[Added 9-1-2020]
A.
The purpose of the Assisted Housing District ("AHD") is to facilitate
the development of multifamily apartment homes at 329 Smith Farm Road
and adjacent parcels, with regulations and standards that are generally
consistent with the regulations governing the Planned Residential
Development District, with modifications to allow development that
will qualify as "assisted housing" as defined in Connecticut General
Statutes § 8-30g(a)(3).
Parcels of land eligible for AHD development approval must comply
with the following standards:
A.
Zoning district: Prior to being zoned for the AHD, the parcel shall
be zoned Residence District.
C.
Street location: An AHD site must have a minimum of 50 feet of frontage
on a public street.
D.
Sanitary sewers and public water: In an AHD development, units must
be connected to public sanitary sewers and the public drinking water
system.
A.
An AHD development that qualifies as "assisted housing" as defined
in Connecticut General Statutes § 8-30g(a)(3).
B.
Multi-unit residential dwellings as permitted and limited by this
article.
C.
Accessory uses that are customary with and incidental to any aforesaid
permitted use, subject to the accessory use being located on the same
lot with the permitted use to which it is accessory.
To allow for the orderly provision of municipal services, the maximum number of residential units to be approved on any one site shall be limited by floor area ratio standards stated in § 383-226.
A.
The minimum floor area for units shall be 650 square feet for a one-bedroom
unit, 800 square feet for a two-bedroom unit, and 1,200 square feet
for a three-bedroom unit.
B.
Residential buildings shall be separated by at least 25 feet from
any other residential building.
C.
Utilities shall be buried underground unless this requirement is
impractical due to site conditions.
D.
For this article, building height shall be determined for compliance
as the distance between the lowest existing elevation of a finished
floor elevation to the top of the roof peak.
E.
The longest side of a residential building shall not exceed 160 feet.
A.
Off-street parking shall be provided in the amount of 1.25 spaces
per unit.
B.
The Plan and Zoning Commission may reduce the required parking if
it is determined that lesser parking will adequately serve the proposed
use.
C.
Any open parking areas, excluding garage driveway pads, must be set
back a minimum of 10 feet from all sides of dwellings.
D.
Parking which serves more than one unit may not have as its only
egress backing out onto a public street.
E.
Adequate, unobstructed space shall be provided for snow clearance
of parking spaces.
F.
Driveways shall not constitute parking spaces in determining conformance
with parking standards.
A.
All AHD areas that directly abut a residential use shall contain
a buffer strip at least 25 feet wide, which buffer strip may include
existing vegetation, grass, turf and/or plantings that substantially
screen the perimeter buildings and parking areas within the AHD development
from neighboring residential areas.
B.
A landscape plan must be submitted with each AHD site plan application.
C.
Utility terminal boxes and connections placed aboveground shall be
adequately landscaped to screen them from view.
D.
Existing mature vegetation on the site shall be retained in areas
not disturbed by construction. In areas disturbed by construction,
or in areas where existing vegetation is sparse, new plant material
(trees, shrubs) shall be provided as follows:
Each AHD shall constitute "assisted housing" as defined in General
Statutes § 8-30g(a)(3). In addition:
A.
An "affordable unit" is a dwelling which is offered at a contract
rent, excluding utilities, that is, after adjustment for family size,
at or below 80% of the lesser of the median income of the New Haven/Meriden
MSA or the median income of the State of Connecticut, as determined
by HUD.
B.
A minimum of 75% of the dwelling units in an AHD development shall
be reserved for individuals and families meeting the maximum household
income requirements of the applicable government program that qualifies
the AHD development as assisted housing.
C.
In determining whether an applicant for an affordable unit meets
the qualifying criteria, the factors and methods of calculations stated
in federal regulations in determining household income shall be used.
A.
The following signs are authorized on an approved AHD site. All such signs shall conform to the requirements of § 383-186:
B.
Application procedure: All applications for a certificate of zoning compliance shall be made to the Zoning Enforcement Officer and shall conform to the requirements of § 383-184.
C.
Site plan: An application for a certificate of zoning compliance
for any sign may be incorporated in an application for AHD site plan
approval for consideration and approval by the Planning and Zoning
Commission.
A.
All applications for an AHD development shall be subject to site
plan review.
B.
The Plan and Zoning Commission shall charge an application fee equal
to the standard fee in the Town of Orange for site plan reviews.
C.
Site plans must be developed by either a professional engineer, architect,
registered landscape architect, registered land surveyor or a professional
planner, or any combination of such professionals, each to limit himself/herself
to his/her particular area of expertise.
A.
A site plan application shall be submitted to the Plan and Zoning
Commission. The site plan application shall include:
(1)
A map showing topography often-foot intervals and depicting
all wetland areas, watercourses and slopes above 25%.
(2)
A listing of all property owners, by tax parcel number, within
500 feet of the development's boundaries.
(3)
Information on land areas adjacent to the proposed development
to indicate the relationship between the existing and proposed utilization
of surrounding properties, including land uses, zoning, densities,
height of structures, circulation systems, public facilities, and
unique natural features.
(4)
A summary table indicating compliance with the qualifying, planning,
and design standards. The table shall show proposed phasing, if any,
the number and type of buildings and units, the number of parking
spaces required and provided, square feet and percent of lot area
covered by pavement and buildings, lot area, frontage and landscape
requirements and amount of open space required and provided.
(5)
The existing and proposed vehicular circulation system including
parking and loading areas and points of access to residential and
nonresidential uses.
(6)
The existing and proposed pedestrian circulation system including
its interrelationships with the vehicular circulation system, open
space system, and other areas of common use.
(7)
A written report by a qualified professional evaluating the
impact of the amount of traffic projected within and for the proposed
development and the adequacy of the surrounding streets and traffic
controls to accommodate existing traffic, projected traffic from the
proposed development, and projected traffic from other approved developments
in the area.
(8)
A general landscape plan including the proposed treatment of
the interior and the treatment of the perimeter of the AHD development
including materials and techniques to be used such as living screens,
berms and fences.
(9)
Examples of proposed product types for the proposed buildings
including building layouts and elevations of all buildings (front,
back and both sides) showing proposed textures, materials and colors.
Identical buildings will not require multiple elevations.
(10)
Proposed development schedule with projected completion date(s).
(11)
Proposed number of units by bedroom count, i.e., the number
of one-bedroom units, the number of two-bedroom units, etc.
(12)
Preliminary grading and drainage information of the same nature
and to the same extent required for a subdivision.
(13)
A "Housing Affordability Plan" prepared in accordance with Connecticut
General Statutes § 8-30g et seq., of the Regulations of
Connecticut State Agencies, including:
(a)
The name and address of the proposed Administrator of the affordable
units;
(b)
An affirmative fair housing marketing plan governing the sale
or rental of the units;
(c)
The building schedule and location of the affordable units;
(d)
A sample calculation of rental rates and sale prices for the
affordable units;
(e)
Proposed enforceability;
(f)
Provision that the proposed Administrator shall file an annual
report to the Commission, in a form specified by the Commission, certifying
compliance with the provisions of this section; and
(g)
Provision that the affordable units will be comparable to market
rate/non-restricted units with regard to design, materials, finishes,
and quality.
B.
Public hearing: After receipt of a completed AHD site plan application
and required application fees, the Plan and Zoning Commission shall
hold a public hearing and take action to approve, approve with modification,
or disapprove the application.
