Parkside Village Project Downsized

The developer seeking to rebuild Parkside Village I, which houses low-income seniors, has downsized the project after complaints that the proposed building was too large for the site.

“We’re really trying in good faith to find a solution,” said Dara Kovel, president of Beacon Communities LLC of Boston. Beacon is working with Branford’s Housing Authority on the project.

During a public hearing before the Planning and Zoning (P&Z) Commission last month, the town planner and neighbors said the proposed three-story building was oversized for the neighborhood. Another issue was the number of trees to be destroyed.

Kovel said she met with Town Planner Harry Smith earlier Thursday and that specific plan revisions will be discussed with the P&Z when the public hearing resumes this Thursday, Oct. 6.  Smith presented a 9-page staff report at last month’s hearing outlining several concerns, including the height of building, the density of the project, and the lack of public transportation.

“We spent the time since the meeting looking at your comments,” Kovel told the 50 people gathered at an informal 90-minute meeting Thursday at Fire Headquarters. Beacon called the meeting and invited neighbors to discuss the issues.

Kovel said the (top) sketch above shows the previous outline of the proposed building in red and the revision in black. “We really tried to shrink the footprint,” she said.

The number of units has been reduced from 71 to 61, the footprint is smaller, and although the building is still three floors, it would be about 35 feet high instead of 40. There would be 30 one-bedroom units and 31 two-bedroom units. The average one-bedroom would be about 700 square feet; and two-bedroom would be about 900 square feet.

Kovel said the new plan reduces the amount of paved surface, and has less impact on trees and ledge. The building will also be set further back from South Montowese Street. “There’s less parking lot, less building, so there’s more grass and more trees,” she said.

Kovel also said that the number of police calls to Parkside that neighbors discussed at the previous public hearing was erroneous. She said since January 2015 to the current time, there were 53 calls not 250. She read through a list of police and emergency calls, stating that 43 of them were medical. The other calls included problems like an argument over trimming bushes, a complaint about tires being flattened, and a baseball damaging a windshield.

The address for Parkside is often used as the address for the adjacent Sliney Fields where incidents such as vandalism occurred in that time frame. 

A few neighbors Thursday seemed to support the project, while a majority still had concerns and questions.

Another Site Not Feasible

In response to questions about finding another location, Kovel said any other site “would have neighbors like yourselves and challenges like this site faces.” There is no “perfect opportunity.”

The current Parkside Village I, which is comprised of three buildings totaling 51 units; provides housing for low-income seniors and people with disabilities.

The property, which is owned by Branford’s Housing Authority, is located at 115 S. Montowese St., near the Sliney ballfields and Foote Park. The Parkside housing complex was built in the early 1970’s and has deteriorated over the years. The apartments are not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Joe Chadwick, a member of the Housing Authority, said the Parkside site is challenging because of floodplains and rock ledges, but the Housing Authority reviewed other potential sites in town and “they all have challenges.” Chadwick, an architect,  is also a member of the P&Z but has recused himself from voting on the project.

Chadwick (pictured) said the buildings are deteriorating and funding opportunities are decreasing. He said the authority has spent many hours discussing options with town planners and the town engineer over the past years. A feasibility study, funded by a state grant, was conducted in 2013.

Chadwick said costs do not include land acquisition for alternate sites. ​“Right now, with owning the land, it’s tough enough to make the numbers work.”

Kovel told the Eagle after the meeting that they are committed to finding a solution for housing at the current location.

Funding the Project

Several people asked questions about how the project will be funded, and who the tenants would be.

Doug Denes (pictured), chair of the Housing Authority, said the project would continue to serve low-income seniors but would also serve low-income residents of any age. 

“This is a Branford Housing Authority project to provide low-income housing for people in need in Branford…including, very specifically, our present tenants,” said Denes, pictured above. ​“We brought in Beacon to help us with the financing and other issues. That’s the only way a housing authority can do this project.”

Kovel explained the financing. She said the federal program for low-income tax credits is administered by the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority (CHFA). ​“It’s a very competitive program.” She said investors such as banks and corporations would purchase the tax credits and receive a benefit on their taxes.

Pam Goodman, CEO of Beacon Communities, said there would be no construction costs for the town. “We apply for tax credits and then we sell those credits,” she said, explaining that the credits are sold to big institutions to raise the equity necessary to finance the project. Goodman is pictured above at left, next to Kovel.

Goodman said there can’t be age restrictions for the new building because the CHFA program sets up funding guidelines that include open-occupancy for low income housing. She said current residents would continue to be tenants.

“The people who live there aren’t going to go anywhere, and they deserve quality housing,” Goodman said. “The Housing Authority’s goal is to create high-quality housing for the current residents and future residents of Branford.”

The deadline for funding applications this year is Nov. 9. The project was already approved by the Inland Wetlands Commission, and is currently before the P&Z. Beacon is requesting the establishment of a Planned Development District, and would also need approval of specific site plans.

Neighbors Concerns

Some residents asked about the timing of the project. Ray Ingraham, who represents the district in the Representative Town Meeting, asked ​“why the rush?”

Denes said the Housing Authority has been talking about these issues for 20 years, ​“It’s been anything but a rush, here,” he said.

Another man said the neighbors didn’t find out about the proposal soon enough. ​“We don’t trust you,” he said.

Branford resident Jacey Wyatt, who has waged unsuccessful runs for first selectman, said the Housing Authority ​“is not to blame.” She said she has a list of 12 possible alternate locations, and has a presentation she would like to make at another time. ​“Build it, but build it right,” Wyatt said.

Chadwick said plans and options have been discussed for a long time. ​“It’s not like anybody’s trying to sneak something in,” adding that a lot of planning was technical. ​“The path to get here was a lot of work.”

Denes said they have been working with the town and that ​“it’s been a pretty transparent process.”

One woman thanked the Housing Authority and Beacon personnel. ​“We have to serve a population who lives in our community,” she said.

One man said he was in favor of the proposal, but wondered if the buildings could be renovated instead of torn down.

Kovel said they looked into that but the units are just too small and not up to code.

Frank Carrano, a member of the Housing Authority, said he met Thursday with tenants and showed them sketches of the new apartments. ​“They were so excited,” he said.

Safety Concerns

Several people asked questions about how people would become eligible for occupancy. One man said he has real concerns about the people who could be living there because there’s a day care center and ballfields in the area.

Denis said all prospective tenants are ​“vetted very carefully.”

Cheryl Daniw, the current Parkside property manager with Merritt Properties, said: ​“We have process in place right now. All of our tenants are screened.”

At the suggestion of a neighbor, Kovel said information about the proposed project will be placed on the town’s web site.

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