New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
PZC rejects Coe Ave. housing proposal
Plan had called for 18 units on less than a half-acre
EAST HAVEN — A developer’s proposal for a zone change to build 18 “elderly, non-assisted” housing units on just more than a half-acre of land on Coe Avenue near the beach won’t go forward, at least in its current form, after the Planning and Zoning Commission denied it this week by a 4-0 vote, with one abstention.
The project would have included 18 housing units (20 in the original application) on parcels at 49, 57 and 63 Coe Ave., the former site of Oceanview Auto Services, a closed auto repair garage, which together total 0.56 acre.
PZC member Joe Disilvestro abstained from voting on the application Wednesday night after disclosing that he previously had done legal work related to one of the property sales, said Jennifer Coppola, the town attorney who handles zoning matters for East Haven.
Coppola said the application by AG&L Properties LLC, which was represented by attorney
James Segaloff of Susman, Duffy and Segaloff, was the first application to her knowledge to come forward under regulation changes that the outgoing Republicanmajority Town Council approved in November 2019.
The application stirred opposition among neighbors and others who objected to its density, and have been talking about it for months on Facebook and other social media platforms.
One neighbor, George Street resident Maria Ward, submitted a change.org petition signed by 129 people opposed to the application.
In voting against a Planned
Development District for which the developer had applied, the PZC found that the proposed zoning change did not comply with the comprehensive plan, Coppola said.
Members also found that the proposed density did not fit the character of the area and the parking being proposed was not adequate for the number of units, she said.
About 50 people attended the online virtual meeting, which took place via the Zoom teleconferencing platform, Coppola said.