By Kerri Williams

WESTPORT – A proposed housing development at the site of the former Humane Society on Post Road East and a text amendment that supports it were scrutinized by the Planning & Zoning Commission for the first time during a public hearing on Monday, with members questioning details such as the height of buildings and required parking.

Richard Redniss, of Redniss & Mead land-use consultants in Stamford, presented plans for the development at 455 Post Road East, which includes a 30-unit residential development with required affordable housing units, underground parking, patios and landscaping. The project was previously given the stamp of approval by the Architectural Review Board. Commissioners continued the public hearing on both the text amendment and project to a later meeting.

In a separate discussion, the commission also heard from town engineer Ted Gill, who spoke on proposed changes to excavation-and-fill regulations proposed under the text amendment 863, which supports the project. The changes would allow some minor excavation-and-fill applications to be reviewed by the town department without going before the commission.

In his presentation, Redniss said that he and the developers had independently met with neighbors of the proposed new complex to learn and address any concerns they had about the project. Neighbors include a single-family house to the north and Whitney Glen, a senior housing community. Neighbor concerns included increased traffic from the development, proposed blasting during the project, and providing landscaping to screen the new buildings.

Neighbors speaking out during a public comment section said they were pleased with the back-and-forth they received from the developer, Post Road Holdings, and Redniss.

Kate Vanzanten, with the Whitney Glen Condo Association, said that members initially had concerns about the property being purchased but felt better after an initial meeting that lasted more than two hours. “It was an excellent start to the relationship,” she said. She praised the developer for providing reassurance and making some changes, such as agreeing to remove dying trees on the condo property and replacing them with more appropriate screening.

But several P&Z Commissioners had concerns about the project, including the amount of parking and height of the residential buildings. Some wondered whether a plan to sell some units and rent others would be workable. Others questioned whether the commission should allow a project that is completely residential in the Inclusionary Housing Overlay District, IHZ, which was originally proposed to combine both residential and non-residential uses.

“I like what you are doing with the site,” said Chairman Paul Lebowitz. “But I do have some concerns.”

The text amendment for the project would take away the 10,000 square foot cap for height requirement for buildings, which Lebowitz said was a concern. He added that he didn’t want the amendment to have “unintended consequences that could go beyond this site.” Redniss said he could work with P&Z staff to put in limiting language regarding height standards.

Lebowitz also wondered if the height of the buildings could be stepped in some way to reduce the effect it would have on the area. He called the buildings “enormously visible,” almost as high as the Morgan Stanley building across the street. 

Colin Grotheer, speaking for Beinfeld Architects, said he felt the building was being “mischaracterized.” 

“A lot of care went into blending the building with the site,” he said, adding that it was meant to have the look of New England housing. “It reads from three sides like a 2½  story house,” he said.

Lebowitz added that “I’m not at all happy” with the reduction in parking, with 51 spaces provided for 64 bedrooms.

However, Redniss pointed out that the half-a-space-per-unit reduction is already in place throughout the IHZ, with previous developments using the same standard. He added that the plan is flexible to add in extra parking if the need arises. 

Grotheer added that the reduction in parking allowed for more landscaping on the site. “We thought it would be good to have something nice to look at instead of just a bunch of parking,” he said. 

Most of the parking for the development is planned to be underground. The proposed project also includes 20 percent onsite affordable units.

Kerri Williams

^{_{Kerri Williams is an award-winning writer and journalist. She has worked as a reporter at the Norwalk Hour, as Living editor at the Darien News-Review, and managing editor for the Norwalk Citizen-News. For Westport Journal, she is a reporter as well as a gardening columnist, writing “Cultivating with Kerri.” She recently published her first children’s book – “Mabel’s Big Move,” based on her daughter with special needs.}}