By Thane Grauel

WESTPORT — There are signs of activity on Post Road West where a 68-unit housing complex is planned under the state’s 8-30g legislation.

A tall, screened construction fence has been erected around the hodgepodge of properties, 1.6 acres in all, including one at the corner of Cross Street.

Deputy Planning and Zoning Director Michelle Perillie said a zoning permit has not yet been issued for the development.

The fence was put up for insurance reasons, she said the department was told, to secure the construction site.

Plans call for a four-story building over two parking levels.

In June 2021, the town settled with the original owner of the site, Cross Street LLC. It bought the land in March 2019 for $2.6 million.

The next month, the Planning and Zoning Commission approved the settlement.

In December, the property was bought by Lighthouse Westport LLC for $5.75 million.

Under the court-brokered settlement, 25 of the units are to be deemed affordable under the state’s affordable housing law. The law gives developers considerable leeway when filing applications in communities where 10 percent of the housing stock is not considered affordable under state criteria.

Westport was granted a moratorium from the state after demonstrating it was making progress in improving its stock in affordable housing, but it expired the first week of March.

A wave of new 8-30g applications was expected, but so far has not occurred. The thinking in Town Hall is that developers are waiting to see if state legislation pending at the General Assembly that might be even more favorable to them is passed.

Thane Grauel, executive editor, grew up in Westport and has been a journalist in Fairfield County and beyond for 35 years. Reach him at editor@westportjournal.com. Learn more about us here.