Affordable Housing Proposal Calls For 83 Apartments In Wallingford

WALLINGFORD, CT — A proposal to build 83 apartments, most of them designated as affordable housing, on Leigus Road will return to the Wallingford Planning and Zoning Commission in October after commissioners heard details about traffic, stormwater management, supportive housing and preservation of more than half the property.

The commission voted unanimously Sept. 14 to continue a public hearing on Metro Realty Management Corp.'s site plan application for 110 Leigus Road, known as Lot C, until its Oct. 14 meeting. No vote was taken on the application because the project still requires approval from the Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission, which was scheduled to continue its review Oct. 7.

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Metro Realty is proposing 83 apartments in seven two-story buildings on a 21.9-acre parcel. The development would include 138 parking spaces, and no building would contain more than 12 apartments.

The application was filed under Connecticut's affordable housing law, Section 8-30g, as an assisted housing development.

Kyle Richards, executive vice president of Metro Realty, told the commission that 80 percent of the apartments would be affordable and 20 percent would be rented at market rates, according to minutes from the meeting. The affordable units would remain subject to affordability restrictions for 50 years.

Richards noted that 18 apartments would be reserved for people with intellectual disabilities, with supportive services provided by MidState ARC.

Lanise Miller, director of supportive housing at MidState ARC, said the organization uses assistive technology and on-site support staff and can design apartments around residents' needs, according to meeting minutes. The supportive units would be distributed throughout the development rather than concentrated in one area, she said. An on-site office would be staffed around the clock.

Richards said the affordable and market-rate apartments would be indistinguishable from one another and would be mixed throughout the development.

The property is currently vacant and would be accessed from Miles Drive. Richards said Metro Realty intends to concentrate construction on the northern portion of the property, an area previously cleared for farming, while preserving wetlands and forested areas.

More than 54% of the property could be placed under a conservation restriction and potentially conveyed to the town, according to the applicant. Richards said Metro Realty discussed the concept with the Fairlawn Farms homeowners group and "they are interested in preserving the undisturbed forested land in permanent conservation as a gift to the Town," according to meeting minutes. "They are agreeable to doing so as a condition of approval." Details would require review by the town attorney and Town Council.

Civil engineer Thomas Daly of SLR Consulting said the conservation area would include all of the wooded portion of the property. The developer also plans to plant 148 trees, create a vegetative buffer along Interstate 91 and add restoration plantings along the wetland buffer, according to meeting minutes.

Several commissioners questioned the applicant about stormwater runoff and its potential effect on wetlands and a tributary of the Muddy River.

Commission Secretary David Leonardo asked how additional impervious surfaces would affect runoff.

Daly said the development was modeled so water would continue flowing in its existing direction. Stormwater would pass through catch basins, an oil and grit separator and a sand filter before reaching a detention basin. The system is designed to release water at a rate no greater than under existing conditions, he said.

Daly said the design also incorporates newer rainfall data accounting for more intense storms and has been reviewed by the town's Water and Sewer Department.

Leonardo also questioned how the stormwater system would be maintained over the long term.

Daly said the systems should be inspected twice annually, while the basin would be mowed once a year. Richards said Metro Realty has its own maintenance staff and would conduct inspections following storms.

Vice Chair Jeffrey Kohan cited maintenance problems at retention basins on other properties and suggested requiring the owner to notify the town when inspections are completed. He also suggested installing bat houses because of an endangered bat species in the area. Kohan also asked them to use native plants and bushes that will attract wildlife and birds, according to the minutes.

Traffic engineer Mark Vertucci of Fuss & O'Neill said the development is projected to generate 34 new vehicle trips during the morning peak hour and 43 during the evening peak.

Vertucci said the intersection of Route 68, Miles Drive and Northrop Road is projected to experience about a 2 percent increase in traffic without a change in its level of service. He said his professional opinion was that the development would have no significant effect on traffic safety or efficiency in the area.

Commission alternate Casey Camire asked how the intersections were selected for the traffic study. Vertucci said that they looked at the existing traffic volumes and determined that 80 percent of the traffic comes from I-91, while the 20 percent traveling west would be around four to five vehicles.

Camire also asked whether Wallingford would contribute money toward the affordable housing development.

Richards said it would not. He said the development would use the federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program, administered in Connecticut through the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority.

Richards said Metro Realty expects the development to reach full occupancy in 2029.

Commissioners also questioned whether Wallingford residents could receive preference for the affordable apartments.

Richards said fair housing requirements prevent Metro Realty from giving preferential treatment based solely on residency. He said the developer could work with the Wallingford Housing Authority and potentially give preference to people already on its waiting list, according to the minutes.

Attorney Timothy Hollister, representing the applicant, said such cooperation could be made a condition of approval.

Several commissioners spoke favorably about aspects of the proposal during the hearing.

Commissioner James Seichter said he supports affordable housing and described the proposal as superior to other affordable housing projects the commission has reviewed. He cited the 50-year affordability period, supportive housing units and proposed conservation area.

Kohan said he considered the development appropriate for the property and described it as a relatively low traffic generator. Commissioner Joseph Sanders said the development has affordable housing "at the core" and praised the inclusion of housing for people with disabilities.

Camire said he was "excited to see this move forward," according to the minutes.

Public comments included both support and concerns about the development.

Scott Amore, who volunteers with Wallingford Works for Housing, said he supported the proposal and cited Metro Realty's plan to retain ownership and preserve undeveloped land.

Juda Lopez also supported the development, saying she has heard from employed younger residents who struggle to find housing they can afford.

Brent Bodilair, who said he lives in supportive housing at a Metro Realty development in Cheshire, described how the arrangement had benefited him and said he hoped Wallingford would approve the proposal. His mother, Donna Bodilair, also urged commissioners to consider what supportive housing could provide to the community.

Other residents raised environmental, parking, and property-management concerns.

Albert Renda, who said he lives across from the property, questioned maintenance of the proposed oil and grit separator and expressed concern about chemicals potentially affecting wells on Grieb Road. He also questioned whether the development would have sufficient parking and asked whether stormwater inspection reports would be publicly available.

Ken Lloyd, president of the Wallingford Community Farmers Group, said he supports affordable housing but raised concerns about disruption to wildlife habitat. He also said he understands the need for housing, but there are many unoccupied buildings in town. He believes in the concept, but said this "will destroy and disrupt natural habitats," according to the minutes.

Bonnie Daigle cited online tenant complaints she said she found concerning Metro Realty properties, including complaints about repairs, upkeep and unresponsive management. She also questioned the scope of the traffic study and whether the development would impose costs on Wallingford.

Hollister noted that Metro Realty is a "first-class company," according to the minutes.

Richards responded that Metro Realty has thousands of interactions every year with residents across more than 2,000 apartments. He said there will be "unhappy people," but added Metro Realty has a 30-year track record and that they take criticisms seriously.

Planning and Zoning Commission Chair James Fitzsimmons noted that "this is a land use board and we are more concerned with the land use than the user," according to the minutes.

Town Planner Kevin Pagini noted that Metro Realty agreed to a public hearing even though one is not commonly held for Section 8-30g applications.

The commission ultimately voted 5-0 to continue the hearing to Oct. 14, with Kohan, Leonardo, J.P. Venoit, Seichter and Fitzsimmons voting in favor.