In one affluent CT town, uncommonly little public resistance to affordable housing plan

Despite hitting widespread public opposition to its affordable housing plans in several wealthy Connecticut towns, Vessel Technologies has gotten mostly support for its proposed 64-unit apartment building in Avon.

Only one resident spoke against the plan at a hearing Tuesday night, and letters and email about the project ran 6-1 in favor of it, zoning officials said.

The town is expected to decide next month whether New York-based Vessel may build 64 small, high-tech apartments off Avonwood Road near Route 44.

The company has invoked Connecticut’s 8-30g law, which sharply limits the authority of local zoning commissions over affordable housing proposals.

Vessel has encountered a range of responses to similar 8-30g plans elsewhere: Cheshire approved one relatively quickly, while Granby recently rejected another. Vessel took Simsbury, Glastonbury and Rocky Hill to court after they tried to keep it out; the company negotiated a compromise with Rocky Hill, reached a settlement with Simsbury and is still pursuing its Glastonbury suit.

In most of those communities, groups of homeowners were outspoken in urging the town to stop Vessel from building. Mostly they cited concerns about too much density and traffic, but objections included water runoff from the parking lots, architecture that wouldn’t conform with the surrounding neighborhoods and excessive building height.

In some towns, hearings on Vessel plans have been adjourned to larger venues to accommodate overflow crowds. But in Avon, Vessel has gotten more pushback from the planning and zoning commission than from the public.

Only two residents spoke at Tuesday night’s hearing, with one man emphasizing that 8-30g doesn’t prohibit the commission from voting “no.” Instead, it gives developers an advantage afterward if they appeal a rejection — and that only comes into play if they’re willing to take the town to court, he said.

Avonwood Road homeowner Nancy Maccoll told commissioners that parking and traffic are serious issues with the Vessel plan. Since Avonwood is a cul de sac, Maccoll said it can’t accommodate overflow cars from Vessel ending up parked along the roadside.

“I’ve lived here for over 20 years. Avonwood Road is a very small, tiny road, there’s one lane going in and one gong out. I find it totally unacceptable that you would even consider people parking on the street,” she said.

There’s heavy traffic already when the Reggio Magnet School is in session, and putting even more cars through the Avonwood and Waterville Road traffic light will cause backups, she said.

But even though Avonwood has nearly 200 apartments, no other people spoke Tuesday night.

Two commissioners raised reservations about parking and fire safety, noting that 8-30g lists public health and safety as the two factors that could justify rejecting affordable housing plans.

After company President Josh Levy agreed to add three spaces to the 70 already planned, one commissioner pressed for more and warned that overflow visitors would end up parking along the street and potentially blocking firetrucks and other motorists. Levy said his consultants would work with town staff to see if reconfiguring the landscaping would allow a couple additional spaces.

Commissioner Robin Baran, though, cautioned that the zoning rules that cover Vessel’s plan require only 67 spaces.

“One thing I’ve learned in eight years here is that you have to vote to the regulation. That is legally how we have to vote,” she said. “I share everyone’s concerns up here and favor working together to maximize the parking, but this has been deemed a suitable property (under Avon’s long-term development plan) for affordable housing and apartment buildings.”

Vessel plans a four-story building with 61 one-bedroom, 560-square-foot apartments and three two-bedroom, 560-square-foot units. Levy would set aside 30% as “affordable” under state regulations, so rents would be restricted for 40 years to be affordable to people earning no more than 60% or 80% of the area’s median income.

Levy said that would work out to monthly rates of $1,240 at 60% and $1,450 at 80%, but noted those figures change every year based on state data. The other 70% of units would probably be leased in the $1,600 to $1,700, but that estimate isn’t firm, Levy said.

The commission discussed the public safety language in 8-30g, but Chairman Lisa Levin noted that the law brings that into play only when those concerns “clearly outweigh” the need for affordable housing and cannot be addressed by reasonable changes to the plan.

“This applicant has been making every effort to accommodate and make the reasonable changes with the overflow parking,” she said. “I don’t know that we can ask more.”

When one commissioner suggested more than 30% of the apartments should be limited to affordable rents, Levy said that would leave no way to control expense increases in the future. He said Vessel would be willing to talk with town officials if Avon wanted to provide long-term tax caps.

The commission closed the hearing Tuesday, and may vote when it takes up the matter again July 16.