Update: This item was tabled.
The Planning & Zoning Commission tonight (Monday) at 6:30 is scheduled to hear an application by the ABS Capital Company for a zone change to a residential high-density zone to permit construction of 179 units of housing. Proponents of the private sector housing development on behalf of Sacred Heart University argue a contained location on Park Avenue will alleviate public safety issues that plague the North End while opponents insist additional units will just make matters worse.
Sacred Heart’s center campus is located in Fairfield with an extended presence of administrative buildings, classrooms and dorms in Bridgeport including numerous housing units rented by students. Zoners will meet in City Council chambers, 45 Lyon Terrace.
From the zoning commission agenda:
Petition of ABS Capital Company, LLC – Seeking a zone change from a residential multi-family zone (RC) to a residential high-density zone (R-CC) to permit the construction of a 4-story 179-unit apartment building on all that certain piece or parcel of land, with the improvements thereon, situated in the City of Bridgeport, County of Fairfield, and State of Connecticut depicted on a map entitled, “Improvement Location Survey, of Property Located at 4100-4150 Park Avenue, Bridgeport, Connecticut, Prepared for ABS Capital Company, LLC, dated July 27, 2018, scale 1″=30′ by Rose-Tiso& Co., LLC”, said parcel being more particularly bounded and described as follows: Commencing at a point on the easterly street line of Park Avenue, said point being the southwesterly corner of land now or formerly of Jewish Home for the Elderly of Fairfield County, Inc., said point also being the northwesterly corner of the parcel herein described; Thence in a northeasterly direction, bounded northwesterly by land now or formerly of Jewish Home for the Elderly of Fairfield County, Inc., the following two courses: N 78° 38′ 11″ E,149.55 feet and N 77° 13′ 59″ E, a distance of 106.80 feet to a point; Thence in a southeasterly and northeasterly direction, bounded northeasterly and northwesterly by land now or formerly of “Monticello Manor” Condominium, the following two courses: S 22° 11′ 30″ E,117.00 feet, and N 67° 48′ 30″ E, 106.76 feet, to a point, Thence S 22° 11′ 30″E, bounded northeasterly by land now or formerly of “Monticello Manor” Condominium and by land now or formerly of “The Mews at Bridgeport” Condominium, each in part, a distance of 382.14 feet to a point; Thence in a westerly direction, bounded southerly by land now or formerly of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, the following three courses: S 79° 36′ 17″ W,100.49 feet, S 80° 26′ 33″ W,134.46 feet, and S 78° 58′ 09″ W, a distance of 132.18 feet to a point, Thence along the easterly street line of Park Avenue, the following two courses: N 20° 19′ 53″ W, 7.88 feet and N 22° 11′ 30″ a distance of 461.31 feet to the point of commencement. Said described parcel of land contains 158,505 square feet or 3.6388 acres.
Also on zoning commission agenda:
C-1 (18-42) 1327 Reservoir Ave. – Petition of Dimarys Cabrera – Seeking a special permit, site plan review and a zone change from a residential one-family zone (RA) to a residential multi-family zone (RC) to permit the construction of two (2) buildings containing 12 residential units beginning at a point on the west side of Reservoir Avenue marked with an iron pin, thence S 81°29’14” W a distance of 119.96′ along land now or Formerly Layne; thence S 05°19’03” E a distance of 150.00’along land now or formerly Layne and land now or formerly Logrono, each in part; thence S 81°29’17” W a distance of 105.59′ along land now or formerly Crumpton and land now or formerly Banks, each in part to an iron pin; thence N 09°20’15” W a distance of 62.59′; thence N 17°26’08” W a distance of 84.93′; thence N 06°47’12” W a distance of 92.35′ all along land now or formerly Second Stone Ridge Coop. Corp.; thence N 84°52’58” E a distance of 96.91′ along land now or formerly Full Gospel Pentacostal Church; thence N 84°52’58” E a distance of 152.88′ along land now or formerly Jones to a point on the west side of Reservoir Avenue; thence S 05°18’53” E a distance of 74.35′ along Reservoir Avenue to the point and place of beginning, having an area of 37464 square feet, or 0.860 acres more or less.
C-2 (18-43) 1308 & 1320 Madison Ave. – Petition of Quince Street, LLC & JI Real Estate Holding, Inc – Seeking a special permit, site plan review and a zone change from a residential two-family zone (RB) to a residential multi-family zone (R-C) to permit the construction of four (4) 2-story buildings containing 8-residential units on a single parcel of property beginning at a point 259.23′ east of Amsterdam Avenue, thence N 06°32’46” W a distance of 76.45′ along land now or formerly J.I. Real Estate Holdings, Inc.; thence N 15°21’14” W a distance of 26.68′ along land now or formerly J.I. Real Estate Holdings, Inc.; thence N 21°21’20” W a distance of 41.85′ along land now or formerly J.I. Real Estate Holdings, Inc.; N 12°40’27” W a distance of 27.69′ along land now or formerly J.I. Real Estate Holdings, Inc.; thence N 72°03’46” E a distance of 76.38′ along land now or formerly Mario Mazo; thence S36°43’20” E a distance of 161.49′ along land now or formerly Jose F. Rodrigues and Maria E. Rodrigues and land now or formerly Lesley Rosales and Cruz Ahuati Tello and land now or formerly Tevfik Ahiskalioglu, each in part; thence S 35°49’14” W a distance of 127.26′ along land now or formerly Juraci Ribeiro; thence N 54°17’49” W a distance of 71.00′ along Madison Avenue to the point and place of beginning, having an area of 21,948 square feet, or 0.504 acres more or less.
NEW BUSINESS
(18-46) 12 Harbor Ave. – Petition of Sharon Lauer & Jerome Joseph – Seeking a site plan review and a coastal site plan review to permit the construction of a single-family residential dwelling in an R-B zone and coastal area.(18-47) 725 Park Ave. – Petition of Bridgeport Rescue Mission, Inc. – Seeking a special permit and a site plan review to permit the conversion of the current nursing home use to a social service provider use in the existing residential facility in an R-C zone.
(18-48) 142 Thompson St. – Petition of Assembly of God New Israel-Bethlehem Ministry – Seeking a special permit and a site plan review to permit the conversion of the existing dental laboratory use into a house of worship use in an O-R zone.
(18-49) 11 & 27 Bywatyr (aka Bywater) Lane – Petition of Brennen Builders, LLC – Seeking a zone change from a 1 or 2-family residential zone (R-B) to a multi-family residential zone (R-C) beginning at the intersection of Brewster Street and Bywatyr Lane, thence N 78°39’16” W a distance of 84.24′ along Brewster Street; thence N 30°22’08” E a distance of 189.61′ along land now or formerly of City of Bridgeport Park Department; thence S 54°52’56” E a distance of 92.79′ along land now or formerly of William B. Miller and Debra L. Miller; thence S 35°07’04” W a distance of 155.00′ along Bywatyr Lane to the point and place of beginning, having an area of 14,741 square feet, or 0.338 acres more or less and also seeking a coastal site plan review to permit the construction of a 7-unit apartment building in the proposed R-C zone and coastal area.
Don’t do it city council. I used to live at Monticello Gardens and as it currently has like 70 units. Not too much auto traffic and all taxable to Bridgeport. Make it a dorm you are concentrating the noise in a residential neighborhood, adding a lot of cars, and taking it off the tax rolls. If SCU wants a dorm, why not build it on the GE property they own? That way it will be insolated within their sphere of influence and disturb less residential property owners. Funny how they keep encroaching on Bridgeport yet they contribute nothing to the city.
Correct DC. SHU steals from Bridgeport and lends its name to Fairfield. Let them expand in Fairfield — and not on Bridgeport parkland…
Spent about three hours in City Council chambers last evening. Planning and Zoning were holding a meeting to hear the above issues? Not really. Chairman Mel had to remind most of the folks who came to hear and be heard that really the SHU hearing was limited to comments on traffic. And those who wished to know about 7 Condos, or 5 condos, or whatever had been shared in the neighborhood previously about development near Bywater Lane and Ellsworth Field were limited to comments on Zone RB (current) and Zone RC (requested) that was what the PZ would be discussing. It seemed to my ears that the Chairman allowed more latitude to the “professionals” Willinger and Rizio, last night, to talk away from the mike as if intimately to the commission or while distributing many pieces of material for consideration, and the public present strained to hear the words. Watching the video archives later does not improve hearing at such sessions it seems.
And were Chairman Mel to find Zoning to be an elected office, his short temper, and comments to the public would clearly handicap his success at the polls. To be fair minded at hearings, the demeanor at the start of a meeting and at the end should be similar. As should the time allowed for questions, comments and general public understanding. Of course, life is easier when the public stays home, isn’t it? Time will tell.