Thousands Donated To Fight Fairfield Affordable Housing Proposal

FAIRFIELD, CT — A petition and a GoFundMe campaign have generated more than 1,000 signatures and thousands of dollars in an effort to stop a proposed affordable housing project on a historic Fairfield property.

The lot at 980 High St. is the site of an 1895 Queen Anne-style house and is located on a wetland area and a few blocks from Holland Hill Elementary School. Community members say the proposed rental development will disrupt both wildlife and traffic. Donations will go to hiring an attorney to fight the project, according to the GoFundMe campaign, which had generated more than $10,000 as of Thursday night.

"This development affects more than just the adjacent property owners, it affects everyone districted to Holland Hill and indeed Fairfield in general," the campaign page states.

The house was built by carpenter William Judd, according to a town archive of Fairfield's historic properties. A Facebook group called Save Fairfield's Historic Judd Estate has almost 600 members.

The 2.5-acre property was purchased for $2.1 million in late 2018 by Fairfield Housing Corp., a nonprofit controlled by the Fairfield Housing Authority. 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 house that is already on the lot and use it for office space and a community room.

The proposal was addressed earlier in June before 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, according to Community and Economic Development Director Mark Barnhart. Martin said the project has "met or exceeded" compliance with town regulations.

"I understand the fears, but I'm not seeing any data that supports wildlife being displaced," she said.

After the proposal goes before the commission July 10, the next step would be for it to be considered by the Town Plan and Zoning Commission, First Selectman Mike Tetreau said. Less than 10 percent of Fairfield's housing stock meets the state's criteria to be recognized as affordable, according to Barnhart, 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.

A consultant hired by the Fairfield Housing Authority found the development would have minimal impact on traffic in the area, Martin said. In response to criticism that the site's residential neighborhood is too far from town amenities, she said the lot is a less-than-10-minute walk from Black Rock Turnpike.

"It's actually very close to amenities and that's why it is such an attractive site," she said.

If the proposal gets the necessary approvals, Fairfield Housing Corp. will begin seeking funding sources for the building process, according to Martin, who said the project is expected to cost at least $16 million. The nonprofit hopes to break ground within two years, she said.