26-Unit Townhouse Complex Approved In Fairfield, Despite Density Concerns

FAIRFIELD, CT — A planned affordable housing complex in northeast Fairfield was approved this week by town officials.

Although members of the Town Plan and Zoning Commission expressed some apprehension about the density of the development proposed for 2-6 Beacon Square, they generally agreed it did not pose a threat to public health and safety.

The project will see two duplexes replaced by 26 townhouse-style units, eight of which will be set aside as affordable. The proposal was made under state law Section 8-30g, which applies to towns where less than 10 percent of housing stock meets the criteria to be recognized as affordable. Under the law, the only way Fairfield can avoid approving housing proposals consisting of at least 30 percent affordable units is by proving a project poses a threat to the public that outweighs the need for affordable housing.

“It’s a densely populated neighborhood, people speed through this neighborhood,” commissioner Daniel Ford said, acknowledging neighbors’ complaints about the project’s size and potential effect on traffic, but specifying that their frustration lay with the state. “We have an obligation to follow the law.”

The complex will consist of 15 two-bedroom and 11 one-bedroom units, plus 32 parking spaces. The residences will be spread across three 32-foot-tall buildings. The site is about 36,000 square feet and the complex will make up roughly 28,000 square feet of impervious area.

“I would have liked to have seen it in a different part of town,” alternate commissioner Sarah Keitt said at the body's meeting Tuesday, noting that the neighborhood is already dense.

The commission first heard the zoning compliance application from developer Beacon Square Properties LLC in December, but it was later withdrawn due to concerns from the fire marshal. After the developer moved parking spaces to allow firetrucks to better navigate the property, the proposal returned to the commission.

Commissioner Kathryn Braun said she felt the body did not have enough information to make a decision, arguing that when presented with 8-30g applications, the commission should be seeking detailed reports from town staff on traffic and parking, as well as a wildlife survey.

“Something could meet the fire code and still be unsafe,” she said.

Chair Thomas Noonan offered a counterpoint.

“Our staff gave us sufficient information,” he said, suggesting commissioners bring their questions to town departments if they feel they don’t have enough information.

While Noonan acknowledged the Beacon Square neighbors’ concerns were well-founded, he agreed with the majority of the commission that the application did not meet the legal standard for denial.

“It could be worse, we’ve seen it worse in other instances,” he said. “The applicant was somewhat fair in how dense they made it.”

The commission approved the application, with Braun casting the only dissenting vote.