Affordable apartments, offices get public hearing

A 10-unit apartment house with three affordable units is proposed at 2 Island Hill Avenue, on the corner of Danbury Road.

Development plans for a 10-unit apartment building and an office building on the corner of Danbury Road and Island Hill Avenue will be up for public commentTuesday.

The commercially zoned one-acre property proposed for development is the site where a proposed Stop & Shop gas station was turned down two years ago, after fierce public opposition led by residents of the Island Hill neighborhood.

The Planning and Zoning Commission will host public hearings on the plans next Tuesday, Oct. 14, starting at 7:30 in the town hall annex.

The one-acre property is the site of a former construction yard with a small garage at 65 Danbury Road and a vacant house at 2 Island Hill Avenue.

The plans were submitted to the town by attorney Robert Jewell on behalf of two development corporations whose principal owners are James and Don Sturges of the Ridgefield-based building company Sturges Brothers.

The plans are to divide the roughly one-acre property, creating separate lots for two projects:

Of the apartment buildings 10 units, at least three would need to be affordable under state guidelines to qualify the application for treatment under the states affordable housing law, 8-30g, which makes projects exempt from local zoning rules.

Under 8-30g, at least 30% of apartments in a project must meet the states affordability guidelines.

The shingle and stone apartment building designed by MacMillan Architects of Boulder Hill Road shows a footprint of just over 5,000 square feet, with 10 apartment units five on each of the two floors. The proposal envisions eight two-bedroom units and two one-bedroom units.

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Affordable apartments, offices get public hearing