Neighbors Hire Lawyer To Fight Fairfield Affordable Housing Plan

FAIRFIELD, CT — After months of organizing, a group of Fairfield residents have hired a lawyer to fight a proposed affordable housing development on High Street.

Community members are concerned the 2.5-acre historic property at 980 High St. — also referred to as the Judd Estate — is inappropriate for affordable housing. It's too far from amenities, those opposed to the development say, and building on the site could increase flood risk and traffic, displace wildlife, and change the character of a quiet neighborhood of single-family homes. Neighbors hope an attorney will be able to effectively convey their points to town officials, who will consider the project later this month.

"We don't feel like it's well suited for affordable housing," said a Fairfield resident who asked not to be named but is involved with the Facebook group Save Fairfield's Historic Judd Estate, which has more than 600 members.

The lot at 980 High St. contains an 1895 Queen Anne-style house, which was built by carpenter William Judd, according to a town archive of Fairfield's historic properties. The Judd family owned the home, which is near Holland Hill Elementary School, until 2018, Fairfield property records indicate. The site also includes a wetland area. Deer, fox and a heron can regularly be seen on the land, the resident said.

"It's used by wildlife and it's obviously environmentally important," he said, later clarifying that those against the proposal don't feel the property is appropriate for any kind of development.

So far, community efforts to stop the project include a tag sale that generated about $1,500 to fight the proposal, an online petition with over 1,600 signatures and a GoFundMe campaign that has resulted in more than $11,000 in donations. In total, residents had collected over $14,000 as of Wednesday afternoon, according to the resident.

The money is being used for legal costs and other expenses. The property's abutting neighbors, who go by the name Fairfield Neighbors United, have retained an attorney and are in the process of conducting a soil study. They also plan to do an independent traffic study, according to the resident, who lives 2 miles from the High Street property but regularly goes running in the area.

The site was purchased for $2.1 million in late 2018 by Fairfield Housing Corp., a nonprofit controlled by the Fairfield Housing Authority. The effort to prevent the project started in January when abutting neighbors of the Judd Estate received a letter from the authority about the development, the resident said. Residents started the petition and GoFundMe campaign not long after, and since then large crowds have attended multiple meetings about the project.

The proposed development would include 40 units — 18 one-bedrooms, 16 two-bedrooms and six three-bedrooms — in five buildings, according to housing authority Executive Director Carol Martin. Ground-floor apartments would be wheelchair accessible, she said, and two-story townhouse-style units would be located above the first-floor residences. Eighty percent of the apartments would qualify as state-designated affordable housing. Fairfield Housing Corp. plans to restore the lot's existing house as office space and a community room.

Less than 10 percent of Fairfield's housing stock meets the state's criteria to be recognized as affordable, which means the town is subject to Section 8-30g, a state law. Under the law, the only way for the town to avoid approving the High Street proposal is by proving the project warrants zoning denial because it poses a threat to public health, welfare and safety that outweighs Fairfield's need for affordable housing.

The amount of housing stock in Fairfield considered to be affordable by the state is 2.5 percent, according to Community and Economic Development Director Mark Barnhart. The Fairfield Housing Authority has no open lists for any of its housing programs and is not accepting applications.

Community members leading the effort to stop the Judd Estate project aren't against affordable housing, according to the resident, they just don't believe 980 High St. is the place for it. He said he would like to see Fairfield offer incentives that encourage the housing authority to build closer to downtown, train stations and bus stops.

The Judd Estate proposal was addressed in June in front of the Affordable Housing Committee and at a neighborhood meeting. Before the development can proceed, Fairfield Housing Corp. must demonstrate to the Conservation Commission that the project will not impact the wetland area. The proposal is scheduled for a public hearing before the commission, acting as the Inland Wetlands Agency, on Wednesday. Martin has said the project has "met or exceeded" compliance with town regulations, but staff recommend the application be denied without prejudice, according to the meeting agenda. After the proposal goes before the wetlands agency, the next step would be for it to be considered by the Town Plan and Zoning Commission.

A consultant hired by the Fairfield Housing Authority found the development would have minimal impact on traffic in the area, according to Martin. In response to criticism that the site's residential neighborhood is too far from town amenities, she has said the lot is a less-than-10-minute walk from Black Rock Turnpike, although the resident expressed concern that the route doesn't include sidewalks and could be unsafe. Martin has said she hadn't seen any data to support the worries that wildlife would be displaced by the project.

Efforts to prevent the development have received support from residents all over town, according to the resident.

"What's been great is just to see the broad support across the town of Fairfield," he said.

The public hearing on the matter is scheduled for the wetlands agency meeting 7 p.m. Wednesday at 501 Kings Highway East.