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Planning commission approves coastal review for six-unit project at 130 Hansen Avenue despite neighbor parking and runoff concerns
Summary
The Planning & Zoning Commission approved coastal site-plan review for a six-unit building at 130 Hansen Avenue after OPED staff cleared coastal concerns; neighbors and a city council representative raised objections about density, parking and stormwater runoff.
The Bridgeport Planning & Zoning Commission approved a coastal site-plan review for a proposed six-unit residential building at 130 Hansen Avenue following staff review and public comment.
The applicant’s representatives, including the project architect, presented the proposal and confirmed the matter was limited to coastal impacts for the commission’s review. David Codingham, design review coordinator with the city’s Office of Planning and Economic Development (OPED), told the commission the project had gone through concept review on May 15, 2025 and that OPED staff found the applicant responsive to prior feedback. Codingham said OPED had no further coastal concerns.
The commission also entered a letter from John Goucher (OPED) into the record finding the submission consistent with the Connecticut Coastal Management Act (CGS 22a-90 through 22a-112) and offering no comments specific to the coastal review.
Several neighbors and Councilman Scott Burns, a representative from the 130th district, urged caution. Burns said the replacement of a narrow three-family structure with a six-unit building raised density concerns and offered petitions from nearby residents. "This is going to be a... a densely settled building," Burns said, noting worries about waste handling and a lack of parking on the narrow block. Resident Joyce Goodwin added that the parcel’s small size meant the new building would be considerably larger than the prior structure and amplified parking and garbage concerns.
The applicant responded that the site plan reserves space behind the building for dumpsters and includes a path for trash cans to be pushed to the curb on collection days; the applicant also emphasized the property’s walkable location and transit access. OPED staff reiterated that its coastal review found no inconsistency with coastal policies.
After discussion, the commission moved, seconded and voted to approve the coastal site-plan review for 130 Hansen Avenue, finding the submission met coastal criteria. The public portion of the coastal review was closed; the transcript does not record a detailed roll-call tally on the record.
