Substantial housing development proposed in Kent

KENT — A pre-application presentation for a new high-density housing development in downtown Kent was well-received by the Planning and Zoning Commission at its July 10 meeting, which considered it to be potentially a major step forward in diversifying the town’s housing options.

The plans as they currently stand call for 76 total units spread over three 12-unit walkup buildings and 10 four-unit stacked flats.

The property is owned by Kent Development Housing Associates. James Millstein, head of the group, offered an overview of the proposal to P&Z, explaining that the development is intended to address a multitude of shortages in the town’s housing stock. “The town is desperately in need of more housing. Affordable housing, workforce housing and housing for people who want to downsize and stay in town,” he said.

The Commission responded positively to the proposal. Chair Wes Wyrick said that this type of density development was what P&Z had in mind when establishing the downtown housing incentive overlay zone. “With this I feel we have something we can work with.”

Commissioner Shelby Green said, “it’s something sorely needed in Kent,” and described the project as “well-conceived.”

P&Z member Sarah Chase commended the proposal’s “alliance with the aesthetic of the town.”

The pre-application meeting was intended to garner preliminary feedback from P&Z and gauge its willingness to amend the housing incentive overlay zone.

The current zoning allows for single and dual-family buildings to be built within its boundaries. Millstein said that in order to maintain the green and rural village aesthetic of the neighborhood, the project would have to mitigate its construction footprint by including up to 12 units per building.

Of the 76 proposed units, 20% are planned to be designated affordable housing available exclusively for those earning less than 80% of the Area Median Income. Another 20% of the units will be held as rentals, while the rest will be homeownership opportunities.

Millstein estimated the development could house approximately 120-150 residents.

Commissioner Darryl Cherniske said that he felt 76 units strikes a fair balance between accommodating for density housing and maintaining open space.

Jeremy Lake of Union Studio Architects and Design, the Providence-based firm handling the configuration of the proposed development, presented the specs to P&Z. He described a “walkable mixed-income neighborhood that integrates naturally into the broader village fabric of Kent.” He noted the elongation of Kent Green Boulevard so it connects to Maple Street Extension will further a sense of a unified downtown.

Lake said he’s particularly excited about designing “the spaces between the buildings – that’s where the community design aspect comes into play.”

First Selectman Marty Lindenmayer, who was also present at the meeting, lauded the preliminary designs and said the project has the capacity to “achieve something really spectacular for our town and for the region.”

Lindenmayer stated his desire to see the unoccupied building currently on the property converted to a recreational center for both residents of the new neighborhood and the broader town. This has been a point of mild contention with Millstein and the development team who say the facility would take away some of the greens space they’ve fought to preserve.

Still, Lindenmayer pushed that a recreation center, with a gym, year-round pool and other amenities, fulfills a parallel task to housing development in fortifying the town’s public offerings to support its current and future residents. “They need somewhere to live but they also need somewhere to recreate” and stay healthy, he argued.

Lindenmayer was highly supportive of the plan as a whole though, describing it as a prudent use of a unique development opportunity in Kent that “most of the towns in this area will not be able to replicate,” lacking 12 acres of developable and open land adjacent to downtown.

Having received the Commission’s input, the team behind the development will develop a petition for a further alteration to the housing incentive zone, and eventually return before P&Z with a complete application.