FAIRFIELD, CT — Neighbors are concerned about the potential impact of a more than 100-unit apartment building planned for Black Rock Turnpike.
“It’s a monstrosity,” said Bill Hodgkinson, an abutting homeowner of the proposed site of the complex at 4480 Black Rock Turnpike, who is worried about the effect the project could have on wildlife, wetlands and traffic in the area. “It sounds like an all-around disaster for this community.”
The building’s planned location is a 4.72-acre parcel that is steep, largely populated by mature forest and situated in the Cricker Brook watershed. If developer 4480 Black Rock LLC were to move forward with the project, it would be a roughly 36,000-square-foot, U-shaped structure with two levels of parking. The complex is set to comply with state law Section 8-30g, meaning at least 30 percent of the apartments would be affordable.
The proposal is scheduled for a public hearing Wednesday before the Inland Wetlands Agency.
“That land was zoned as AAA single-family residential,” said neighbor Patrick McSween, who added residents are considering commissioning a traffic study on the project and noted the development could impact erosion, stream pollution, and school district enrollment. “It’s insane.”
Town conservation staff are recommending the application be withdrawn or denied without prejudice, or that the hearing be continued to allow the developer to submit revised plans or data. Staff have apprehensions about the proposal’s detention and drainage design, resource protection, and erosion and sediment control.
“What we have so far is very conceptual as far as the building,” Conservation Director Tim Bishop said, noting the town does not yet know the planned height of the structure. “There’s a lot of questions that will need to be answered during the agency’s review process, starting with the public hearing.”
The development would disturb about a half-acre of the site’s upland review area, but would not disrupt the wetlands, according to the application, which said the project would add an additional 1.55 acres of impervious surface to the site.
“He wants to basically level the mountain and maximize the square footage,” McSween said.
A wetland consultant for the developer found the proposal would not have significant impacts on regulated resources. Attorney Chris Russo, who is representing 4480 Black Rock LLC, noted the project is still in the early stages of obtaining the necessary approvals.
“We’re prepared to respond to them and to get them the answers they want,” he said of the Inland Wetlands Agency. “I’m sure the conversation will be ongoing.”
The public hearing will take place 7 p.m. at the Board of Education meeting room, 501 Kings Highway East, and on Webex.
