Site eyed for affordable housing

CORNWALL — A piece of property toward the southern end of town has been identified as a potential “incentive housing zone� (IHZ).

The riverfront property at 116 Kent Road (Route 7) in Cornwall Bridge is the best site found within the towns served by a regional planning program, according to Jocelyn Ayers, a planner with the eight-town Northwestern Connecticut Regional Planning Cooperative.

Ayers made a presentation to the Planning and Zoning Commission (P & Z) and Board of Selectmen on Nov. 10.

Such zones, she said, are sometimes referred to as “legalized spot zoning.�

“They allow towns to properly zone for the purpose of affordable housing, and to dictate design aspects that keep housing within the character of the town,� Ayers said.

The 18-acre property, owned by John Bates, has four developable acres with good soils that would support dense development. In the incentive housing zone, 20 percent of housing would be deed-restricted as affordable. In this case, the site would support 16 units and up to 33 bedrooms, the latter determined by septic guidelines. It factors out to three affordable homes.

Ayers said the next step is for the cooperative to write a draft proposal of regulations for that property that will be sent to P&Z for review. A public informational meeting and public hearing would follow, probably in January or February.

“The goal is to write into the regulations as much flexibility as possible,� Ayers said. “We need to meet state regulations, but the regulations are unique to that particular zone.�

In Cornwall, that means relaxing the minimum 3-acre lot size.

“At first, we wondered how you fit four houses on an acre in Cornwall,� First Selectman Gordon Ridgway said. “Then we realized that our town centers already have that density.

The cooperative is also exploring a partnership with the Cornwall Housing Corporation on the project.