Cos Cob Affordable Housing Proposal Not Viable: Greenwich Communities

GREENWICH, CT — Greenwich Communities, formerly known as the Greenwich Housing Authority, has announced that its proposed affordable housing project near the Cos Cob Train Station is "not viable" at this time.

The original proposal called for the development of the surface parking lot at 0 Strickland Road near the Cos Cob Train Station into 48 affordable two-bedroom, two-bathroom units.

Greenwich Time reported that a sewer line discovered in the parking lot at the station would be too costly to move.

"Greenwich Communities has now completed its full assessment of the Strickland Road commuter parking lot for an affordable public housing development. We have determined that the project is not viable for us at this time. While we do believe that this project would have been highly beneficial to our town overall, we just have to manage our capabilities and resources in a realistic manner to allow us to continue to fulfill our role as the town’s designated provider of affordable housing in a responsible way," Greenwich Communities said in a news release.

"We thank the Board of Selectmen for their support overall and look forward to continuing to work with them and our Planning and Zoning Commission members and their staff in identifying and pursuing suitable locations for us to continue to add affordable family housing units to meet the needs of our citizens."

Officials, including First Selectman Fred Camillo, have said the project would help Greenwich increase its affordable housing stock, an important step in getting in line with 8-30g, the controversial state statute put on the books in 1989 that sets a goal that 10 percent of each municipality’s housing stock must qualify as affordable housing.

If the 10 percent target is not met, developers may propose projects that are not subject to local zoning regulations.

Greenwich has increased its share of affordable housing in recent years, notably through the renovation of existing units that weren't previously counted as affordable, but the town has yet to meet the 10 percent mark.

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