Politics & Government
New 35 Leroy Proposal: Move School Board, Senior Center; Build Pool, Fields
First Selectman Dave Campbell has a new, three-phase vision for the property at 35 Leroy Avenue.
First Selectman Dave Campbell has a new vision for the property at 35 Leroy Avenue, and it has little to do with affordable housing. If all goes according to plan, 35 Leroy will house the Board of Education; the Board of Education building will become a senior center with a pool; and the town will do away with the current Senior Activities Center building altogether, converting the site to playing fields.
"The overall concept is fiscally responsible for the town and takes care of the Senior Center," said Campbell.
The concept is still in infancy, said Campbell; but with an approval from the Board of Finance, Campbell will be able to move forward with an anticipated $10,000 study of his new plan, which sets an entirely different future for 35 Leroy than its prospective and highly-debated fate as an affordable housing development.
The three-phase plan that Campbell says been given a very preliminary okay by Chairman of the Planning & Zoning Commission Fred Conze looks like this:
- Move the Board of Education to the former library building at 35 Leroy Avenue
- Move the Senior Activities Center to the Board of Education building at 2 Renshaw Road; build a privately funded community pool
- Tear down the former Senior Activities Center building at Edgerton Street, and keep the land as playing fields
The old plan is tied to a longstanding controversy known as "35 Leroy," which dates back to 2007, when the Representative Town Meeting approved the purchase of the $4.2 million former library property, and the Board of Selectmen decided to use the land for affordable housing.
The then Board of Selectmen said the "best use" for the site was affordable housing: the only physically, legally and financially permitable option, they said. On Aug. 3 of this year, much to the chagrin of 35 Leroy opponents, the board approved the Option to Lease at 35 Leroy, a roughly two-year agreement that allows the prospective developer Mutual Housing Association (MHA) to approve land use and secure financing; both are necessary but not sufficient steps to drafting a Ground Lease.
For the former Board of Selectmen and many other proponents, the appeal of 35 Leroy is the opportunity it provides for Darien to reach a moratorium under State mandate 8-30g. The law intends to encourage affordable housing in towns where less than 10 percent of the housing stock is priced for those earning 60 to 80 percent of the state's median income, allowing developers to put up projects that are denser than normally permissible. Towns that increase their affordable housing stock by two percent are granted a four-year moratorium.
But 35 Leroy is not the only means to attain that temporary relief, said Campbell. New inclusionary zoning regulations allow for a mix of market-rate and affordable housing, requiring every new multifamily development to designate a number of units below-market-rate. Such is the case for the proposed 35-unit Garden Homes application, which will bring Darien a moratorium with its likely approval in the New Year. Moreover, Campbell said he continues to fight the mandate in Hartford.
Affordable housing then a separate battle, the new, three-phase plan revolves around the Senior Activities Center. Campbell said it was during his election-season visits that he first learned of the "dump."
"The Senior Center has been out of sight, out of mind since it was started 20 years ago, and it shows. It's a dump," said Campbell. "It came to me that we have to do something."
The "something" Campbell came up with first requires the Board of Education to move over to 35 Leroy Avenue. That won't be a challenge, said Campbell, as the former library building will remain in tact.
"There's nothing wrong with it. It's great," said Campbell, who added that Board of Education members with whom he has spoken are also supportive.
The proposed site for a senior center at 2 Renshaw Road has far fewer stairs than the current Senior Activities Center, plus ample parking, said Campbell.
And Senior Services Director Beth Paris supports the idea, he said:
"She thinks it's great, and she'll help them. You know seniors, they don't like change."
Once the seniors have moved and settled, the Senior Activities Center building will be demolished and maintained as playing fields. And there won't be lights, said Campbell.
The cost of renovating the Board of Education building to accommodate the seniors remains an unknown, as do other costs; question marks also loom over the logistics of zoning regulations.
"That's why we need to do the study," said Campbell.
The last time the town entertained the idea of a senior center revamp, the anticipated cost was an odd $7 million figure. Campbell said he doubts the project will cost nearly that much.
As for the indoor pool, Campbell said he hopes to secure private funding.
"I know a lot of people who would be interested," he said.
In accord with Town Charter, Campbell cannot meet with his fellow Selectmen informally, which has made open, group discussions about the new plan difficult, if not impossible. Campbell said he has spoken about the plan with number of Town Officials individually, including fellow Selectmen Callie Sullivan and David Bayne, both vocal proponents of the "old plan" at 35 Leroy.
"I think they're surprised, and a little overwhelmed by it all," said Campbell. "It will be interesting to see what happens."
The Board of Selectmen will address 35 Leroy per agenda, next Monday, Dec. 14.
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