Neighbors Pack Hearing On Beacon View Affordable Housing Plan

FAIRFIELD, CT — Admonishments and bangs of the gavel by elected officials did not stop the audience at Tuesday's zoning commission meeting from making their opinions known during a hearing for a controversial affordable housing proposal on Beacon View Drive.

"No laughing, no comments," Vice Chair Mark Corcoran told the large crowd mere minutes into the roughly three-hour hearing, after residents laughed at the suggestion that the neighborhood is well suited for the 20-unit apartment building and one person shouted that the presenter was "a crook."

The project at 15-21 Beacon View Drive would feature a 5,700-square-foot building with three stories of apartments and a ground level open parking garage on about a half acre of land. The structure would stand just under 40 feet tall and include 18 one-bedroom units and two studios, ranging in size from roughly 500 to 800 square feet. The site is currently occupied by a duplex at 15-17 Beacon View Drive and a single-family home at 21 Beacon View Drive.

Of the 20 proposed apartments, three would be reserved for residents earning less than 60 percent of the statewide median income, and another three would be reserved for those earning less than 80 percent, according to attorney John Fallon, who is representing developer John & Dilan LLC. The other 14 units would be rented at market rate. Fallon said the developer expects to attract younger adults as well as those over 50.

The proposal falls under state law Section 8-30g, which applies to towns where less than 10 percent of housing stock meets state criteria to be recognized as affordable. Under the law, the commission can only deny the Beacon View Drive application if the project presents a risk to public health and safety that outweighs Fairfield's need for affordable housing, and must have evidence supporting its conclusions if the denial is appealed.

"Mere concerns alone are not sufficient," Fallon said.

There were plenty of concerns, however, chief among them those of Senior Civil Engineer Laura Pulie, who took issue with the project's proposed sight lines for its right-turn only exit. In an email to Planning Director Jim Wendt, she noted a discrepancy between two studies of traffic traveling eastbound on Beacon View Drive. A 2017 traffic study by Frederick P. Clark Associates measured the 85th percentile speed in the area at 26 mph and a 2019 Fairfield police study found the 85th percentile speed to be over 34 mph.

The results of the 2017 study, conducted between 1 and 2 p.m. on a Friday in early December, would require a 250-foot sight line for the project, according to the email. The police study, conducted over a six-day period in early January, would require a sight line of 335 feet. The developer planned for a 291-foot sight line.

Mike Galante, a traffic engineer with the firm that conducted the private traffic study, told the commission the equipment used by police in the department's study gives false readings and errors of up to 4 mph per vehicle, while his firm uses a radar gun that's more accurate.

"We feel we have better data," he said.

When residents took to the podium later in the meeting, they questioned the disparity in the traffic studies.

"I believe the cops' study. I don't believe their study that they did in one hour," local real estate agent John Lamb said. "... Their only defense is, 'Well, the cops are wrong.' "

The commission decided to continue the hearing to Feb. 25 to further investigate the police traffic study.

Members of the public also complained about increased traffic; flooding; and light, air and noise pollution in connection with the proposed apartments.

Many were concerned about the right-turn only exit, noting it would require motorists to drive in a loop around the neighborhood before heading toward Black Rock Turnpike. They also took issue with the developer's plan to remove five on-street parking spaces and replace them with five public parking spots in the building's garage, which would have 29 spaces total.

"When do we say, enough is enough?" asked neighbor George Zaharis. "... It's a small neighborhood, it's already congested."

The developer plans to install a drainage system in which overflow goes into the town's water system, according to Tuesday's presentation, but abutting property owners were still worried.

"There is standing water all over the property," Lamb said.

The Affordable Housing Committee is not supporting the project and has expressed concern about the developer's lack of experience. John & Dilan LLC is owned by Ilhami Palik.

Not all the feedback Tuesday was negative. Beacon View Drive homeowner Michael Flatto was one of a few residents to speak in favor of the development. He said Fairfield needs to increase the accessibility of the community and questioned how busy Beacon View Drive is, relatively speaking.

"I would be happy to welcome these new residents to my own neighborhood," he said.