Contributed Photo
A rendering of what the building was to look like at four stories.
DERBY — The company behind “Trolley Pointe,” a previously-approved residential development at the former Lifetouch property on Main Street, submitted revised plans for a larger project this week.
Members of the city’s planning & zoning commission formally accepted the plans at a meeting Tuesday and said a public hearing would happen next month — presumably Dec. 21, the date of the next regularly scheduled P&Z meeting (an exact date and time was not set during Tuesday’s meeting, so check the city calendar).
In January, the Derby P&Z approved an application for 70 market-rate apartments within a four-story building at 90 Main St. near the Route 8 south entrance ramp.
The new plans call for 105 units within a six-story building. In addition, the new plans request a zone change from “CDD” (center development design district) to “PDD” (planned development district).
In general, a “planned development district” gives an applicant and a commission room flexibility with existing zoning rules. A 2006 state legislative report described PDDs as “alternatives to traditional zoning that give municipalities and developers greater flexibility by emphasizing general goals instead of strict regulatory requirements.”
There wasn’t much discussion of the Trolley Pointe application at Tuesday’s meeting — the formal review and discussion will start at December’s meeting.
However, during the public comment portion of the meeting, Derby Town/City Clerk Marc Garofalo asked members of the P&Z commission to pay close attention to parking at Trolley Pointe.
“It’s a significant change from what was approved,” Garofalo said. “They just met the parking requirements, now you’re adding a whole bunch more. I would just caution the board, and urge the board strongly to make sure there is enough parking on any project that you approve.”
According to the developer’s “Planned Development District Site Plan” dated Oct. 22, 2021 and posted to the City of Derby’s website, the following modifications to the zoning rules are required:
The project as presented provides 94 spaces instead of the required 117.
Derby’s density cap for the property is 70 units per acre. The project as proposed is 81 units per acre.
A PDD usually requires a minimum of 5 acres — this is on 1.29 acres.
Parking is usually required to be provided on site — this project includes some off-site parking.
The developer is Derby Apartment Investments, LLC, based in Shelton. The company’s principals are listed as Joseph and Louis Salemme.
Messages seeking comment were left Wednesday with Benjamin Proto, the developer’s lawyer.
The 70-unit approval in January was welcomed by Mayor Rich Dziekan’s administration, who want investment in Derby’s long stagnant redevelopment zone.
“The Trolley Pointe approval is another step in the right direction toward developing our downtown,” Andrew Baklik, the mayor’s chief of staff, told The Valley Indy in January.
