🔒After original Westport mixed-use development was rejected, developer eyes affordable housing plan

A developer is coming back with a new plan for a multifamily development on the Saugatuck River in Westport after the town rejected his initial proposal. This time, Roan Development Ventures plans to propose a 7.5-story affordable housing complex with as many as 500 apartment units. The firm is also dropping plans to build hotel rooms and add commercial space. Roan, led by founding principal Rodrigo Real, originally planned to build a mixed-use, residential-retail development on a 3.38-acre parcel on Riverside Avenue, Franklin Street and Railroad Place. “The Hamlet” would have included 10 buildings featuring a mix of hotel rooms (57), residential units (57) and commercial space. However, the project was rejected by Westport’s Planning and Zoning Commission on July 28. Roan has appealed the denial and prepared a new plan that will be submitted as an affordable housing application under the state’s 8-30g statute, which requires 30% of housing units to be designated as affordable. The 8-30g statute, more importantly, also gives developers the ability to sidestep local zoning approvals. The new proposal will be submitted to the town by the end of August, Real said. The plan will look to build 400 to 500 multifamily units across three buildings, he said. “After almost four years of working with the town and submitting a fully compliant application, the P&Z's denial has left us with no choice if we want to get this vital project completed,” Real said. “Therefore, we have to opt for a builder's remedy in the form of state entitlements under 8-30g. It's disappointing, but we look forward to helping the town and the state to build much-needed housing stock.” He said the Westport site is one of the best-suited in Connecticut and the New York metro region for multifamily housing. “It's the last remaining site that's undeveloped, privately owned and on the Metro-North train line,” he said. “We think it's a special place to live, whether based on our original plan, which was more mixed use in nature. Now, we'll just be more focused on residences, and we're excited to bring those residences to the forefront and to be enjoyed by new families.” Roan filed an appeal in state Superior Court in Bridgeport on Thursday, Real said. The 11-page appeal cited 20 reasons why the denial exceeded the commission’s statutory authority and was “unreasonable, arbitrary and illegal.” They included disregarding expert testimony, using outdated renderings and wrongly claiming the height-compliant buildings were too large. The commission in a 15-page document listed several reasons for its denial of the project. It said, among other things, the large buildings failed to “reflect the style and vernacular inspired by the traditional New England coastal village aesthetic.” Real said the commission based its denial mostly on opinions that focused on “architectural likes and dislikes” and whether the project was “New England enough” for Westport. Some commission members also took exception to the height of the building, he said. “That's kind of where everything broke down,” he said.