UPDATE (August 17th, 8:30 am): The public hearing for the proposed 16 units (5 affordable) at 7 and 9 North Salem Road continues on TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6th in the first floor meeting room of Ridgefield Town Hall Annex, 66 Prospect Street. (By using the 8-30g legislation, developers are able to bypass the majority of zoning laws put in place to protect Ridgefield residents and build multi apartment complexes in residential areas that can be out of character with the town.) Citizens' concerns include: drainage, traffic, noise and light pollution. The hearing begins at 7.30pm. THIS APPLICATION WILL NOT GO TO A PUBLIC VOTE. The decision will be made by Ridgefield Planning and Zoning.
There is another hot-button issue that has residents talking ~ North Salem Court, a 16-unit (5 affordable) apartment building with 32 proposed parking spots on just under an acre on North Salem Road!
Why does this have residents talking?
By assigning 30% of a multiple unit building as affordable housing, developers are able to bypass most of Ridgefield's zoning regulations ~ most which have been put in place to protect Ridgefield's land use, wet lands, residents, and town character. Some residents feel that all the building on lower North Salem Road and upper Main Street (the new, multi-unit building behind Paris Salon and three other in-town sites identified for multiple affordable housing units) will create drainage, traffic and safety issues, and possibly deter from the character and charm of the antique buildings lining our beautiful Main Street. Residents are not against affordable housing in Ridgefield, but a developer's ability to bypass certain zoning regulations by designating a certain portion of a building as affordable, and possibly impacting an entire community.