Official: Housing plan could impact ‘well-established’ neighborhoods

NORWALK — A company wants to rework zoning regulations to allow for older adult housing on Richards Avenue, but officials say the proposed changes could have unintended consequences in residential areas across the city.

RAP II LLC applied this month for a special permit to build 10 duplex housing units for older adults on a 2.54-acre parcel of undeveloped land at 125 Richards Ave.

Attorney Adam Blank, representing RAP, said the development is looking to fill a “critical need” for older adults in Norwalk. Elderly adults, he explained in the application, are often forced to choose between spending money to make their homes more handicap accessible or moving into “very costly” congregate housing developments.

“RAP would like to offer a new alternative to seniors where they can age in place in a handicapped-accessible home with a first-floor master bedroom and all necessary services readily available with a phone call or email to the management company,” Blank wrote.

“This option will give our seniors more freedom, a safe place to age, and access to quality care at a much lower cost and with far less mental stress of moving to a congregate care facility.”

The proposed development would be constructed next to the Bridges by Epoch at Norwalk, a 64-unit development that caters to the special needs of people who have varying degrees of memory loss and other cognitive and physical conditions that affect daily life.

But there’s one problem: While zoning regulations

allow congregate housing, nursing homes and group homes to be located in residential areas with special permit, elderly housing units like those proposed are not permitted.

To remedy this, RAP has proposed a regulation change to allow for properties in certain residential zones to be used for older adult housing units, under certain conditions.

Under the proposal, elderly housing units would be permitted in the B Residence Zone on parcels of land greater than 2 acres. Such developments would also

require a minimum of 6,250 square feet of land area per unit.

“This modest change is limited solely to the few lots within the B Residence Zone that are 2 acres or larger and is not expected to have significant impact within the B Residence Zone and will have no impact in other zones as it only applies to the B Residence Zone,” Blank wrote.

But Planning and Zoning Director Steve Kleppin is not convinced the proposed changes are as modest as the applicant suggests, according to a recent memo.

In a memo to the Zoning Commission, Kleppin raised concerns that such a change could have a ripple effect in “well-established residential neighborhoods” that

are less amenable to such a development.

“While this site is located near CT Avenue and is abutting an elderly care facility as well as other non-residential uses, there are many other B Residential zoned areas that are well-established residential neighborhoods, so should the commission look favorably on this proposal, allowing this use throughout the B Residence Zone without any safeguards is not advisable,” he said.

According to an analysis conducted by the Planning and Zoning Department, there are 28 properties in Norwalk that would qualify for older adult housing under the new regulation changes.

Most of the properties, Kleppin said, are unlikely to change. But four properties — the American Legion property at 60 County St., a vacant 3-acre parcel on Westmere Avenue, a single-family residence at 264 Highland Ave. and the 125 Richards Ave. property — have been highlighted as having “the highest chance for change.”

In order to ensure that elderly housing developments don’t start popping up in some of these neighborhoods, where they might not fit, Kleppin suggested including further conditions for building.

For one, Kleppin suggested that all such older adult housing developments be required to be

within a quarter mile of a “principal or arterial road.” He further proposed that developers be required to set aside 25 percent of their property as conservation area, 40 percent of the site as open or green space, and to pursue rooftop solar “unless it is determined to be not feasible.”

Per the zoning department’s proposal, all such structures would only be allowed as singlefamily or duplex dwelling, and would also be required to comply with B Residence Zone height and bulk restrictions.

The proposed development is scheduled to go before the Conservation Commission in January. There is no hearing yet scheduled before the Zoning Commission.