Zoning Commission To Decide On Stonegate Tonight

The Zoning Commission meets tonight to decide if the owners of Stonegate Village, a 20-acre mobile home retirement community on Flintlock Road, will be allowed to designate a portion of the undeveloped property and erect 22 homes for people of all ages.

where Third Garden Park LP, of Stamford, proposed the change, which was a modified version (and compromise) of an where the undeveloped property in its entirety (52 +/- lots) was going to be open to residents of all ages. 

Third Garden Park also wants to designate seven of the 22 units for 'affordable housing.'

Current Stonegate Village residents oppose the inclusion of younger residents; and at the last public hearing, lawyers presented arguments for and against the application; patience waned and tempers flared among members on both sides of the issue.

The developers are citing ‘anemic sales’ as a reason to change the rules but residents oppose the integration for many reasons. Primarily, they want to keep their quiet and peaceful neighborhood and what they bought into, which was a community of peers.

Secondarily, residents believe their property values will diminish once the developers integrate the new units. The new units will not utilize the same aesthetic enhancements or be made of the same materials. The developer said the aesthetic criteria is extremely expensive to comply with.

Residents also say that taxes in Ledyard will increase with the additional units. They say the tax revenue gained from the housing units would not make up for the the expenditure of additional children that may reside in the new units, and who will attend school in Ledyard. The units will be priced to attract young families.

"Affordable housing" in this case requires that 30 percent of the houses in that development are designated to sell at specific price points below market value, as determined by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Those price points are available to people who earn up to 60 percent or as high as 80 percent of the median income of the surrounding area or state, whichever is less.

The median income in and around Ledyard is $83,200 and according to HUD's formula, a three-bedroom unit could sell for $158,938 if the household came in at the 80 percent level or $96,750 if the household were eligible for the 60 percent level.