Update: The Valley Independent Sentinel asked First Selectman Mary Ann Drayton-Rogers Wednesday to comment on the Planning and Zoning Commission’s decision.
She sent the following e‑mail:
“This is a Zoning matter.
The Central Park application was not good for the Town in the eyes of the public who spoke out at the P&Z meetings, and the commission listened. If they acted according to regulations then the decision will hold; if they have not, the possibility exists that the town will find itself facing more expensive litigation.
The P&Z Commission must act now to finalize regulations that can be enforced when future affordable housing applications come before them. They have been given the opportunity and all the tools to do just that and I will continue to insist that they bring those regulations to fruition.”
Original story follows:
After a few hours Tuesday of reviewing everything from the height of retaining walls to whether nearby power lines could cause leukemia, the town’s Planning and Zoning Commission approved a housing complex that will include affordable units.
The commissioners attached 52 stipulations to its approval, including that the condos be restricted to people 55 years of age and older.
That is precisely what developer Matt Zaloumis, of Central Park LLC, did not want.
He already had approvals for 82 age-restricted townhouses to be built on about 58 acres in the area of Larkay Road and Christian Street.
This application was asking for modifications to that old approval — namely, that he be allowed to build 164 units, with a certain percentage classified as “affordable” under state law — and that the age restriction be abandoned.
That riled Oxford residents, who testified at public hearings that the development would harm the town’s semi-rural nature. They worried about typical development concerns, such as traffic and impact on school taxes.
The Planning and Zoning Commission, however, were in a tight spot.
Oxford doesn’t have much in the way of affordable housing — and state law allows affordable housing applications to trump local zoning, unless the locals can explain why the housing would present a threat to health and safety in a given location.
Commission member Al Goldstone said the commission’s approval was a compromise — Zaloumis got more units, while Oxford got its age restriction.
Commission chairman Pat Cocchiarello wasn’t so sure. He worried about making the over 55 restriction a condition of approval.
“If we leave this in, we’re effectively telling him no,” Cocchiarello said.
After the commission decided to trim away 24 units near a power line, Cocchiarello said the commission’s reasoning may be on “shaky” ground.
Matthew Ranelli, Zaloumis’ attorney, said the commission’s decision was disappointing. He wouldn’t comment as to his client’s next move, which could be a lawsuit appealing Oxford’s decision.
“We are disappointed that the commissioners chose to deny much-needed affordable housing . . . and frankly disregarded the advice of the town attorney and several members of the commission, including the chairman,” Ranelli said.
Last February Zaloumis told the Valley Independent Sentinel he wanted to add more units and make them affordable due to the economy.
“A lot of people aren’t able to make ends meet,” he said at the time. “This will give them an opportunity to have a home and be able to afford it.”
The Valley Indy reported in May that the affordable units — about 50 in all — would sell for between $131,000 and $190,000. The rest of the townhouses would be priced at about $280,000.
Ed Carver, of “Keep Oxford Green,” was at the meeting. He said the Planning and Zoning Commission made the right decision by making the development 55 and over.
“I think the members of Keep Oxford Green will be pleased,” he said.
The commission approved the application with its stipulations by a 6-0 vote. Cocchiarello abstained, saying Robert Rules of Order allows him to.
