Stefanonis File Two New Affordable Housing Apps

Developers Chris and Margaret Stefanoni have filed two new applications over the past month for senior affordable housing developments in Darien, ensuring that both projects will be eligible for special state dispensations if they meet the strictures of statute 8-30g.

The developments would be located on properties recently acquired by the Stefanonis—one at 57 Hoyt Street, the other at the intersection of Pheasant Run and Tokeneke Road. 30 percent of the units in each would be set aside as affordable.

If the projects are 8-30g-compliant—as they are designed to be—they will qualify for a state appeals process aimed at encouraging affordable housing construction in towns with few such units. The statute allows eligible developments to be built at a higher density than local ordinances would normally permit, among other exemptions.

Darien officially applied for a four-year moratorium from 8-30g on July 27, but even if one is granted, both of the Stefanonis' applications were filed before the end of a 90-day amnesty period afforded by the law.

The developers have also challenged Darien's eligibility for a moratorium in numerous filings with the town and state, including one submitted late last month.

Not leaving anything to chance, however, Margaret Stefanoni indicated as early as May that the pair would seek to file project proposals before a possible 8-30g moratorium went into effect, according to emails obtained from the Department of Economic and Community Development in August.

Applications submitted to the Planning and Zoning Department show that Hoyt Street Senior Residences would be a 3-story, 16-unit development built on a half-acre parcel. The building's two-bedroom suites would range in size from 934 square feet to 1,073 square feet, accompanied by 24 surface-level parking spaces.

Tokeneke Senior Residences, meanwhile, would be a 3-story, 30-unit development built on a 1-acre parcel. The building's suites—also two-bedroom—would range from 985 square feet to 1,390 square feet, accompanied by 13 surface-level parking spaces and 34 spaces in a ground-level garage under the building.

The developments, designed by Michael Stein of Stein Troost LLC, are both accessed by state roads. Approvals from the state Department of Transportation, as well as drainage studies, are enclosed with both applications.

The town is already in litigation with the Stefanonis over the Leroy-West Senior Residences, a 16-condo, age-restricted development proposed for the intersection of Leroy Avenue and West Avenue. In August, Town Counsel Wayne Fox indicated that the parties might be nearing a settlement.

"Darien currently has a dire need for affordable housing for senior citizens, with only 30 units which are all at Old Town Hall Houses," Chris Stefanoni told Patch Sunday in a statement. "But with the Tokeneke Senior Residences, the Hoyt Street Senior Residences, as well as the Leroy-West Senior Residences, the number of senior affordable housing units in Darien will increase by 63 percent."

"I am proud of all three of these developments that make available affordable housing for senior citizens in Darien, and most importantly, residents of Darien can also be proud that their community is becoming a more inclusive place to live," he added.

Concern over the couple submitting additional applications led First Selectman Dave Campbell to urge secrecy during the early stages of the moratorium application process, according to an email obtained by the Darien News.

"Confidentiality is critical," Campbell wrote in the Feb. 24 message to the Board of Selectmen. "If we keep this news from Stefanoni, he will not be able to develop his properties at Pheasant Run or Hoyt [Street]. If he finds out that we have made an application for a moratorium, he can rush an application to beat the deadline. Only the selectmen, Andrea [Aldrich], Jeremy [Ginsberg] and Karl [Kilduff] know of the application. It is imperative we keep this to ourselves."