Townhome Development Approved In Fairfield

FAIRFIELD, CT — Plans for a 10-unit affordable townhome development in Fairfield can move forward after the zoning commission unanimously approved the project Tuesday.

The proposal for 888-898 Oldfield Road represented a rare Fairfield affordable housing plan that was the result of compromise, as attorneys representing developer 888 Oldfield LLC and a group of 16 neighboring homeowners attested at a public hearing earlier in September.

The zoning compliance and coastal site plan application was made under state law Section 8-30g, which dictates the only way the commission could deny the proposal is to prove it poses a threat to public health, welfare and safety that outweighs Fairfield's need for affordable housing. Section 8-30g applies to towns where less than 10 percent of housing stock meets state criteria to be recognized as affordable.

“This commission has seen an awful lot of contentious or controversial 8-30g applications,” commissioner Lenny Braman said, adding he believed the Oldfield Road development would “be a benefit to the community as a whole.”

The 0.71-acre site is currently occupied by two single-family homes, but, under the developer's proposal, the houses would be replaced by four 40-foot buildings with a total of 10 two-bedroom townhome-style rental units. Each new residence would come with a one-car garage underneath, and the complex would have another 11 surface parking spaces. Three of the units would be set aside for affordable housing.

“The scale that they ultimately adopted — and also style — is very much consistent with the neighborhood,” commission Chair Matthew Wagner said. “It was very nice to see that there was collaborative effort.”

The complex was originally planned to be 17 units, but the developer reduced the number to 13 after concerns were raised about the amount of fill proposed for the site, according to Planning Director Jim Wendt. The developer later lowered the number of units even further, to 10, after meeting with neighbors, and agreed to put in an evergreen buffer parallel to Oldfield Road and move the mailbox kiosk to a more central location.

“I was very pleased and impressed with the applicant’s willingness to reduce the units,” commissioner Thomas Noonan said, calling the project, “a great example of how 8-30g can really be used.”