The town won an application Tuesday to rebuild assets at the former Red Cross construction on Main Street, bringing the 1889 Structure closer to the road and integrating a multifamily residential design with 20 apartments.
The proposed redevelopment will come with nine one-bedroom sets and 11 two-bedroom sets, and as a housing project, six of the sets will be rented at reduced prices, depending on the volume of demand. The construction itself will come with a ground-level parking garage and 4 more floors, for a total h8 construction of 52 feet 8 inches, according to the application filed through Hartford-based hinckley Allen attorney Ryan Hoyler.
Hoyler represents the owner of 51 Main Street LLC, which acquired the old building and 0. 38-acre parcel in 2017 for $740,000, according to tax records. The company’s agent is listed in the Connecticut Secretary of State’s files as Arnold Karp, a developer.
According to the application, “[t]he existing construction is deteriorated prior to its acquisition through the applicant in 2017. “
The “Red Cross Building,” as it is known locally, since that organization owned and occupied it for 65 years, is the southernmost asset of the New Canaan Historic District. The applicant will register an application separately with the municipal framework that oversees the district, Hoyler said.
“The proposed redevelopment of this site will maintain as much as imaginable the existing construction and façade, adding the entire component facing the street and more than 70% of the existing construction,” the application read.
“While much of the exterior carpentry is in poor condition, with several spaces showing significant wood rot, most of the structure is healthy and can be moved and restored,” he said. structural shoring will be added to move the design safely. The plan is to update the external moldings, carpentry and windows that are irreparable due to the wooden slab to make them look like the original. Any known shortcomings in the existing design will be reinforced and new mechanics, plumbing and electrical systems will be added.
While paintings are needed, “preserving Red Cross construction is one of the goals of this remodeling,” Hoyler said in the application.
‘To this end, the applicant has explained a number of steps to achieve such conservation. This plan includes the design of a new base made of concrete blocks and masonry, in accordance with the Building Code, built further ahead of the assets and closer to the street. The relocation of the historic layout will allow the layout of residential complexes of the preserved building, while the preserved layout will remain mostly visible.
Urban planner Lynn Brooks Avni has shown that Planning
This comes at a time when New Canaan is subject to programs filed under Article 8-30g of the Connecticut General Statutes. Depending on the state’s definition, developers and other owners can appeal local P denials.
Another hinckley Allen attorney, Tim Hollister, earlier this year filed an application for a progression of 102 sets from 8 to 30g on Weed and Elm streets, a proposal that has attracted widespread opposition from neighbors.
Anticipating a similar call for Karp-owned Hill Street assets in their neighborhood, citizens of the Brushy Ridge Road domain are also voicing their opposition to an expected housing proposal. Recently, leaders among the neighbors, who formed an organization calling itself “New Canaan Residents Against Destructive Development,” sent an email to members saying they had controlled to “temporarily avoid Mr. Karp’s hill Street structure. “Specifically, the organization said, this led to the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers. The U. S. Department of Homeland Security requested the landlord to download a permit for construction activities on the vacant lot, and it also led the city to become aware of the violation and resign and desist there. order.
When asked about Hill Street, Karp said, “We will apply for all permits. “Noting that no application has been submitted for Hill Street, he added: “We have stopped the structure because there is nothing else to do there. “
According to 51 Main’s request, the Red Cross land is suitable for such multi-family residential redevelopment for several reasons, including: its proximity to the exercise station, department stores and parks; the community already has other apartments of this type; the proposed height is comparable to that of the town hall; and the proximity of the proposed design to Main Street is to other buildings such as the chimney station. The allocation is also in line with the Conservation and Development Plan, a guiding document for the city.
The application itself has 3 main parts: the plan, as well as a proposal to modify the text of the New Canaan zoning regulation and the consequent replacement of the area’s barriers.
According to a “traffic effect assessment” that is part of the application, “there will be no negative effect on background traffic situations due to progression, and any minor accumulation in traffic resulting from progression can be taken into account without having a negative effect on adjacent roadway operations.
“Finally, the assessment demonstrates that there will be sufficient visibility distance at the intersection of the site’s driveway next to Main Street,” the app said.
A total of 33 parking lots will be made for the citizens of the apartments, he said.
One-bedroom sets will range from 738 to 920 square feet, while two-bedroom sets will range from 989 to 1,652 square feet, adding those with a living room, he said.