Fairfield Affordable Housing Plan Denied By Wetlands Agency

FAIRFIELD, CT — A controversial affordable housing proposal was denied by Fairfield's wetland agency Wednesday, but the corporation behind the plan intends to move forward with the project nonetheless.

Debate has been ongoing for months about the fate of 980 High St, a 2.5-acre lot purchased in late 2018 by the Fairfield Housing Corp., a nonprofit controlled by the Fairfield Housing Authority. The corporation plans to construct 40 apartments in five buildings, 80 percent of which would qualify as state-designated affordable housing. In its current condition, the property includes an open meadow, a wooded area, more than 4,000 square feet of wetlands, and an 1895 Queen Anne-style house. The corporation plans to restore the home as office space and a community room.

The Inland Wetlands Agency narrowly denied the application after the proposal was discussed at length during several previous meetings. Chair Kevin Gumpper, member Felicia Watson and alternate member Brian McCann were in the minority, voting in favor of the project.

Before the vote, Gumpper, a Democrat, said the proposal had a clear social benefit, putting the housing corporation in a better position for approval than other applicants. He also said a presentation from town staff about the plan's potential affect on the wetlands was based on speculation, which is not grounds for denial. Watson, a Republican, said she did not see how the project would adversely affect the wetland.

Member Charles Rowan, who is not affiliated with a political party, worried the increase in impervious surface could result in too much or not enough water flowing to the wetland.

Nearby residents have resisted development on the property, forming the corporation Fairfield Neighbors United and hiring a lawyer with thousands of dollars in donations. Residents' concerns include the potential for increased flood risk and wildlife displacement.

"I think this is a very, very touchy situation," Watson said. "... Nobody wants change in their neighborhood."

The wetland agency also voted Wednesday to recognize that an intervention filed by two abutting neighbors showed the proposal could unreasonably pollute, impair or destroy public trust in nearby natural resources. The vote was split along the same line as the project denial, with Gumpper, Watson and McCann, a Republican, voting against the intervenors.

The agency's approval of the intervention means the neighbors have the same standing in future legal proceedings as the housing corporation and the wetland agency, according to attorney Joel Green, who represents the residents.

This could be important moving forward, as Bryan LeClerc, the lawyer representing the housing corporation, said his client intends to pursue an appeal of the wetland agency's denial before a judge in Bridgeport superior court. The corporation will continue to seek other necessary town approvals for the project at the same time, LeClerc said, with the Plan and Zoning Commission being the next body that must sign off on the proposal. The commission will meet Oct. 15.