Town Explores New Sites for Parkside Village

Plans to replace the aging Parkside Village I are still in flux, and the developers are looking at alternate sites for the public low-income housing project. If none are found, the project would most likely be built at the current site at 115 S. Montowese St., which houses 50 low-income seniors and people with disabilities.

“Our intention right now is to see if there are alternative sites and we’re open to any and all offers of interest,” said Dara Kovel, president of Beacon Communities LLC of Boston, the development team hired by Branford’s Housing Authority. ​“I’m definitely dedicating my time to see if there is something out there. On the timeline question, our target is to apply (for funding) next November.”

Kovel said the Housing Authority has looked at other sites in the past but none were suitable.

“There’s not a perfect site out there, but we’re happy to look at slightly imperfect sites for sure,” Kovel said.

She spoke at a meeting last week called by First Selectman Jamie Cosgrove and held at his Town Hall office. Cosgrove said ultimately the search for properties and the decisions about design and location are up to the Housing Authority and Beacon Communities, subject to approval by town regulatory commissions.

“We still intend on doing a project — the details are unknown,”  Cosgrove said during the meeting last Thursday. Cosgrove invited the media to a two-hour information session which included members of the Housing Authority, officials from Beacon Communities LLC and Town Planner Harry Smith.

Initial plans to replace Parkside I met with an outcry from neighbors at the public hearing with the Planning and Zoning (P&Z) Commission in September. The town planner and the commission also had concerns.

Developers revised the plans after meeting with staff and neighbors later that month. However, the Housing Authority withdrew the application in October after it became apparent the project would not be approved in time to meet the federal funding application deadline in November. 

A Search for Sites

Cosgrove (pictured) said they are looking at other sites, but he did not want to name any potential ones Thursday. He said identifying alternate sites before any decisions are made could ​“create angst” with residents in other neighborhoods and the current Parkside residents.

Kovel said any new site would have to be re-zoned and developed with approvals from the town, and would have to be available at a reasonable price. ​“If anyone knows of a site like that, we’re more than happy to take a look at it.” She said they would also have to have a hearing before the state Department of Housing before selling the Parkside property and building elsewhere.

The Housing Authority looked at 15 alternate sites when they commissioned a feasibility study a few years ago. They did not find anything suitable.

“I’ve been doing this 25 years. There is always someone who says, ​‘I want affordable housing but not there.’ That is the fundamental reason that affordable housing does not get built,” Kovel said. ​“There is either the belief or the pretense that there is some other site that is better than the site you’re looking at. This happens to be a site that already serves low-income people.”

The three buildings that comprise Parkside Village I were built in the 1970’s and include 50 units of housing for low-income seniors and people with disabilities. The buildings do not have handicapped-accessible units or elevators, and are not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Parkside II, which has 40 units, was built in 1985, and has been updated with state grants. It is in better structural condition than Parkside I, which is deteriorating.

The first set of plans called for construction of one large building with 71 units to replace the outdated buildings at Parkside I. The new building would provide affordable housing for low-income people of any age, not just seniors.

The size and height of the building caused concern for neighbors and the town planner. Neighbors also questioned the logic and safety of eliminating age restrictions.

The revised plans called for a smaller building with 61 units.

Kovel said the Parkside I site presents challenges because there are 50 people who cannot be displaced while the buildings are torn down and replaced. So the building was designed to accommodate for that. ​“We can’t put 50 households somewhere for 18 months,” she said.

Residents Upset

Tacie Lowe, a member of the Housing Authority who attended Thursday’s session, said residents are upset that the building plans have been delayed. Several tenants were prepared to speak at the first public hearing, but were reluctant when they heard the neighbors’ reactions.

“They’re really distraught about what will happen to them,” she said.

Lowe said many of the tenants who have disabilities were cared for by their parents before coming to Parkside. ​“Parents are aging and they are terrified what’s going to happen to my kid” if adequate housing is not available.

Lowe said there are fewer housing options available for disabled people. ​“This problem isn’t getting less. We need to start thinking about solutions for our friends and neighbors and family members. How do we support folks who need a place to live and don’t have the capacity to hold a paying job that affords them to live in a community like Branford.”

Cheryl Daniw, who serves as Parkside property manager with Merritt Properties, said the seniors and disabled people at Parkside have ​“extremely” low incomes, many receive less than $10,000 a year. ​“They have very limited resources for funding to survive,” she said.

Housing Authority — a Separate Entity

The Housing Authority was established to oversee Parkside Village I and 2, and does not deal with any other housing complexes in town. The Housing Authority owns the Parkside Village properties along South Montowese Street.

“The Housing Authority is its own entity and it’s not part of the town (budget), and I think that’s one thing that’s difficult for people to understand,” Cosgrove said.

Daniw echoed that statement. ​“The Housing Authority is a separate entity from the town of Branford,” she said. ​“We don’t have any funding source from the town so the tax payers don’t supplement the project. She said operating funds come from rent and from a small stipend that some residents receive from the state. ​“That subsidy, though, is subject to the state budget. So currently that particular rental assistance program is frozen.” That means any new residents would not be able to receive the state stipend.

“We’re under very stringent funding. We don’t have a lot of money,” Daniw told the group assembled Thursday.

Federal Funding

Kovel said the federal low-income tax credit funding program that was created 30 years ago has been very successful. ​“It appeals both to Republicans and Democrats — it attracts private capital into the housing market, and it serves low-income people.”

Beacon is experienced in securing funding through the federal low-income tax credits, which is administered by the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority (CHFA). Beacon would apply for federal tax credits and then sells those credits to big institutions to raise the equity needed to finance the project.

Kovel said the current Parkside residents would continue to reside in the new building, but it would be open to low-income people of all ages because that is one of the stipulations for federal funding.

“It allows us to serve a more diverse set of incomes, and there’s a great need across the board for small families, as well as elderly and disabled,” Kovel said, adding that the new building would serve the ​“working poor.”

She said right now the complex serves people earning less than $10,000 a year, but that would change to include people earning up to $40,000 a year. The higher range of incomes would provide more rental revenues to operate the building.

Kovel said the Housing Authority and Beacon plan to do more community outreach. ​“We really want to solve this problem. We don’t want people to feel surprised or blindsided. We’re pretty open-book about this. Our goal is to redevelop Parkside Village I on that site or somewhere else, and ideally add to the number of units of affordability in the town.”

Determining what is considered ​“affordable housing” can be complicated.

At a previous meeting, Town Planner Harry Smith said the South Central Regional Council of Governments shows that in 2015 Branford had 22 percent of homes that met the criteria of affordable housing for the 80 percent mark; and 12 percent at 50 percent of median incomes. The median household income for Branford was listed at $71,058.

However, Smith said that according to the state statute’s definition requiring deed-restricted or federally-assisted housing, Branford only has 3.46 percent of housing that qualifies.

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