Proposed Shelton apartments raise questions from residents
SHELTON — Planning and Zoning commissioners and nearby residents remain steadfast in their belief the proposed apartment complex on Long Hill Avenue is too dense and lacks adequate parking – even as the developer revises the plans to add more spaces.
10 Long Hill Avenue LLC has amended its request for Planned Development District approval for vacant land at 10 Long Hill Ave., calling for a four-story structure with 21 apartments and 33 parking spaces.
Both the unit and parking counts were increased since the first public hearing, at which nearby property owners opposed the development and some commissioners expressed concern about the number of units and the limited parking on site, considering the limited street parking on Long Hill Avenue.
The site is near Long Hill Avenue’s intersection with Center Street.
“This is ridiculous,” said Eva Washenko of Division Street, one of nearly a dozen residents who spoke against the plan during the commission’s second public hearing Wednesday. The commission continued the hearing to a future date.
Commissioner Ruth Parkins said she was not necessarily opposed to the project and thought it was a good location.
“But it is just too dense for that spot,” Parkins said. “And now you’ve made it more dense.”
Zoning consultant Tony Panico agreed the project was quite dense for the location, adding that regarding parking, the present plan allows for no additional parking.
“If you don’t have enough parking, you’re stuck,” Panico said. “Every square foot of the usable part of the property is being used.”
Parkins said rather than the current 21-unit proposal, all with one bedroom, she would favor 18 unites with a smaller building footprint.
“This is just too much,”
Parkins added about the present plan.
Pat Rose, managing partner with Rose-Tiso & Co., LLC, representing the property owner, said during Wednesday’s hearing that developers had adjusted the plan in response to comments from the initial hearing. He said the new plans include increasing the apartment total to 21, up from 19, with all the units being one bedroom. He said available parking now stands at 33, up from 27.
The building footprint is unchanged, according to Rose, adding that reconfiguring the interior by making all the units one bedroom allowed for the additional two units. The original plan had included a handful of 2-bedroom units and studios.
Additional parking was created to the right of the building, Rose said.
Rose said two of the units would be designated as affordable under the city’s affordable housing plan, which calls for affordability for those earning 60 percent and 80 percent of the area’s median income.