Open Letter: Zoning Commission Made Courageous Decision

To the Fairfield Patch:

We want to thank the Fairfield Town Planning and Zoning Commission for their decision at the special session on Dec. 8 concerning the proposed project at 131 Beach Road. The thought, effort and careful consideration by the commission of all of the evidence that went into modifying and reducing the proposed development was not only impressive, but courageous given the history of legal challenges to 8-30g developments in Connecticut.

Again, we as a neighborhood and a community welcome affordable housing but, as the commission recognized, the proposed building was simply too tall and massive for such a small parcel, and, according to the commission, would have had an adverse effect on the local historic district.

READ MORE: Fairfield Apartment Complex Approved — With Conditions

We also believe, as does the commission, that safety is an important factor for all developments in Fairfield and the requirement to improve “line of sight” for the tenants and the general public was very well articulated. Old Post Road Area Association reiterates our stance that surrendering six public parking spaces to improve the line of sight for the development should be denied by the Police Commission. These public parking spaces on Beach Road should not be relinquished as they are required for dozens of special events year round and are also used each day by the Montessori school.

A personal and sincere “thank you” to state Sen. Tony Hwang, who spoke at one of the many sessions of the public hearing. Sen. Hwang’s passion and concern for Fairfield was clearly evident during his testimony. Beyond making a very passionate plea to the commissioners, Sen. Hwang stayed in regular contact with the neighbors to see if there was anything else he could do. He is a hard working, true representative for our district.

To Commissioner Tom Noonan: Thank you for your comprehensive and detailed presentation on this subject. Clearly your words were well researched, citing case law and precedent. Mr. Noonan, thank you from the Old Post Road Area Association and the neighborhood! Excellent job! Thank you very much for maintaining the integrity of historic Fairfield and the safety of the neighborhood.

To Chairman Matthew Wagner: We understand the burden this posed to you and your commissioners, and we applaud the thoughtful and hard work that went into what was a very difficult decision. We believe you achieved a fair and equitable outcome for the developer, the Town of Fairfield and the historic district.

It was never our intention to prevent the development of a new building on this site. As a neighborhood organization, we simply felt it was too large and would have a negative impact on the abutting neighbor’s homes and the surrounding historic area. Again we welcome affordable housing in our neighborhood and look forward to engaging in a dialogue and assisting the developer to achieve that important goal for our community.

Walt Shaw

Treasurer, Old Post Road Area Association