How about the former Branford Hills School site for Parkside Village's new, expanded home? On April 5, Parkside property owner, Branford Housing Authority (BHA) which is not a town entity, sat down with town leaders to talk about whether there would be support to move the Parkside Village I (and possibly Parkside II) complex to that town-owned parcel of land for needed upgrades and expansion. BHA is also still considering expanding Parkside in place at 115 South Montowese.

BHA invited Representative Town Meeting (RTM) members including those from districts representing the current Parkside Village complex in Indian Neck and those representing Branford Hills, as well as Branford First Selectman James B. Cosgrove to the April 5 meeting. About a dozen members of the public, including representatives of Parkside's residential board, also attended.

Because the former Branford Hills School property on Jefferson Road is town-owned, the RTM would have to okay the site's land use. On April 5, BHA and developer Beacon Communities (MA) presented an idea for developing the Branford Hills site with a three-story, 79 unit complex which incorporates affordable general occupancy (adding families beyond senior and disabled residents) in order for the project to receive federal/state funding.

"The only way to get what would equate to tens of millions of dollars to build these building is to make it general occupancy rather than restricted to elderly/disabled. It's a state policy. If you don't do that, you can't get the money," explained Dara Kovel, president, Beacon Communities.

As BHA chair Douglas Denes explained, another option on the table for BHA would be to revisit construction at the current location at 115 South Montowese with a different design approach. No RTM approval is needed if BHA decides to go forward with second round of designs for 115 South Montowese. The new approach could fix some of the issues which came up before the Planning and Zoning Commission (PZC) last year, in a design that was ultimately withdrawn by BHA in October 2016.

"I thought we were doing something terrific for the town at large when we developed this project [and] when we brought Beacon in," said Denes of the 2016 effort. "I thought, 'Wow, we've got a really great project; we're solving a lot of problems for the town.' I was totally naive about the reaction that would happen."

The 2016 proposal was to re-develop Parkside Village's 42 year-old, three building, 50-unit complex into a single, 75-unit building topping three stories. The application also sought to change Parkside's low-income elderly and handicapped affordable resident mix to include some higher income families meeting state standards for affordable housing. A public hearing in September 2016 drew members of an organized group of area residents opposed to the plan, who spoke out and submitted a petition against approving the application due its scale and scope. Other audience members raised questions about diminishing property values created by the proximity of the affordable housing complex, as well as safety issues and crime incident problems connected to bringing more low-income residents to the area.

Whether BHA ultimately decides to go with a revised design for 115 South Montowese or is allowed to build at Branford Hills, either project would need to go through town planning and building channels. Also in both cases, Parkside Village II, currently located on Block Island Road and housing 40 senior and disabled residents, would eventually have to be upgraded and expanded.

On April 5, BHA described the former Branford Hills School site as being the only other potential feasible site for development located during an RFP process seeking alternative sites. The RFP was put out by BHA earlier this year. Parkside residents at the April 5 meeting expressed concerns about the number of families with children that would move in to the new complex. Regarding which location they would prefer, the residents expressed their desire to upgrade at the current location, citing the pleasant neighborhood and proximity to Foote Park, as well as being closer to the town center's grocery store (Caron's Corner), bus line, and a new senior center that will be incorporated into the Community House on Church Street.

Saying it's obvious Parkside's residents want to stay at 115 South Montowese, Kovel also said, "But something has to be done. I think we all agree these buildings will fall down."

Currently the development has studio spaces and some one-bedroom units.

"Compared to what we are proposing -- 600-square foot units with new full kitchens and dining rooms and bathrooms with accessibility, all the things that would come with the new development -- I think there is no question that something has to be done," said Kovel. "So the question is, where?"

The goal of the BHA is to have its plans in place so that applications can be made to the state for funding by November 2018. RTM moderator Dennis Flanigan (R-District 5) said a key element in any part of the process will be hearing from both Parkside residents and other Branford residents, including those living in areas that would be impacted by the expansion.

Saying she agreed, Kovel also noted, "Here's the challenge that I see with that (and) the issue that I don't see the answer to. Is it going to be who screams the loudest, 'I don't want it in my neighborhood' that's going to make that decision? Because when we pose that question, 'Would you rather have it happen here or would you rather have it happen somewhere that doesn't change your life?,' I don't see how you get to [an answer] where someone says, 'I want it across the street from me.' I've been in this business for 25 years, and trust me, I have yet to have someone say, 'Please build affordable housing next to me.'"

For his part, Cosgrove said any plans to develop the former Branford Hills School site would require BHA and Beacon to continue to work with town planning and zoning staff and perform more due diligence to show that vetting of the proposal has been fully completed, before taking the question to the RTM. For example, more details need to be fleshed out on turning Parkside's South Montowese property over to the town as a resource if the Branford Hills property were to be developed.

"I think the Housing Authority represented that this was the first of many meetings to try to engage community," said Cosgrove, adding, at this point, there have to be more answers from BHA, Beacon and the town staff, and "...not the RTM."

Kovel said BHA needs some direction from the town if Branford Hills is to be considered as a site. Otherwise, the project will move forward with expansion at 115 South Montowese.

"The Housing Authority and Beacon are trying to be responsive to a request that we study other sites. There is no strong support for moving this site from anyone who has been involved in this project. Absent the town saying 'We'd really rather you'd be over here, and here's a site,' we don't see any other solution than to redevelop South Montowese. This isn't about us desperately wanting the Branford Hills site... this is [about] is there a better site that [the town] has some authority over, and can you pave the way for us to develop it? That is the framework of this question; not, 'Can we please have Branford Hills?' That is not what we're asking."

If BHS does go with revised plans for South Montowese, Kovel added, "...the good news is with the re-design, I think we can address some of the appearance questions, some of the design questions," as well as inconsistencies of property boundaries with the town's Sliney Field and Foote Park.

"There are lots of good things that could come out of just saying, 'Let's do this one and try and do it right.' We can also just do that," said Kovel. "The next step would be to go public on a conversation of a re-design of this, and that would be as broad as anyone wants it to be."

Coming out of the 2016 effort, BHA found one of the questions asked was whether it could find another viable site option.  Now, BHA is doing what it was asked, said Kovel. But, she added, "...from a development perspective, we're inconstant. We just need direction, and we need it sooner rather than later."

Cosgrove said the next move belongs to BHA and Beacon. "They approached the town (on Branford Hills) to see, is this a feasible site? That's what they're looking at now. Now they're weighing the decision. If Branford Hills is determined not feasible for whatever reason, [then] I think they're stating they're going to come back here [115 South Montowese]. And what they're showing is they're still trying to address the concerns that have been heard [in 2016]. But I think from what I've been hearing from Beacon and Branford Housing Authority [is] they still see this as an issues that needs to be addressed and they're going to work to address that issue. That's where we are now...that's the process that got us to this point."

Kovel said BHA and Beacon will convene future public meetings, at a larger venue, as the process develops toward "...moving forward on either site, or contemplating moving forward."