A developer wants to build a 450-unit, nine-story apartment building and more than 300,000 square feet of retail space on Bridgeport Avenue opposite Long Hill Cross Road.
Officials say the 121-acre “Towne Center at Shelter Ridge” project is one of the largest development applications Shelton has seen in years.
And it has residents worried.
Potentially, it has a bit of everything, according to conceptual plans on file in the city’s planning and zoning department.
The project totals 5 million square feet and would divide the land into five sections, “a community within itself,” according to the plans.
The five sections include retail space, “upscale” rental apartments, a 200-unit assisted living facility, a mix of professional offices and commercial space, and a two-story medical building.
Project representatives said it would have the feel of Milford Marketplace mixed with the Split Rock Shopping Center, with some added inspiration from Clinton Crossings.
No leases have been signed, though spokesmen for the project dangled names such as Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s as desired tenants within the large complex.
But the 100 or so people who attended a discussion on the proposal Wednesday in the Shelton City Hall auditorium were not impressed.
They were worried because the project includes access from Buddington Road, a curvy and narrow cow path of a road densely populated with condos and single-family houses.
A “boulevard” would be constructed through the project, establishing a new connection to Bridgeport Avenue from Buddington.
But residents said a Big Y and associated shopping center is already under construction on one end of Buddington Road, at the former Crabtree dealership that fronted Bridgeport Avenue.
And the road is already used as a cut-through to Huntington Center. Adding to the traffic load isn’t something neighbors endorsed.
“Buddington Road is a very bad road. It’s treacherous. My husband almost got killed there a few years ago,” said Judi Ruggiero.
She said a proposal as large as the “Towne Center at Shelter Ridge” is inconceivable.
“It’s a beautiful plan, but traffic-wise, it’s a nightmare,” Ruggiero said.
This quick video shows what the project could look like:
The project’s architect and its traffic engineer said the majority of cars accessing the development would not use Buddington Road. Instead, the motorists will use the two access points on Bridgeport Avenue.
Neighbors didn’t buy it — as evidenced by loud groans.
The project’s representatives also said they’ll be mandated by the state Department of Transportation to “mitigate” any traffic impacts. That means the project will likely include additional turning lanes and other improvements for Bridgeport Avenue.
A theme emerged during the three-hour forum — while Shelton’s pro-growth stance birthed corporate citizenry, tons of shopping and, most importantly, a stable tax rate, the local roads can’t handle the additional cars and people who work and shop in Shelton.
Roads such as Buddington and nearby Nells Rock Road were literal cow paths in the city’s early years, resident John Babina pointed out.
The nine-story, 450-unit apartment building would be on the Mill Street side of the project. Mill Street is a designated scenic road, bucolic and beautiful, even though it intersects with the bustling Bridgeport Avenue commercial corridor.
Mill Street residents questioned the wisdom of putting tall buildings on Shelton ridge lines all along the corridor.
Diane K.R. Jowdy, a Mill Street resident for 56 years, said the apartment building is just too much.
“This building, which looks like Uzbekistan, is going to be about 200 feet from my house,” she said.
Shelton resident David Gidwani said he supported the project because of the tax revenue it will bring to Shelton. But he urged the developer to lose the nine-story high-end apartment building.
“We have plenty of condos going up on Bridgeport Avenue. We need to cut down the residential. If the commercial property comes in, and we make improvements to Buddington, (and) Bridgeport Avenue, I think our taxes are going to be lowered,” Gidwani said.
Wednesday’s three-hour forum has absolutely no influence on whether the project gets a green light from the Shelton Planning and Zoning Commission.
Instead, according to Dominick Thomas, the project’s attorney, Wednesday’s forum was designed to be a question and answer session between the public and the key players in the project. That sort of back and forth isn’t allowed during a formal public hearing.
The concerns from the public will be taken into consideration, and changes could be made to the conceptual plan to win over the public, Thomas indicated.
But the Shelton Planning and Zoning commissioners are the folks who have the ultimate say.
The official public hearing related to the project is scheduled for April 27 in Shelton City Hall, which means all the people who opposed the project have to come to city hall again to get their displeasure on the official, legal record.
In order to make the “Towne Center at Shelter Ridge” a reality, the applicants first need the Planning and Zoning Commission to grant a zone change. That’s the subject of the April 27 public hearing.
Right now the 121 acres is zoned for light industrial, with a small section zoned for residential. The applicants want the zoning changed to a “planned development district,” (PDD) a type of zoning that gives more flexibility to developers and city planners when proposing and reviewing development projects.
Thomas, the developer’s lawyer, said the city’s light industrial regulations actually give the property owner the right to develop a different project with more floor space and more parking. Examples of light industrial use include warehouses and manufacturing facilities.
Thomas said switching the zoning to “PDD” would give the city more control over what goes there.
But resident Eric Fine pointed out the city isn’t obligated to change zoning so investors can make more money.
He said the land’s zoning should be left as it is. If the land can be developed as industrial property, great. If it can’t, so be it.
Fine urged his fellow residents to return April 27 to tell the Planning and Zoning Commission how they feel.
“This is another development that is coming into Shelton that is going to be tailored to the developer to turn a profit, not necessarily to mitigate or to look what’s best for the city and what’s best for the residents,” Fine said.
The land is owned by Royal B. Wells, whose family has extensive holdings in Shelton. The developer is listed as “Shelter Ridge Associates, LLC,” managed by developer Sirjohn Papageorge.
There’s a contract on the table to sell the land, provided the project receives the necessary approvals.
