Housing Resource Center blocked on parking

New London Planning and Zoning Commission rules against agency

New London — The Homeless Hospitality Center’s Housing Resource Center continues to find itself without parking after a Planning and Zoning Commission decision on Thursday.

The resource center, which provides counseling and resources to individuals and families seeking to maintain stable housing, sits at 727 Bank St., formerly the site of Miracle Temple Church.

It neighbors are Post Modern Home, Quest Diagnostics and Jan Electronics.

The center has parking behind its building but Post Modern Home has erected a fence along the property line that prohibits access to the center’s existing parking.

Homeless Hospitality Center Executive Director Cathy Zall told the commission that Post Modern Home’s driveway at 741 Bank St. has provided access to the center’s parking for 100 years.

She added, that “while we have continued to serve people at 727 (Bank St.) even without parking, we need access to our parking lot to comply with zoning regulations and provide the appropriate level of service to those seeking our assistance.”

When the hospitality center bought its property in March 2021, Zall said it had no inkling that this long-standing parking lot access could become an issue.

In the winter of 2021, however, the owner of Post Modern Home began to block access to the parking lot, first by putting a chain across the driveway and most recently by building a fence that blocks access to it.

Zall said her organization has tried to negotiate an agreement with Post Modern Home to regain access to the parking lot but has not had any success.

She said it has also approached Mark Christiansen, the owner of the Jan Electronics parking lot, which it shares with Quest Diagnostics, to determine if he would be willing to negotiate a right of way across his parking lot so the center could access its lot but he was not interested.

Christiansen spoke at the commission’s Thursday meeting and said he has no issue with the employees of the center but rather with its clients. He said some of them have been violent and rude when asked to not park in his lot. No one from Post Modern Home attended the meeting.

In October 2022, the hospitality center received a cease-anddesist order from the city for not having access to parking.

In January, Zall proposed to the Planning and Zoning Commission that the hospitality center would purchase land at 18 Belden Court which would allow it to construct a driveway to its parking lot. It also planned to restripe the parking area and add two parallel parking spaces for a total of 24.

The existing multi-family home at 18 Belden Court was badly damaged in two fires in December and would be demolished.

Thursday’s meeting was the third public hearing where the matter was discussed, and ultimately, the commission voted 4-3 to not allow the organization to go forward with its plan.

Chairman Barry Levine voted against the measure. He said he interprets the current use of the center as a service establishment, not the office use that is permitted. A building with a service use would require 35 parking spaces according to city regulations.

Commissioner Adam Sprecace, who voted for the plan, said he understood frustrations by neighbors about the center’s clients but the new plan would improve the current conditions.

Prior to the vote, Ted Olynciw, the hospitality center’s project manager, said the building’s use is permitted by zoning regulations.

Olynciw said steps have been taken to deter clients from parking in the neighbors’ lots such as by erecting signs and asking them where they had parked. He said the center does not take care or provide services to the homeless but assists clients who have housing but are struggling with rent or mortgages, or are firsttime home buyers.

Christiansen said signs won’t stop the issue and people will continue to park in his lot.

During public comment, Peter Kreckovic questioned Levine about his stance on the use of the building. Kreckovic said he has gone to the center 10 to 12 times for help with the UnitedCT program. He said he made an appointment, checked in and was assisted at a cubicle for 20 to 30 minutes.

Levine read from the city’s regulations providing examples of a service business, such as barber shops, shoe repair, travel agent and more. He said Kreckovic’s experience describes a service and to him, people in an office stay in the office. At times, housing resource center staff leave the office to assist people with housing.

The city’s regulations on offices state they are used by people with licenses and certifications doing non-manual work and services such as medical professionals and lawyers rather than goods offered for sale.

Zall said the housing center is working to become the first federally approved housing counseling agency in eastern Connecticut.

Levine said he values the work the center does but that was not what was before the commission.

Zall reminded him her organization has worked closely with the commission on the housing center from the beginning and no one raised a question about its use.

Zall this week said there are no plans to move the housing center. As the property owner, she said hospitality center feels entitled to do its work there and will continue to fight.