With a large, organized contingent of neighbors bringing opposition, and several significant zoning hurdles to overcome, a Planned Development District (PDD) application to amend zoning to reconstruct Parkside Village One affordable housing faces an uphill battle.

Branford’s Planning and Zoning Commission (PZC) convened at Canoe Brook Senior Center on Sept. 15 to open a public hearing on the PDD application, submitted by developer Beacon Communities LLC (MA). Beacon was selected for the job by Branford Housing Authority (BHA), which oversees Parkside Villages One and Two. BHA, which has been pursuing strategies to redevelop Parkside One for the past four years, entered a site development agreement with Beacon to take advantage of federal low income housing tax credit financing through the state Dept. of Housing. Specifically, according to details submitted to the PZC by Beacon, “...the development would be funded by private equity, a first mortgage loan and subordinate loans from the state.”

Shortly after the PZC meeting opened on Sept. 15, chairman Chuck Andres told the capacity crowd the hearing would have to be moved to a bigger room at Branford Fire Headquarters. There, the PZC heard an overview from BHA and Beacon on plans to knock down the 42 year-old housing complex. Parkside is overseen by all-volunteer BHA and currently managed on a daily basis by Merritt Properties.

Speaking to the PZC during public comments, Merritt Properties representative Cheryl Daniw pointed out Parkside currently offers only 12 one bedroom units and the rest are efficiencies. There are 55 people on the waiting list for a one-bedroom unit and 20 on the efficiency wait list. In the past three years, 71 potential residents have declined residency because of the small size of the unit.

“So when someone comes to look at a unit coming in from a home, they’re looking at 381 square feet. There’s no bedroom. It’s just a kitchen with a living space. For them, this is all they have to call their home,” said Daniw.

Daniw said services are also needed to better support Parkside residents.

“For someone who is mentally challenged, we feel it’s a disservice to them, because there’s nothing there for them,” said Daniw “There’s no transportation for them to take advantage (of) all the great things that Branford has to offer on the green. We’ve tried to get transportation for our residents (and) we keep getting shot down, with every idea we come up with.”

Beacon noted benefits of redevelopment including replacing deteriorating housing, addressing circulation, parking, security , maintenance and fire safety issues, enhancing accessibly of units and improved services, relocating all park onsite to avoid conflicts with neighboring Sliney baseball field, increasing unit sizes, increasing energy efficiency, adding a computer center, fitness center and wellness center, improving neighborhood curb appeal and property values, using no town resources and expanding Branford housing options while move the town closer to its recommended 10 percent affordable housing goal.

Located at 115 South Montowese St., Parkside’s three buildings provide 50 units of affordable housing to seniors and disabled. Beacon would redevelop the complex to include one L-shaped, 71-unit building topping 40 feet (three stories) at some points. Parkside’s current mix of efficiencies and one-bedroom units would be replaced with 35 one-bedroom units and 36 two-bedroom units. The residential building would include street frontage on what is now a tree-filled, rocky lot at the northeast corner next to the Sliney Field access road. The building designer is Newman Architects (New Haven). Find more news on the application here

One dramatic change in the PDD, if approved, would recreate Parkside as multifamily housing complex, to include some higher income families, with a maximum allowable income, per two-bedroom occupant, of $42,000, as of 2016. Beacon states the broadened income mix won’t impact current residents and that “rental assistance will continue for a portion of the apartments.” During the public hearing, representatives of both Beacon and BHA contended the renovated complex will continue to mainly serve as low income elderly housing.

But, as Town Planner Harry Smith later pointed out to the PZC, “From a zoning view point, the usage proposed is multifamily housing. Despite everything that’s been said, and the restrictions on the financing, right now, the application use (in the) PDD is multifamily housing, period.”

Smith also noted that, while the renovation proposed to move the town closer to having 10 percent affordable housing among its residential mix, the increase would be negligible.

“Branford has 3.46 percent of its housing stock as named affordable,” Smith said. “The addition of the 21 units proposed here would allow an increase of 3.46 to 3.61 percent.”

In his staff report, Smith laid out proposed zoning amendments the PPD seeks in residential (R3) zone, and the criteria and conditions for use that the PZC should consider. Smith described four “major” zoning amendments requested in the PDD application: increasing development density, reducing parking requirements, increasing building height (from 30 feet to 40 feet) and reducing a rear setback from 30 feet to 10 feet.

“No matter what you do to the architectural treatment, and I recognize great efforts have been expended in that direction; this is still a very large building for the context of the area,” said Smith, adding it’s “out of character” with the R3 zone, and more akin to a commercial building, especially with its one-lot, 89-space parking plan.

Smith also pointed out the PDD’s increase in development density is overwhelmingly above zoning allowances for area.

“Looking at the baseline of the R3 zoning, you would then see 2.1 units per acre; and this is proposing a density of 20 units per acre,” said Smith, evoking some sounds of disbelief from the crowd.

Beacon wants to reduce parking from two and a half spaces per two-bedroom unit, to one and half spaces per, as Parkside residents will be “car-light” (fewer drivers per family). Smith said that request should be carefully considered by the PZC.

“Just by way of comparison, Atlantic Wharf development also proposed a parking space reduction requirement (from) two and half to two; and that was near the train station and downtown,” Smith said.

Parkside’s “very remote” from public service, commercial areas and transit options, said Smith.

Branford’s Plan of Conservation and Development (PCD) guidelines note the complex has essentially no access to transit or consideration as to how to “connect the complex and its residents to the overall community structure.” Smith said the PCD also calls for future affordable multifamily housing to be, “in or near the town center, along or near transit, in areas with a strong pedestrian connection to town center transit (and) in areas with safe place for connectivity.”

Branford’s zoning guidelines for PDD’s also”...highly discourages PDD’s for the sole purpose of increasing residential density,” said Smith, advising the PZC, “...you’re going to have to decide whether this is solely for that purpose or not.”

Smith also said Beacon, up against a 2016 state deadline, may have cut out options for better designs for the site, or for developing in other areas of town. He also noted this PDD doesn’t allow the town to coordinate the new development with future plans to upgrade adjoining town property.

“I understand this application, in terms of applying for financing from the Department of Housing with the state, has a deadline of November 5 to be submitted; and that financing requires that zoning approval be in place. So that really takes it out of sync with planning efforts for Foote Park and the adjoining town property,” said Smith. “Our opportunities for reconfiguring what is there, and how it’s going to be arranged — this development plan does not take advantage of, because of the time frame involved. Which really is a shame, because that could address some of the concerns I think that have been raised to date and I’ve raised in the staff report.”

Public remarks were heard until 10:45 p.m. on Sept. 15, with plans to continue the public hearing to Thursday, Oct. 6 (7 p.m. at Canoe Brook Senior Center). The first of the night’s ten speakers, Sally Brown, a resident of Great Oaks condominiums (124 South Montowese St.), presented a petition signed by 95 percent of land owners within 500 feet of the site, objecting to the proposed PDD.

Brown said neighbors only understood the extent of the development within the past two weeks, but quickly managed to rally enough support to meet state statute requirements in order for the petition to be enacted on by the PZC.

Brown also pointed out that, “I and everyone with whom I’ve spoken wants suitable and adequate housing for the elderly and disabled population here in Branford. And that’s the current residency requirement for Parkside Village. But we object to the scale and scope of this proposal in this small neighborhood. It’s not in keeping with the size and character of our neighborhood.”

Other neighboring residents added questions about exactly which services Beacon will provide, whether the complex will remain affordable housing in the future, and safety and security. Among many points researched and raised by neighboring resident Carolyn Sires, was a police report citing more than 200 responses, in one year, to incidents tied to Parkside Village and its vincity. Parkside Village has a sister complex, Parkside Village Two, which has 40 affordable housing units for elderly and disabled off nearby Block Island Road.

Merritt Property’s Daniw agreed “...we do have some challenges, we have police calls, but we do take action with those people.”

While one Parkside resident was scheduled to speak ahead of Daniw, the woman, who had been homeless until she moved in to Parkside Village, was too upset to speak after hearing comments from neighboring property owners on Sept. 15, said Daniw.

“Tonight, they brought up different scenarios of how the community is not so favorable. Well, I disagree with that,” said Daniw. “There were other residents who were here to talk, but they’ve left. They’re very upset by the behavior they’ve encountered here tonight, with some of the disparaging (remarks).”

Daniw did point out that, while qualified residents have been screened with checks including those for sex offenses, criminal records and credit checks, part of the challenge by Parkside’s “young disabled and elderly” population is that those arriving with support services can then “fire their services, if they wish to,” adding, “...we work with Branford Counseling and BHCare, and we try to find them alternative housing so they can be part of the community, but with assistance.”

“We have to make a change. We have to address our community,” said Daniw. “Everyone is saying they’ll be there to help. Well, we need help. We’ve worked with small city grants (to date) and we’re grateful for that, because other than that, we wouldn’t have been here this long.”