Date: Fri 10-Oct-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

P&Z-Riverview-Newtown-Village

Full Text:

Two Affordable Housing Plans Are A Study In Contrasts

BY ANDREW GOROSKO

Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) members are considering comments made at

an October 2 public hearing on Riverview Condominiums, a 49-unit residential

complex proposed for Washbrook Road, behind Sand Hill Plaza in Botsford.

During the two-hour public hearing on Riverview, P&Z members heard only

positive comments and received only positive letters about the construction

project that would include 13 condo units designated as "affordable housing."

The lack of opposition to Riverview comes in sharp contrast to Sandy Hook

residents' many concerns over the controversial Newtown Village, a proposed

96-house condominium complex that would include 24 "affordable" houses on a

site on Route 34, near the Exit 11 on-ramp of I-84.

While the Riverview hearing took only two hours October 2, the past Newtown

Village public hearing was broken into three night sessions held between

August 7 and September 24, taking about 8« hours to conduct.

P&Z decisions on Riverview and Newtown Village are pending.

Contrasts

The most apparent differences between the two proposals are: Newtown Village

would have almost twice the number of condos as Riverview; Newtown Village is

seeking permission to build a small-scale sewer system, while Riverview would

dispose of wastewater in a large conventional community septic system; and

Newtown Village would be in a congested part of town within an existing

neighborhood, while Riverview would be in a relatively isolated area with

little population.

Newtown Village would be built close to an interstate highway's interchange

with easy access to Danbury and Waterbury, while Riverview would be built

several miles from an interstate highway.

Initial public concerns about Riverview's impact on the student population in

the public schools appear to have subsided.

P&Z members have until early December to act on Riverview. They have until

late November to act on Newtown Village.

Riverview

R&G Riverview Associates, LLC, wants a special permit to build 49 condos in 14

buildings on a 16.4-acre site overlooking a large lawn and the Pootatuck

River. The section of Washbrook Road, a dirt road, extending to the site from

South Main Street would be paved. A gated secondary accessway for emergency

vehicles would connect the site to Cold Spring Road. The development would be

served by United Water and Yankeegas. Septic waste disposal would be provided

by a community septic system serving all 49 units. The community septic system

would be buried beneath the large lawn situated between the condos and the

Pootatuck River.

Most of the site is wooded. A section of it, which had been proposed for a

nursing home in 1991, contains a large concrete foundation that would have to

be removed to prepare the land for condo construction. The construction

proposal calls for the removal of 12,000 cubic yards of material from the

site.

P&Z members read several letters in support of the Riverview Condominiums from

representative insurance, realty and law firms.

Attorney Stephen Wippermann of Fox Hollow Lane, who said he doesn't have an

interest in Riverview, noted the state government strongly backs development

projects which include affordable housing through its affordable housing

legislation.

Mr Wippermann said that although such a development would have some effect on

the public school system, he favors the project, terming it "the right

application at the right time."

Joseph McGowan, a local builder and a member of the Legislative Council, said

the town has opted to grow as shown by its recent public works projects.

Providing affordable housing at Riverview will demonstrate a sense of social

responsibility, he said.

Attorney Thomas E. Minogue, Jr, of Fairfield, representing the developers,

explained aspects of the developers' plans to provide affordable housing for

eligible owners. The condominium application that was submitted conforms to

state law concerning affordable housing, he said.

The annual family income ceiling for a family of four to buy an affordable

condo would be $48,640. That annual income ceiling might change based upon

when the units are built.

Affordable units must be owner-occupied. Regulations require that affordable

condos remain "affordable" as defined by the state for at least 30 years.

The price of an affordable condo would be roughly $146,600. The 36 other

condos would be priced higher, perhaps in the $200,000 range.

In a housing complex with such high construction densities, the market value

units subsidize the price of the affordable units.

Mr Minogue said all standards of applicable state law and local zoning

regulations are met in the Riverview application.

Architecture

Architect George Buchanan of Buchanan Associates Architects of New Haven,

representing the developers, said the proposed complex would contain a total

of 98 bedrooms, or two bedrooms per unit. Unit sizes would range from 1,150 to

1,400 square feet, he said. The number of units and bedrooms is contingent

upon the issuance of a state permit for a community septic system on the site

for the nursing home which was never built, he said.

Because the units would be built close to one another, the architect proposes

ways to create a sense of privacy for the residents of the complex through

building placements and plantings.

Affordable condos would be scattered throughout the complex and wouldn't be

recognizable from the street, he said. Affordable units would be smaller than

market-value condos.

Engineer Larry Edwards, representing the developers, said although the

developers could seek 52 condo units for the property under applicable

construction density regulations, they are seeking only 49 units in light of

septic waste disposal constraints. Sidewalks and street lighting would be

provided, he said. Mr Edwards said he would prefer that concrete sidewalks be

built rather than asphalt sidewalks.

All stormwater drainage from the site would be channeled into a detention

basin, he said. Water in that basin would be used to dilute wastewater in the

community septic system, he said.

Riverview's road layout would accommodate the largest fire trucks that the

town uses, he said.

The designated open space on the Riverview site could be the large lawn above

the community septic system, or a band of undeveloped land around the edge of

the property, or both those areas, he said. More than one-third of the site

would be undisturbed by any construction, he said.

Ed Wenners, a septic system designer with Wenners Engineering Group of

Hartford, representing the developers, said conditions at the site are so

favorable for septic system construction that pre-treatment of wastewater to

reduce nitrogen levels isn't needed. The proposed system is based on the power

of gravity and doesn't require a pumping station, he said.

"We have very ideal conditions for a septic system. It's the best site I've

ever seen for a septic system," he said.

"If any system's going to last, this is the system," he said. The septic

system is designed to handle 14,700 gallons of wastewater daily. Its

18,000-gallon septic tank would probably have to be pumped out annually to

keep the system running well, Mr Wenners said.

Irving Chann of I.K. Chann Associates of Wilton, a traffic engineer

representing the developers, said 16,800 vehicles pass by the intersection of

Washbrook and South Main Street daily. About 1,423 vehicles pass by during the

morning peak hour and 1,611 pass by during the evening peak hour, he said.

The Riverview complex would generate an estimated 322 vehicle trips during a

24-hour period, he said.

Mr Chann said he expects the complex would be completely built by 2000. The

proposed development would have "no adverse impact (on) any area roadways," he

said.

Fire Marshal George Lockwood said that after reviewing the project with United

Fire Company of Botsford Fire Chief Steve Belair, "We feel this project meets

all aspects of what we require" in terms of fire fighting.

The condo complex would be constructed in three phases, with 17 units built in

the first phase and 16 units constructed in each of the two following phases.

Five affordable units would be built in the first phase and eight affordable

units built in the second phase, with no affordable units built in the third

phase.

The site would have parking for 135 vehicles. Forty-nine parking spaces would

be located inside 49 garages. There would be 49 spaces near garages, plus an

additional 37 spaces.

The complex would hold two 2-unit buildings, three 3-unit buildings, and nine

4-unit buildings.

Site plans depict the 14 contemporary buildings arrayed in semicircle

overlooking the large lawn and the Pootatuck River. A spur of buildings would

extend off the semicircle away from the river.