By Kerri Williams

WESTPORT – A proposal combining both offsite and onsite affordable housing that was described as both complicated and like a game of Twister came before the Planning & Zoning Commission during a public hearing on Monday.

The Commission voted unanimously to continue the hearing concerning 785 Post Road East and a text amendment that would allow for offsite affordable housing for developments in the Inclusionary Housing Overlay District. 

“You’ve taken a very difficult topic and made it even more difficult,” P&Z Chairman Paul Lebowitz said following a presentation by Richard Redniss, of the Stamford Land Use Firm Redniss & Mead.

“It’s like playing Twister,” Commissioner John Bolton said later in the meeting.

The plan outlined by Redniss involved creating one unit of affordable housing on the site of the Post Road East development in addition to converting a home at 3 George St. into special needs housing to meet the affordable housing requirement for the project. The George Street home, which would be run by Abilis, an agency that helps those with developmental disabilities, would include five separate units.  Four units would be for special needs residents and one for a caretaker. 

Redniss also said that the commission could choose to locate all three required affordable units onsite.

Both commissioners and several members of the public praised the idea of special needs housing, calling it needed in town. A similar house at 136 Riverside Ave. is “very successful,” Redniss said, with four Staples graduates living there while working and volunteering in town.

But several people wondered why special needs housing at the George Street location couldn’t go forward separately from the Post Road East development.

“Why does it need to be connected to the Post Road East project?” asked Toni Simonetti, who spoke during the public comment portion of the hearing.

Simonetti said she “loved the analogy to the game Twister.” “I am overwhelmed with facts and data,” she said. “…There must be a simpler way to execute this.”

While all those at the meeting spoke in favor of housing for special needs individuals, residents of George Street had sent a petition to the Commission asking them to deny the application, citing concerns about traffic and public safety. 

During her comments, Commissioner Craig Schiavone said she would “respectfully disagree” with the George Street neighbors. She said that the addition of special needs housing would be “for the greater good of the community.”

But both Schiavone and other commissioners were also concerned about setting a precedent by allowing offsite affordable housing in this instance. Commissioner Michael Cammeyer, who said he “loves the concept of 3 George St.” added that the text amendment “needs tightening up.”

Redniss said that commissioners would have discretion in any instance that offsite affordable housing was proposed. He added that Text Amendment 864 could be easily modified so that it only applies to developments already in the IHZ District, which would limit it to two. 

The text amendment also called for changing the definition of special needs individuals so that a wider range of people could be served. Currently, special needs housing only applies to those with an IQ below 70. Changing the definition would allow Abilis to help people who have autism or other issues.

Bolton said changing the definition should not be done without a townwide discussion. But Redniss disagreed, saying it would allow Abilis to better serve the special needs community.

“It would allow them more latitude to serve more people,” Lebowitz added. “It’s a nice benefit.”

During his presentation, Redniss said offsite affordable housing is an option in other towns, such as Darien, New Canaan and Wilton. “This is not unique to Westport,” he said. He also said that text amendments are often used for affordable housing projects, citing that they were used to implement 10 of 14 projects in town.

Redniss said that offering both offsite and onsite affordable housing for 785 Post Road East would serve more people and make for more affordable housing moratoria points for the town than the option of having all the units onsite. He added that the George Street option works better for those with special needs, as the home is near bus lines and has a backyard for residents. 

“In the end, we felt that 3 George St. was a superior living environment,” Redniss said. “…I don’t think that having them onsite would in any way be better for the town or the people living there.”

Commissioners were also asked to approve an additional two townhouses being located on the second and third floors of the commercial building at 785 Post Road East. 

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.}}