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Danbury Zoning Board of Appeals approves variances for 1st Congregational Church senior-housing project
Summary
The Zoning Board of Appeals voted unanimously to grant variances allowing a seven-story, 30-unit age-restricted apartment building attached to the 1st Congregational Church at Deerhill and West streets; concerns about flooding, traffic and neighborhood impacts will be reviewed in later site-plan and engineering stages.
The Danbury Zoning Board of Appeals voted unanimously to approve variances necessary for a 30-unit, age-restricted apartment building adjacent to the 1st Congregational Church at Deerhill and West streets.
Acting Chairman Juan Rivas opened the public hearing on application 24-11 (161–162 Deerhill Ave.). Attorney Tom Beecher, representing the church and developer, said the proposal merges two parcels on a 1.4-acre site to build a seven-story apartment building designed to preserve the historic church building while providing deed-restricted housing for residents 55 and older. Beecher urged the board to approve the variances “to support this kind of responsible growth that we desperately need in Danbury.”
Why it matters: The board’s approval clears the way for the developer to pursue the next regulatory steps — including planning-and-zoning site-plan review and city engineering stormwater review — and could allow the church to secure a revenue stream to maintain the historic building and expand community programming.
What the board approved: The variances, granted per the plan submitted, include increasing maximum building coverage from 30 percent to 36.13 percent; allowing usable open space within front yards and eliminating an exclusive-use requirement; reducing a front-yard setback on Deerhill Avenue from 20 feet to 12.28 feet (to permit a portico); permitting front-yard parking on West Street; eliminating full screening and certain front-yard landscaping requirements; allowing grading within 5 feet of property lines; and eliminating required landscape islands adjacent to sidewalks and parking rows. Project engineers said the proposal includes roughly 65 parking spaces (about 15 below-grade, 50 surface, three accessible) and proposes decks, terraces and rooftop open space to meet the zoning open-space calculation of 15,000 square feet for 30 units.
Presentation and public comment: Tom Beecher and project engineer Dines Verbickas described engineering and site constraints, and developer Robert (Bob) Botello outlined unit sizes, shared-access design with the church and proposed amenities including meeting rooms and rooftop features. Reverend Dr. Pat Chris of the 1st Congregational Church emphasized the building’s community role and said the partnership would help preserve the church’s services and heritage.
Neighbors and stakeholders raised concerns during public comment. Larry Moore Morne, executive director of the adjacent Harambee Center for Youth and Community Services, said the center was not directly consulted and worried about losing access to parking and the driveway used for youth programs and emergency responses. Residents raised flooding and stormwater concerns tied to a nearby brook and urged limits on building height and scale. Ernesto Rodriguez, a neighbor, said heavy rains have recently overwhelmed local drainage and warned construction and added impervious surface “could impact that brook.” Beecher and the developer responded that stormwater management and traffic impacts will be addressed and vetted during later planning-and-zoning and city engineering reviews.
Vote and next steps: After questioning and rebuttals, a board member moved to approve the variances as read; the board voted unanimously to grant the relief. The approvals are limited to the plan submitted and the application will need to clear additional reviews — including site-plan review, city engineering sign‑offs on stormwater management, and any fire or ambulance access conditions — before building permits can be issued.
Clarifying details: Project proponents described the building as seven stories (engineer: the RH3 zone permits buildings up to 75 feet), sited on roughly 1.4 acres, with a proposed mix of about 15 underground and 50 surface parking spaces and 30 one-bedroom units. The applicant said units are intended to be age‑restricted to 55 and older and that pricing and any formal affordable-unit commitments are not yet finalized and will depend on later design and financing steps.
The board’s action tonight was limited to zoning relief; the project still requires planning-and-zoning site-plan approval and engineering reviews that could add conditions addressing stormwater, emergency access and other technical matters.
