'It's Disgusting': Neighbors Angry About Proposed 26-Unit Housing Complex In Fairfield

FAIRFIELD, CT — Neighbors of a planned affordable housing complex in northeast Fairfield voiced frustration about the development’s size and potential affect on traffic at a public hearing this week.

“I think it’s just going to destroy the whole area,” Nora Kurimai told the Town Plan and Zoning Commission. “How many of you would want this in your backyard?”

The proposal would see two duplexes on Beacon Square replaced by 26 units. Tuesday’s hearing was the second before the commission in recent months, after the zoning compliance application from developer Beacon Square Properties LLC was heard in December and then withdrawn due to concerns from the fire marshal.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.

The complex would consist of 15 two-bedroom and 11 one-bedroom units, plus 32 parking spaces. The residences would be spread across three 32-foot-tall buildings, and each unit would have a ground-floor garage, second-floor living space and third-floor bedroom.

“We worked really, really, really hard with this client to convince him to not put up a much larger building on this property,” architect Phil Cerrone told the commission, adding the applicant wanted to construction a 35-unit apartment building, and that the proposed development fits better with the neighborhood. “They’re basically single-family homes that are attached to each other.”

The neighbors were not convinced. A petition opposing the application had the support of over 30 people.

“The building is not attractive,” said Tom Ferrone. “The units are like trailers that are just put in a row blocking everybody around and I don’t think it’s sized right for the property.”

The site is about 36,000 square feet and the complex would make up roughly 28,000 square feet of impervious area.

“It’s overdeveloped property that has very little green space,” said abutting owner Erica Hoffman. “I think it’s just too large for the property.”

Attorney John Fallon, who is representing the applicant, said his client, Turgut Parlakkilic, owns similar developments in the area, and that Parlakkilic is “very much committed to this neighborhood.”

“Why do they have to buy where everything is the cheapest?” Paula Gallo asked, arguing such projects force low-income residents into one part of town. “Shoving all these buildings in one area? It’s going to create big issues.”

The zoning application 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 public health, welfare and safety that outweighs the need for affordable housing.

Eight units in the Beacon Square complex would be set aside as affordable, Fallon said, adding he anticipated residents would include empty nesters over 50, younger adults, and members of the municipal workforce, such as police officers and teachers.

“The client has approached this the way you should approach an 8-30g,” he said.

Another concern for neighbors was the development’s potential impact on road congestion. Traffic engineer Michael Galante said the complex would generate a net of 11 trips during morning peak traffic hours in Beacon Square and a net of 15 trips during the afternoon peak.

Representative Town Meeting member Alex Durrell, R-District 3, recounted walking his dogs in the neighborhood and experiencing cars that were forced to screech to a rapid stop to avoid hitting the dogs, due to street parking in the area.

“I mean, the densification of my district and this area, which is more important, is just — I don’t know, it’s disgusting in my opinion,” Durrell said. “I think Mr. Fallon and Mr. Galante, they can shroud or hide behind laws and statistics, but we live in reality, we see the traffic”