Commission approves 14-unit workforce housing plan at 727 Honey Spot Road with conditions

The Town of Stratford Zoning Commission on Wednesday approved a special permit and coastal/site-plan matters for 727 Honey Spot Road, allowing conversion of a vacant commercial building into 14 deed-restricted workforce rental units and a lot split, subject to conditions addressing drainage, recording of deed restrictions, an affordability administrator and the choice of area median income for eligibility.

Applicant Steven Shapiro of Gold Coast Properties told the commission the project will produce 14 workforce units (mostly one-bedrooms), provide bike parking and an EV-charging station, and that all units would be deed-restricted at 80% area median income (AMI) with the compliance document recorded on the land records prior to issuance of building permits. "The entire building all 14 units will be deed restricted at 80% the town will get credit for every single unit in the development," Shapiro said.

Planning staff, the town engineer and public-health reviewers flagged a set of conditions the commission included in its approval. Planning and Zoning Administrator Susmita Atata summarized staff comments that required: a site drainage plan showing separated drainage for the two lots and MS4 compliance; filing a mylar of the revised drainage plan and new deeds and survey on the land records before building permits; and submission of a workforce-housing compliance plan identifying an administrator who meets town minimum qualifications. The Stratford Health Department and Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) raised concerns about introducing residential uses in a coastal flood-hazard area; the commission noted those comments and required coastal review considerations as part of approvals.

Atata and staff also recommended that the units be deed-restricted for 40 years and that eligibility be set at 80% of the state AMI (rather than the larger Bridgeport market-area AMI) to better target local workers. Atata told the commission that using state AMI would better match Stratford's median incomes and make the units more accessible to local workers such as teachers or firefighters.

Commissioners and the applicant discussed flood and evacuation planning; Shapiro said the building has been elevated and the project previously received coastal commission approval and that the ground floor is elevated. John Casey, town engineer, asked for drainage separation for future lots; Shapiro agreed to provide the drainage plan and comply with MS4 requirements before permits are issued.

Several neighbors opposed the conversion during public comment, citing traffic, existing maintenance issues and flooding history. Edward Hoff, a nearby resident, said: "This is a commercial building. It should stay a commercial building," and other neighbors expressed concerns about parking, noise and property upkeep. Shapiro and supporters countered that residential use would reduce daytime traffic compared with multiple doctors' offices and that the applicant had revised landscaping plans with the conservation superintendent.

The commission approved the special permit and associated administrative/site conditions on a unanimous 5-0 vote. Conditions require the applicant to finalize and record the workforce-housing compliance plan (including naming an affordability administrator who meets town qualifications), file revised drainage plans and record deeds/surveys on land records before building permits, deed-restrict all units at or below 80% state AMI for at least 40 years, and comply with DEEP/coastal requirements.

The approval is conditioned on the applicant meeting the listed staff requirements before building permits are issued.