town’s zoning regulations on elderly housing. The P&Z’s proposed revisions would not allow the type of complex that GDC has proposed for the Hawleyville site. The public hearing will continue on June 6.

Mr Gissen said Wednesday that GDC’s Hawleyville proposal may be viewed as more compatible with the properties surrounding it because the site is in a commercial area with relatively few homes.

If the P&Z does not change its elderly housing rules to allow second stories, walkout basements, and minimum building separation distances of 20 feet, as has been requested by GDC, the firm would seriously review the viability of its Hawleyville construction proposal, Mr Gissen said.

GDC would need WPCA approval for sanitary sewer service to create its proposed 125-unit complex.

Mr Gissen has described the proposed development as an “age-restricted, townhome luxury condominium active-adult community.” The site would hold 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. 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. Units would range from 1,500 to 3,000 square feet in area. 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.

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.