Panel rejects AvalonBay complex

I was delighted to see that this project got voted down and rightfully so. As Councilman Joesph Kubic stated "it was a tragedy waiting to happen." How right he was! Also we need to thank the two women, Sue Suiler and Karen Rodia, who gave up not only a lot of time and money to work at defeating this complex, but who saw to it that this was an inferior development to begin with and Stratford doesn't need this kind of housing. I personally want to thank everyone who put forth a lot of effort in making this fail once and for all which includes, of course, the commissioners who also voted their conscious realizing this was dangerous for our town.

High Fives to all for supporting the opposition of this Avalon ghetto!
-Now, sell this abomination back to the town for open space, Mr Arnold Peck.

Karen & Sue & Sylvia; Stratford Women of the Year!

Sylvia Guberman wrote:

I was delighted to see that this project got voted down and rightfully so. As Councilman Joesph Kubic stated "it was a tragedy waiting to happen." How right he was! Also we need to thank the two women, Sue Suiler and Karen Rodia, who gave up not only a lot of time and money to work at defeating this complex, but who saw to it that this was an inferior development to begin with and Stratford doesn't need this kind of housing. I personally want to thank everyone who put forth a lot of effort in making this fail once and for all which includes, of course, the commissioners who also voted their conscious realizing this was dangerous for our town.

Avalon, give it up already. Stratford does not want your housing development in the North End of their "town." Key word: TOWN.

Take your large-scale, affordable housing development to the city of Bridgeport where it's needed, and no doubt will be welcomed. Key work: CITY.

The Town of Stratford will never accept and approve any large-scale, high-density "affordable" housing developments... and I can't say that I blame them.

More money to be wasted of my tax money. If this were proposed in the south end it would have been built. Cuz its the rich north end means we taxpayers will pay for the rich peeps paradise. build it.

"Despite a Supreme Court ruling last year that upheld a lower court's remand to the Zoning Commission to consider approving "reasonable accommodations" in AvalonBay's scaled-down 130-unit proposal, the panel voted unanimously Tuesday to reject the latest plan ..."

Would it have been approved if Avalon was scaled back further, say to 65? Or was this project unacceptable at any size?

Wonder if the individual commission members will be financially responsible when the courts rules against them and the town.

Bet the taxpayers will have to rescue them for their illegal decision.

No to Nimbys wrote:

More money to be wasted of my tax money. If this were proposed in the south end it would have been built. Cuz its the rich north end means we taxpayers will pay for the rich peeps paradise. build it.

It has nothing to do w/ the Rich Peeps pardise, maybe if you would take the time to go up cutsrping rd, you for yourself, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR A FIRE TRUCK OF THAT SIZE NEEDED TO GET UNDER THE OVER PASS AND SECOND THERE IS NO OTHER WAY IN OR OUT FOR CIRCLE DR. Its not the fact its in the north end , its the location ...
THANKS TO ALL THAT HAVE TAKEN TIME TO MAKE SURE ITS NOT BUILT!!!!!!!

Wondering wrote:

Wonder if the individual commission members will be financially responsible when the courts rules against them and the town.
Bet the taxpayers will have to rescue them for their illegal decision.

...and what exactly is the basis for your description of their decision as "illegal"?.....also in case you hadnt noticed, the town keeps winning the cases in court. Thats why it hasnt been built yet.

"The commission, surprisingly, also voted unanimously to deny the application based on "the probable destruction of wetland and watercourse resources," stating that there is a likelihood the project will "result in unreasonable pollution to the waters of the state of Connecticut."

Mr Weizel, "Suprisingly" to whom? It had been turned down by thewetland commission at least three times over the years as well.

Judge Woppner wrote:

High Fives to all for supporting the opposition of this Avalon ghetto!
-Now, sell this abomination back to the town for open space, Mr Arnold Peck.
Karen & Sue & Sylvia; Stratford Women of the Year!
<quoted text>

Judge Woppner,
I certainly don't deserve that kind of a compliment. I merely attended some of the hearings and wanted to support the many people like Sue Suiler and Karen Rodia who worked very hard on this issue. Thank you for your kindness since we don't get very many compliments in this life. You are so sweet. Sylvia

Joe DeCaro wrote:

"Despite a Supreme Court ruling last year that upheld a lower court's remand to the Zoning Commission to consider approving "reasonable accommodations" in AvalonBay's scaled-down 130-unit proposal, the panel voted unanimously Tuesday to reject the latest plan ..."
Would it have been approved if Avalon was scaled back further, say to 65? Or was this project unacceptable at any size?

If you have followed this at all over the last several years, you would know that one of the true problems is access,timely access--rear access, secondary access etc....So, I guess if they were going to conform to the current TOWN zoning (and wetland)standards that everyone else that side of the bridge had to follow for the same reasons you be looking at a number more like 15-a max of 20. You all know if this project were south of the bridge by 500 yards the access issue probably wouldn't even exist as they would have the Main St./Cutspring Rd. access, as well as Huntington Rd./Tavern Rock access as well as Chapel St. access. It would have more than one way to get emergency equipment there than just one way in through the bridge and one way out through the bridge, also all the other roads are standard size roads not the undersized road like Circle Drive.
Reasonable accomodations? Define reasonable. In my humble opinion the local zoning regs are reasonable, especially for this particular spot. It is just not lucrative(or should I say prudent) enough for Avalon.
This IS an issue of public safety.

there was a proposed development down in Lordship on an even larger scale that had much better emergency access but was turned down. I just don't think Stratford has the correct infrastructure to support these types of housing complexes, it is a TOWN after all NOT a CITY.