By Kerri Williams

WESTPORT – A new text amendment that would allow for required affordable housing units to be built off the site of a development in town will come before the Planning & Zoning Commission in a public hearing on Monday.

Richard Redniss, of the Stamford land use firm Redniss & Mead, has put forth the new amendment along with a proposal that would include some off and some onsite affordable units to meet the mandate for three required affordable housing units for a development at 785 Post Road East.

Text Amendment 864 would allow for affordable housing to be permitted in the Inclusionary Housing Overlay District (IHZ) if the Planning & Zoning Commission deems that the offsite alternative is “superior” to what would be provided onsite. 

The current plan comes after another proposal regarding offsite affordable housing received significant pushback from the public during a previous P&Z meeting. In December, the commission asked for more details on where the offsite housing would be located for the project.

Redniss is currently suggesting two scenarios that the applicant could follow to satisfy the three-unit affordable housing requirement. The first would be to deed restrict one unit townhome onsite for the local agency Homes with Hope in conjunction with donating a two-family home at 3 George St. to Abilis for special-needs individuals. The second proposal, if P&Z prefers that affordable units remain onsite only, is to have three townhomes deed restricted as affordable.

The commission will also consider a pre-app, or non-binding discussion, concerning the 3 George St. home, which is a 3,500-square-foot, non-conforming, two-family home on 0.4 acres. The plan would be to convert this home into five independent special-needs housing units similar to those at 136 Riverside Ave. Parents of adult children at that home have praised it as an ideal living experience.

The George Street project would help to alleviate a housing shortage for individuals with special needs in town, according to Redniss – a shortage that has been exacerbated with the 1 Glendinning project that was recently abandoned for residential use.

But neighbors of 3 George Street have already come out opposed to the proposal. 

“George Street is a small, narrow dead-end, private road with no turn around,” said Gail Renzulli, of George Street, in a letter to the commission. “We are concerned for public safety and the burden this would put on our residents and our road. We want to keep our road the way it is now.”

Renzulli went on to say that “George Street should not be burdened because of the outcome of 785 Post Road.”

After being asked to weigh in on offsite affordable housing, Peter Gelderman, from the town attorney’s office, said there should be “case-by-case discretion to ensure that the proposed offsite location is appropriate.” Under the proposed amendment, P&Z would have a review in each case.

The pre-app for 3 George St. includes another text amendment that would increase the ability to locate special-needs housing in town. The amendment would expand the special needs housing regulations to include non-conforming multi-family properties in the Residence A District that are adjacent to the General Business District. Currently, special needs housing is only allowed on town-owned property in the Residence A District or in the Design Development District zone north of the Merritt Parkway. 

There are currently 106 sites that are adjacent to the General Business District, but only eight contain non-conforming multifamily properties in the Residence A District, according to Redniss. The commission could further reduce the number of properties that would apply by requiring a minimum lot area of 0.4 acres, he said.

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.}}