This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
11/14/2024 03:38 PMNORTH HAVEN
On Nov. 12, the North Haven Planning and Zoning Commission (PZC) heard revised plans from Quinnipiac University regarding the potential construction of an adult learning facility at 5100 and 5110 Ridge Road, in addition to hearing a second round of public testimony surrounding the application.
As reported previously in The Courier, Quinnipiac University is seeking a special exception to renovate an unused church building at 5100 and 5110 Ridge Road, which is located in a residential neighborhood. The university sees the building as a suitable structure to provide more space for its relatively new Lifelong Learning program, whose focus on career advancement and development for adult leaders has been touted by senior university officials, as well as and commerce and health leaders, as having the potential to enhance North Haven's quality of life and economic vitality.
The first public hearing on the application, which took place on Oct. 7, saw a mixed reception. Opposition mainly came from residents in the Ridge Road neighborhood who expressed concerns about the property taking up an exorbitant amount of space, in addition to encroaching on private properties. Other concerns were related to heavier traffic congestion in a residential area, light pollution, and other environmental impacts of the development.
Bernard Pellegrino, the attorney representing Quinnipiac, presented revised plans to the PZC, part of which contained a reduction in parking spaces at the proposed site from 92 to 53. He said this was in response to concerns expressed by area residents regarding topographical challenges such as too high of a level of elevation with insufficient level area for automobiles.
Concerns over the types of materials which would be used for construction amounted to the subtraction of an additional part of the overall architectural structure of the church building. According to Michael Tyre, an architect and associate with the plan, that addition would have contained metal cladding, a material ultimately deemed unsuitable for construction.
“What we’re left with is the existing church structure effectively as is,” said Tyre. “All of the existing brick on the building that’s there now will remain.”
Overall, plans for the exterior part of the structure contain no major structural alterations, except for some repainting of the church structure and the removal of the steeple atop the building.
Pellegrino pointed out to the PZC that North Haven Police Department Chief Kevin Glenn has given his personal approval for the plans after expressing initial skepticism regarding traffic congestion and lack of adequate signage in the area.
In reference to a letter written by Glenn, Pellegrino told the PZC that, “He does not believe the project would create an adverse traffic situation in the area, and he also believes that the increased traffic will be negligible.”
However, despite the plan’s revisions and approval from the police chief, opposition was nearly unanimous during the public hearing portion, with 24 out of the 25 speakers standing against the application
John Acampora, whose home adjoins the proposed site of development, appealed to an amendment unanimously passed by the PZC in August that schools and colleges operated by a governmental unit or nonprofit corporation in the town’s residential zoning districts must sit on a site of at least 10 acres, thereby carving out some distance between a fully outfitted building intended for education and the properties owned by residents in a surrounding area. The reuse of the church property as an education center was deemed unsuitable for the area, said Acampora.
“Such a use would not meet the general purpose or intent of the Town of North Haven zoning regulations,” said Acampora. “Such as use would have a negative effect on the character of the neighborhood and adjoining properties, resulting in a diminution of property values.”
The PZC decided to keep the public hearing open at its next meeting, which is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 2 at 7 p.m. at the North Haven Recreation Center.