An illustration showing the apartments.
SEYMOUR — Despite heavy opposition from neighbors, last week the Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved a 34-unit apartment building for 336 Roosevelt Drive.
About 25 residents from the Roosevelt Drive area (state Route 34) showed up for a public hearing at Seymour Town Hall on Thursday, March 10. For more than 90 minutes they pleaded with the commission to reject the proposal by Oxford developer, 589 Investments, LLC. No residents spoke in favor.
Neighbors said the project would increase traffic in an already-heavily congested area; result in more car crashes (police said there have been at least three accident-related deaths over the last three years on Roosevelt Drive in Seymour); negatively impact the Housatonic River, and; increase the burden on town services, such as the school system.
The three-story, 42,200 square-foot apartment building slated for a vacant parcel of land at 336 Roosevelt Dr. is an allowed use with a special permit, which the commission granted with conditions.
Seymour Planning and Zoning Chairman Joseph Ziehl said he understands neighbors’ concerns, but the application complied with the town’s zoning regulations. It met with approvals from the fire marshal, local and state health departments and the state DOT (which weighed in because Roosevelt Drive is a state road).
The commission had no legal basis to deny the application, officials said.
The Seymour Inland Wetlands Commission previously approved the project, citing no impact. Town Planner Keith Rosenfeld, along with Town Engineer Brian Nesteriak, had no major concerns. They asked the commission to place conditions on the owner that requires a storm water maintenance plan, and to include an outdoor lighting plan that complies with regulations.
Project engineer Emily Jones, from Civil 1 Engineering, of Woodbury, and Susan Odell, project architect with Paul B. Bailey Architects, of New Haven, were on hand to represent the property owner/developer Mark Oczkowski, who was not at the hearing.
Jones tried to quell neighbors’ biggest concerns about the potential for increased traffic coming from the apartments, citing data from the state DOT that did not warrant a traffic light.
Jones said the apartments would produce less than a 1.5 percent increase in traffic, based on a traffic study of morning and evening rush hours.
“It’s really not a significant increase to existing traffic and does not warrant additional mitigation strategies (like a traffic light) from the state,” Jones said. “It’s not a major traffic generator.“
The building would be situated on 3.76 acres, with a footprint of 12,500-square feet per floor. The 34 market-rate units would have 18, one-bedroom apartments and 16, two-bedroom apartments. A typical one-bedroom apartment would be about 700 square-feet and a typical two-bedroom apartment would be about 1,000 square-feet. The building would also feature a community room and exercise room. Jones said there is no affordable housing component with this project.
Odell said the building’s exterior would feature vinyl-siding resembling wood clapboard, double hung windows and be fully handicapped accessible. She said her firm has designed similar apartment buildings in Clinton, Fairfield and Hamden, and the building proposed for Roosevelt Drive will fit in nicely with the area.
“The building was designed to take advantage of the river views,” Odell said.
Jones said the site would be served by public water and a private septic system, which met with approval from both the Naugatuck Valley Health Department and the state health department.
Neighbors said the project’s density did not match the surrounding area.
“I’m very familiar with the traffic in the area, and with 50 bedrooms we’re going to have a ton of new traffic and trash in the parking lot that will end up in the river,” said resident James Curtis. “I see this as a bit of a monstrosity. It’s big, it’s loud and I don’t see it blending into the neighborhood at all. This is too much for our rural, lakeside community.”
The neighborhood boasts a mix of both commercial businesses and many single-family houses near the scenic Housatonic River. Residents with deeded use to the river fear the new tenants will illegally try to gain access via their properties.
“I’ve lived near the lake for 30 years, and if you let them put these apartments in, you’re selling us short,” said resident Vincent Veccharelli. “That road is bad, I call it Death Valley road, and what if the apartments are filled with children, what about the impact to our schools? We can do better than this.”
“If we let this in, what’s next, what happens to our small town?” said resident Lori Miko. “You take your life into your hands every time you try to cross that road.”
First Selectwoman Annmarie Drugonis pointed out some positive impacts the project would have. She also pointed out the limitations the town government has regarding privately-owned land.
“These apartments would add approximately $50,000 to our commercial tax base without requiring additional investment in municipal services,” Drugonis said. “If additional students come in, our schools are adequate to handle them. I’m not for or against this. But there is a misconception that town governments can reject plans that may not be the public’s first choice. I want to reiterate that the approval or rejection of a proposal on a privately owned property is guided by a set of objective criteria outlined in our zoning regulations and state statutes.”
According to town records, 589 Investments, LLC purchased the property in Nov. 2015 for $400,000. There was no timeframe available for when construction would start.
