Thomas Breen photo
The proposed new West Ridge Elderly Housing building (at left in photo).
Plans to build a new eight-story, 80-unit elderly housing complex at the base of West Rock advanced after winning a key city approval for zoning changes necessary to make the project a reality.
That vote took place at Wednesday night’s nearly six-hour City Plan Commission meeting on the second floor of City Hall.
Commissioners unanimously recommended approval of an expanded Planned Development District (PDD) for the existing Park Ridge senior apartment complex bounded by Stone Street, Austin Street, and Hard Street on the very edge of the city’s west side.
The PDD, applied for by The Queach Corporation’s Michael Giordano, the developer and owner of the senior apartments, would add five recently acquired Stone Street parcels to the complex’s existing bespoke zone, thereby allowing the construction of a new 80-unit building on Stone Street facing West Rock park.
Michael Giordano and lawyer Thomas Dembinski.
The existing seven-story and nine-story senior apartment buildings on the site are already fully occupied with a 100-applicant waiting list, Giordano said. This new building, to be called West Ridge, would help sate that demand, and would allow local seniors to be able to age in the city they spent their lives in.
Giordano said his company plans to apply this fall for state funding from the Connecticut Finance Housing Authority (CHFA) to construct the new affordable senior apartments. He said the application process is a competitive one. “But nothing speaks like success.”
Westville Alder and City Plan Commissioner Adam Marchand asked if the prior occupants of the five recently acquired Stone Street buildings, at 7, 9, 13, 15, and 17 Stone St., have all moved out.
“As of today, I guess” Giordano said, “the fifth one moved out.”
Per the landlord’s application, the proposed expanded PDD will include 119 parking spaces and the new West Ridge building will be 81 feet tall.
The PDD application now goes to the Board of Alders for a Legislative Committee hearing Thursday night, to be followed by a full board vote this fall.
why are we stacking residents, senors at that 8 stories high. Our city had removed itself from stacking in the 90's / Is there such a demand in our city or is it to house people who need housing from surrounding towns that we have to go back to high rises. Seniors here are not accustomed to having to ride elevators that high daily just to go out for fresh air. When medical emergencies happen ,when elevators go down as they down people are forced into recluse. Or is it about the more units, we build them more money you can make? Two three level housing. If you look around the city and its subsidized housing plans most went back to less levels. Why was this not an option here?