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02/13/2018 03:58 PMA proposed age-restricted development on Sperry Lane has been a controversial topic before the Town’s Planning and Zoning Commission (PZC), with several residents concerned about traffic and quality of life in the neighborhood. The public hearing for a proposed zoning change has closed, but a decision has yet to be rendered.
The current proposal asks the PZC to change a portion of properties for the proposed development from R-5 to R-3 zoning, so all of the properties can then be changed to a Planned Elderly Facilities District (PEFD). According to town zoning regulations, a PEFD can only be done in R-1, R-2, or R-3 zones.
Nathan Peck, engineer at Milone and MacBroom and member of the development team, addressed lingering traffic concerns at the Feb. 7 PZC meeting. He noted that the line of sight at the proposed entrance and exit to development is roughly double what the state requires and cited very few accidents there. Peck provided the commission with a drawing detailing a tractor trailer safely passing by a car making a left-hand turn into the complex by using the breakdown lane.
Asked how the development could affect the character of the neighborhood, Attorney Bernard Pellegrino, who represents the applicant, The Bluffs, LLC (Mark DiLungo of East Haven is the principal owner), said the fact that it’s an age-restricted development means it’ll be quieter and generate traffic at a much lower rate.
He said the vegetative buffer will screen the property, and with that, people driving by at night wouldn’t be able to see any difference between the site now and the future development.
Pellegrino also answered questions about the age restrictions, saying that at least one person renting the unit must be over 55 years. He said if the development was sold in the future, the future owner would have to come back before the PZC to change the age restriction.
At previous meeting many residents spoke in opposition of the development, however at this latest meeting, some locals spoke in favor of the application. Frank Cappelloni said the development would provide much-needed tax dollars to East Haven and, because the proposal is a private development, the town wouldn’t be responsible for services like snow plowing or road repairs.
“The 55 and older generation are waiting for something to be built for the elderly in East Haven,” Cappelloni said.
Other residents spoke to the need for additional senior housing in town. One resident stated that it’d be better to have age-restricted units on the site than another unrestricted development, as it would be a greater expense to the town to have more children in the school system.
PZC member Charles Lang said that upon reviewing the proposal, he believes there isn’t anything that hasn’t been addressed. He said if this application doesn’t go through, he was unsure as to what the next proposal may be.
One resident did speak in opposition at the February meeting, citing concerns about additional traffic, potential blasting, and the town and neighbors being made responsible for repairing damages if something went wrong on the site.
When asked by commission members, Town Attorney Joseph Zullo recommended the PZC table the discussion because the commission’s usual legal consultant Al Zullo wasn’t at the meeting, and neither was Town Engineer Kevin White.
PZC Chairman Bill DeMayo said he wasn’t comfortable voting without police and fire reports, which Al Zullo provides, and he also wanted the commission to get input from White.
Ultimately, the PZC voted to table a decision on the zoning change, with its next meeting scheduled for Wednesday, March 7.