Neighbors Speak Out Against Beacon View Affordable Housing Plan

FAIRFIELD, CT — Residents are speaking out against a proposed affordable housing development on the north side of Fairfield, saying the planned three-story building is a threat to the safety of the neighborhood.

The project at 15-21 Beacon View Drive was the topic of a lengthy discussion at an Affordable Housing Committee meeting attended by neighbors, who detailed their concerns about the proposal.

"It's just too big for the property," said Paula Gallo, an abutting neighbor.

Developer John & Dilan LLC plan to construct 20 apartments on the site, six of which would be designated as affordable housing, according to information presented to the committee last fall. The complex would include 18 one-bedroom apartments and two studio apartments, with affordable rates for the 30 percent of qualifying units ranging from $747 to $1,130 per month. The building would be roughly 37 feet tall and located on about a half-acre of land, which is currently occupied by a duplex at 15-17 Beacon View Drive and a single-family home at 21 Beacon View Drive.

Concerns raised by the neighbors include potential changes to traffic patterns and parking, flooding, and property values, as well as a potential asbestos issue related to the existing duplex. In addition to the discussion at the recent meeting, a video has been posted on YouTube referring to the project as the "Beacon View Monstrosity" and detailing some of the reasons for residents' unease.

The developer is proposing a right-turn-only exit, Fairfield Planning Director Jim Wendt confirmed in an interview after the meeting.

"He wants to make it a right-turn only and change the traffic pattern of the street," Gallo said, referencing Ilhami Palik, who owns both 15-17 and 21 Beacon View Drive as well as John & Dilan LLC.

The project also includes creating 29 parking spaces, five of which would be for neighboring residents to use in order to prevent street parking and maintain the property's sightline, according to Wendt.

"There's no way these units have enough parking," neighbor Jae Park said.

Gallo noted that the proposed parking garage could also compromise safety, while Park added that flooding is another concern among nearby residents.

"If this thing goes up, it will lower my value of my house," Gallo said. "... What's going to happen to the property values?"

While committee Chair Stephen Grathwohl replied that studies prove proximity to affordable housing does not lower the value of single-family homes, committee members did share some of the neighbors' apprehensions. Chief among them was the size of the project and its proximity to other affordable developments.

As proposed, the project will be considered 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 only way for Fairfield to avoid approving certain affordable housing proposals is by proving a project warrants zoning denial because it poses a threat to public health, welfare and safety that outweighs the need for affordable housing.

"With an 8-30g, we have next to no ability to complain about it," Grathwohl said.

Community and Economic Development Director Mark Barnhart told the residents that traffic concerns were the only topic on which they could potentially build a case for denial of the project.

"This predatory builder wants to just build, he knows we don't have the money to fight," Gallo said.

Barnhart recommended the neighbors request a traffic study from the police commission.

John & Dilan LLC has submitted a traffic report dated October 2019 to the town, Wendt said.

Neither Palik nor his attorney, John Fallon, attended the Jan. 8 meeting of the committee, which operates in an advisory capacity. The proposal will go before the Town Plan and Zoning Commission for a hearing Jan. 28.

"I'm going to withhold any comment with regard to anything until the hearing on Jan. 28," Fallon said, when reached by phone. "... I think that's the appropriate thing to do with respect to the commission."

In addition to her other concerns, Gallo said 15-17 Beacon View Drive is an asbestos hazard. Fairfield Health Department Director Sands Cleary said the building has transite siding — a non-friable, non-hazardous type of siding that contains asbestos. The department received a complaint about the removal of the siding and discovered it had been taken off years before the complaint was made, according to Cleary. A permit is not necessary to remove transite siding, but it must be properly disposed of, Cleary said.

"We can't determine if it was or wasn't disposed of properly," he said.