New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Apartment complex with affordable housing units wins approval
CHESHIRE — The town’s Planning and Zoning Commission approved a 114-unit apartment complex at the site of a former nursing home on Hazel Drive, near theWaterbury line.
Stratford-based Lamp Realty’s plans for two multi-story buildings includes 29 affordable housing units. The PZC voted 8-1 to approve the complex, which will be known as Lakeside of Cheshire.
PZC member Robert Brucato cast the only vote against the apartment complex.
“I just think these buildings are way too large,” Brucato said, prior to casting his vote. “I do think we need affordable housing in town, but that is just massive for that area.”
The apartment complex will be built on the western shore of Larsen’s Pond and Brucato said he believes that noise from the apartments will echo across the small body of water.
“It’s going to create a noise problem for the neighborhood across the pond,” he said.
During public hearings about the project held this summer, more than 90 minutes of comments opposing the projects were entered into the record and the PZC received two petitions urging members to vote against the plan or postpone a vote until in-person hearings could be held.
Two other PZC members, Louis Todisco and Gil Linder, on Monday expressed some reservations about certain aspects the project, but voted for it.
“It’s always unfortunate when we have to do something that makes the neighbors unhappy,” Todisco said. “But I can’t imagine there will be any substantial traffic through the neighborhood. There was was fairly substantial use of this property until 15 years ago (when a nursing home was located on the property).”
Linder said the neighborhood will benefit from the demolition of the abandoned nursing home building.
“The neighborhood has been living with a blighted property for years now,” he said.
Because the PZC can not compel the developer to make off-site improvements as a condition for its approval, Linder said the town needs to upgrade the narrow road through the neighborhood , add sidewalks and a place for children living in the neighborhood to wait for the school bus.
Prior to the vote, Linder criticized state Rep. Liz Linehan,
D-Cheshire, for having made PZC members’ email addresses and home addresses available to residents from the Hazel Drive neighborhood.
“This was a questionable move that could have led to an ex-parte communication with residents (by PZC members),” Linder said. “I would like to admonish our state rep for such reckless behavior.”
Linehan said she considered providing the email addresses and other contact information “providing a service to my constituents and is something I would do again .” Linehan said the information she provided to constituents is publicly available and could have been obtained by the residents on their own.
“This is a purely political move by Mr. Linder,” she said. “If he considers people reaching out to him a problem, then perhaps he shouldn’t be in public office.”
Four other PZC members said they were contacted directly by members of the public via email . All four said they forwarded the emails to the town’s Planning office.