Selectmen Ratify Allen O'Neill Tax Abatement

The Board of Selectmen ratified, 3-0, an RTM-backed tax abatement for the Allen O'Neill Project on Monday, lending its final seal of approval to the measure.

The agreement between the town, AON, and the Darien Housing Authority grants the project seven property tax-free years — two for construction and five for regular operation — as it goes through a proposed redevelopment.

After the intial window, taxes would be slowly raised back to normal levels over the next seven years — or faster, if the development sees a higher turnover rate than anticipated.

The DHA's plans call for the existing 53 moderate income residences to be replaced by 106 units. Current residents would be temporarily relocated during construction and offered access to rebuilt units afterwards.

The project has failed twice to earn funding from the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority, but it has received a boost in recent months through the tax abatement and permission to seek access previously earmarked for the town.

After approval by the Board of Selectmen in Decemeber and review by the Board of Finance, the tax abatement was in January by the Representative Town Meeting, 65-6-1.

The measure would allow the project to maintain lower rents for residents and "ensure quality construction, development, maintenance and operation of the project," according to the text of the agreement. An estimate by the Town Assessor pegged the size of the abatement at about $106,000 a year.

Selectmen ratified the changes Monday after a brief discussion.

"I think all of the suggested changes to this agreement are appropriate and I believe that they've been fully vetted to this point," said selectman Jayme Stevenson (R).

"There's no major change," First Selectman Dave Campbell (R) said.

Selectmen Callie Sullivan and David Bayne, the board's two Democrats, were away on vacation Monday. Both voted for the original abatement.