Following a September 19 public hearing and discussion, Planning & Zoning Commission (P&Z) members approved the construction of a 74-unit rental apartment complex at an 11.8-acre site on the west side of Washington Avenue in Sandy Hook Center.

P&Z members approved The Riverwalk at Sandy Hook Village for local developer Michael Burton, Sr, in a 4-to-1 vote, with Chairman Don Mitchell, Barbara Manville, Benjamin Toby, and Roy Meadows in favor, and Jim Swift opposed. The approval takes effect October 12.

The action marks the fifth approval of a project by that name for that location that has been submitted by Mr Burton since 2008. None of the four previous projects were ever constructed. The initial project was submitted under the terms of the P&Z’s Affordable Housing Development (AHD) zoning regulations, under which 24 dwellings were approved by the P&Z for the site.

The project approved on September 19 is covered by the Incentive Housing-10 (IH-10) zoning regulations, a newer set of land use rules which allow 74 dwellings to be built there. The IH-10 rules require 20 percent of the dwellings, or 15 apartments, to be designated as deed-restricted “affordable housing” units.

The IH-10 rules allow the construction of a project with a high construction density, provided that 20 percent of the dwellings are rented out as affordable housing to people who qualify to occupy them based on regional income eligibility requirements. Thus, the rental fees paid by the people living in the 59 market-rate units would subsidize the 15 affordable units.

The Riverwalk project is scheduled for review and possible sanitary sewer approval by the Water & Sewer Authority (WSA) when it meets at 7 pm on Tuesday, October 1, at the municipal sewage treatment plant office building at 24 Commerce Road. The four previous versions of the Riverwalk project have received WSA approvals for connection to municipal sanitary sewers.

It was initially unclear whether a wetlands/watercourses protection permit for the project would be the subject of review by town land use agency staff members or by the full Inland Wetlands Commission (IWC). The IWC also serves as the town’s Aquifer Protection Agency (APA). The Riverwalk site is in the town’s Aquifer Protection District (APD).

A Blend Of Projects

At the September 19 P&Z session, Mr Burton said that while in the past he had proposed projects that contained a mix of rental apartments and condominiums, the currently planned Riverwalk would consist strictly of rental apartments, because the real estate market is now strong for rental units and weak for condos.

The current version of Riverwalk would have two large multi-bay garages, instead of one such garage, as was proposed in the previous version. The entire project would be built in one construction phase, instead of multiple phases, as had been previously proposed.

Architect Kevin Bennett of Bennett Sullivan Associates of Southbury, representing Mr Burton, said the current version of Riverwalk amounts to “a blend of projects we have (designed) over the years for this property.”

A “streetscape grade” sidewalk positioned on the west side of Washington Avenue would be extended southward to the southern end of the site. Such sidewalks are located in the Sandy Hook Center business district.

Most apartment buildings at the Riverwalk site would be two stories tall, with one building three stories tall. The site is planned to have a substantial amount of landscaping elements positioned along Washington Avenue.

Mr Mitchell noted that when issues with a multifamily complex arise, it is much simpler for the town to deal with the owners of a rental complex than to deal with the owners of individual condos in a condo complex.

Mr Swift expressed concerns about certain architectural changes that have been made to the construction plans since the project’s fourth approval, especially concerning the visibility of roofs and gables. He questioned whether trees to be planted as part of the landscaping plan would be large enough at the time of their planting to obscure the two garages, as viewed from Washington Avenue.

Mr Swift said that as viewed from that street, the site would contain rooflines of garages which do not meet the architectural standard of the rest of the complex.

Mr Burton said he is willing to revise the plans to lower the garages’ rooflines as viewed from the street.

Public Comment

One person spoke during the public comment section of the public hearing.

Aram Nahabedian of Walnut Tree Hill Road told P&Z members that Sandy Hook Center in the area near the Riverwalk site becomes quite congested with traffic during commuter rush periods. He asked if a traffic study had been submitted with the plans for the fifth version of the project.

Mr Mitchell responded that traffic studies had been done for previous versions of the project, adding that because the number of dwellings planned has not changed compared to the previous version, no new traffic study was required.

In the 4-to-1 vote approving the application for a modified special zoning permit, P&Z members required that Mr Burton visit the Design Advisory Board (DAB) for a second time to discuss the aesthetic aspects of the project in seeking to get the rooflines of the garages along Washington Avenue decreased by up to two feet. The DAB was slated to meet on September 24 to again discuss the Riverwalk project and other matters.

Design Details

At the Riverwalk project, each of the two large garages would have eight bays, and each building would be about 100 feet long. The backs of those garages would be visible from the street. Three carports on the site would contain a total of 15 vehicle spaces.

There would be five residential buildings at the site, plus a clubhouse/rental office. One residential buildings would hold 18 units; another 16 units; a third, 12 units; plus two structures with 14 units each. Overall, there would be 167 parking spaces, of which ten spaces would be handicapped accessible.

The site would contain 50 two-bedroom apartments and 24 one-bedroom units.