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Politics & Government

Baron's South Committee to Hold Informational Session Monday

Session to educate residents about town's plan to bring senior housing facility to Baron's South

The Baron’s South Committee, which was appointed by the Board of Selectmen to explore options for senior housing and possibly a nursing facility on the 23-acre Baron’s South Property, located off Imperial Avenue, will be holding an informational session, “Aging in Connecticut: The Picture Ahead,” from 7 to 8:30 p.m., Monday, July 11, at the Westport Center for Senior Activities, 21 Imperial Avenue.

Julie Robison, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Connecticut’s Center for Aging, will discuss a wide range of issues facing today’s seniors, including affordable housing and “aging in place.”

Light refreshments and coffee will be served. In addition Westport residents will be able to ask questions about the Board of Selectmen’s plan to bring a 66-unit senior housing facility and 84-bed nursing home to Baron’s South, which is where the senior center is located.

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Last month the Representative Town Meeting to uphold set of changes to the town zoning regulations, known as Text Amendment 625, which paves the way for the future development of a senior housing complex and nursing facility on the town-owned Baron’s South property, pending a bidding process and local approvals.

The amendment was approved by the Planning & Zoning Commission in May, but Bart Shuldman, Broadview Road, along with more than 50 other residents signed a petition calling for a repeal of the changes based on the feeling that the town was getting too far ahead of itself in terms of approving the project, which still lacks a definitive plan. The group also argued that the Board of Selectmen, which is the applicant, and the Baron’s South Committee haven’t done a good enough job of assessing the need for the project and answering questions about the affordability component before proceeding to modify the zoning regulations.

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Prior to the RTM vote, the RTM's Planning & Zoning Committee to uphold Text Amendment 625, with several members saying that by approving the language, the RTM was in no way committing itself to the project.

The selectmen’s preliminary plan calls for a 66 apartment (one and two beds) senior housing facility on the 23-acre property, with 60 percent of the units designated as “affordable” under the state Affordable Housing Act, as well as an 84-bed nursing home, which would be built in a separate phase after construction of the apartments is completed.

As part of the proposal the selectmen have expressed their desire to give priority to town residents seeking to move into the development. These “preferences” are allowable under state and federal law, town attorneys have said, providing that the town does not discriminate under the terms of the Federal Fair Housing Act.

The town has said it will either lease or sell the property to the developer/operator, which could be either a non-profit or for-profit entity — that is, providing one comes in with a plan that is favorable to the town. The Baron’s South Committee is currently in the process of drafting a request for proposal (RFP) so that the town can solicit bids from developers/operators.

The town bought Baron’s South, a hilly parcel with a lot of trees, in 1999 for $7 million. It has a current appraised value of approximately $23 million. A previous proposal to allow the Westport YMCA to move to the property was shot down by the town committee several years ago.

During the RTM P&Z Committee’s meeting in early June, First Selectmen Gordon Joseloff said the proposed project will not cost taxpayers any additional money and in fact will be “cash positive” to the town.

“This is not a project that will raise taxes,” Joseloff said during the RTM meeting in June. “What we’re trying to do is get a return on Baron’s South, which you and I paid for in 1999. What we’re trying to do is aid a segment of our population that is most needy, the seniors.”

Although most town officials are supporting the proposal, as evidenced by the RTM’s vote, numerous town residents have spoken out against it — even without a definitive plan — with many saying it’s the wrong time for the town, based on its financial circumstances, to be endeavoring itself in large-scale municipal projects.

“Believe it or not, a lot of people don’t want senior housing on this land,” said Dave Loffredo, 18 Indian Hill Road, during the RTM P&Z Committee’s public hearing in June.

Loffredo said during discussions with other residents on the train platform in the morning, “I’ve heard many of them say they don’t care if [the project] is cash positive, they don’t want to see this level of density, we don’t want to see these buildings – we would rather see the trees, or we would rather see the YMCA there…”

Elaine Johnson of Mayflower Parkway said she was disappointed that Baron’s South was the only property identified as being suitable for senior housing.

“Originally we talked about other places, but now we’re pointing only to Baron’s South,” Johnson said during the RTM P&Z committee hearing. “This is our signature property. It is in the biggest crossroads everyone passes through – and I do not feel that it should be senior housing. We are a vibrant town – and as our signature property, I feel Baron’s South belongs to the whole town.”

Johnson and others also said they were concerned about the ramifications of the town getting into the healthcare business by building a nursing facility.

“It is a very laudable thing – senior housing – and to age in place,” she said. “But we are also going into a business that I don’t think we should be going into – the healthcare business is something that we cannot control.”

Helen Martin Block of 67 Partrick Road said in her opinion the Board of Selectmen’s plan for the property doesn’t represent a “full vision… for the majority.”

“I believe that Baron’s South could be used for multiple uses, that would serve the fuller needs of the community – kind of like Long Shore or Compo – something that can be used by everyone in town,” Block said. “There is a lack of comprehensive vision here – we need a total vision for this piece of property.”

“There are many people in town who feel that this project is not really what everyone wants – that it is a committee of people who are pushing a particular agenda,” Block said. “We need a matrix of what the problems are  -- before the RFP, not after. I think we’re putting the cart before the horse, and I think we’re better than this.”

Numerous residents have spoken in support of the project as well. During the full RTM meeting, Sumner Glimcher, 87, said he wants to see more affordable housing options for seniors in Westport.

"Up until a few years ago, I worked and had income, and lived in a lovely home," he said. "I'm now living on a very modest pension. If I can't get some kind of less-expensive housing, I'll have to leave the community."

Glimcher said Baron’s South is an ideal location for a senior housing complex because it would share property with the senior center and is close to town. He also pointed out that the property will be less costly to develop than other locations since it already has utilities installed.

Richard Sallick of Long Lots Road, who sits on the Westport Commission on Human Services, said there is a “definite need for senior housing in Westport.” He said the human services department routinely fields questions from Westport seniors about affordable housing options, with most expressing a desire to find some way to remain in town.

The Rev. Edward C. Horne, senior pastor at the United Methodist Church of Westport and Weston and also a member of the Baron’s South Committee, said most if not all of the clergy in Westport is in support of the project, “because we know from our congregations just how great the need for senior housing is in Westport.”

He said many seniors have complained about the quality of life, and quality of care, at surrounding facilities and are hoping Westport can build a facility that provides a better level of service

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