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11/24/2023 10:30 AMFollowing 16 hours of public hearings, the Planning and Zoning Commission (PZC) has voted to approve an affordable housing development that was heavily scrutinized by residents.
The PZC voted 6-3 to approve site plans for the development, dubbed the Artisan Village by developers, at a deliberation session on Nov. 20. The plans, put forth by applicants Honeycomb Real Estate Partners and Vesta Corporation for 47 Middlesex Avenue, calls for the construction of seven buildings with 38 units on the property formerly owned by Saint Teresa of Calcutta Parish in Essex.
The development was heavily scrutinized by residents who fought to persuade the PZC to reject the site plan over the course of five lengthy public hearings lasting a collective 16 hours. Despite public opposition, Honeycomb's principal and managing member, Lewis Brown, said the developers were appreciative of the feedback.
“Honeycomb and Vesta are appreciative of the Town of Chester's Planning and Zoning Commission's commitment to the process and their thoughtful work in evaluating and approving our Team’s application for site plan approval,” Brown said. “We also appreciate and thank the public for their participation throughout the process. We look forward to developing this important housing that will be affordable to so many current and future residents of Chester and the surrounding communities and to being invested neighbors in the community.”
Members of Concerned Residents of Chester (CRC) had voiced their opposition throughout the hearings and were disappointed by the PZC's decision. John Maloney, a member of CRC, called the decision a "joke" and "embarrassment."
“This entire process has been a joke and an embarrassment to Chester,” Maloney said. “No other rural town has allowed developers to walk over them like Chester did. PZC was totally in over their heads.”
Karin Badger, another CRC member, said the PZC's rushed to the decision, not utilizing all 65 days following the close of the final public hearing to deliberate. Badger called the meeting a “disservice” to the residents “who deserved so much better.“
The motion made by the PZC in its approval tried to address the many concerns residents raised at the five public hearings. Prominent among them include provisions for safety due to increased traffic, fire and water management, and congruence with the town’s affordable housing goals and the 2019-2029 Plan of Conservation and Development (PoCD).
According to Zoning Enforcement Officer John Guszkowski, the Town Consulting Engineers, Nathan L. Jacobson & Associates, “had no comment on the traffic report” provided by Honeycomb and Vesta. While not wanting “to represent outside conversations” with the town’s consultants, Guszkowski told the commission, “I am confident that the town engineers did not comment because they did not find cause for concern based on the amount of traffic.”
Carol Riordan, who was critical of the developers’ traffic reports during public hearings, found them to be “inadequate” with regard to the safety of pedestrians, including children, in surrounding recreational and shopping areas like North Quarter Park and stores at the corner of Main Street and Route 154.
“Anyone shopping or using these facilities will be adversely affected by the increased traffic the development will generate,” said Riordan.
The commission mulled numerous hypothetical and tangential arguments regarding increased traffic congestion, pedestrian safety, and parking accommodations for tenants and visitors. The PZC ultimately decided upon numerous provisions Honeycomb and Vesta must undertake to ensure greater safety at the site.
The developers must add a striped crosswalk and a stop sign to the site plan, enabling “the continuous pedestrian corridor from 47 Middlesex Avenue over 132 Main Street to the existing sidewalk network on Main Street,” read the motion.
Additionally, “The applicant shall make a request to the CT Department of Transportation (DOT) for a Warrant Analysis for a traffic light and/or pedestrian signal at the intersection of Middlesex Avenue and Main Street and at the crosswalk area from the applicant’s driveway to St. Joseph’s Church,” read the motion. “If the DOT finds that signalization improvements are warranted on the basis of the applicant’s projected increase in pedestrian or vehicular traffic, such improvements shall be paid for by the applicant.”
The request to the DOT will be reviewed by the town engineer before submission.
Town engineers and the Water Pollution Control Authority will also be involved in establishing the development's stormwater management system, including planning, testing, and maintenance.
“Certified reports of performance of required maintenance of the Stormwater Management System shall be provided annually to the Town, via the Zoning Compliance Officer, for each of the first three years of system performance following installation and certification,” read the motion.
The alignment of the development with the town’s PoCD and state-mandated affordable housing goals was one of the most notably questioned elements of the development during public hearings. Some residents saw that the Artisan Village development did not seamlessly fit Chester's traditional New England character. PZC Chairman Mike Sanders nonetheless saw that the development could fit affordability and PoCD-endorsed goals given the vague language of the latter.
“In the PoCD, we don't specifically go into specific locations. But we do talk about affordable housing. Anybody…know that prices are not stagnant here,” said Sanders. He mentioned that “the characteristics of the site are characteristics that we did talk about in the POCD,” such as access to public water and sewer for affordable housing.
While Sanders thanked the public for their participation in the process, proactive opponents still felt beleaguered by the decision.
“From start to finish, this has been a betrayal of the public trust,” said Badger.