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October 28, 2022

Enfield land-use board denies Felician Sisters' zone-change request for affordable housing 

Contributed Felician campus sketch
By Susan Danseyar, Journal Inquirer

The Enfield Planning and Zoning Commission on Thursday denied an application for a zone change requested by the Felician Sisters and their partner, nonprofit Boston-based The Community Builders Inc., to build multi-generational affordable housing on their Enfield Street campus.

In a 5-2 vote, PZC members said the nun’s proposed project to add 250 rental apartments on the 26.8-acre property at 1297 Enfield St. failed to comply with the town’s zoning regulations. The two members who voted in favor of the zone change said the affordable rental housing project would provide substantial benefit to the community.

Commission members took several votes on the proposal. In a 4-3 vote they denied a motion to accept the application without a formal site plan to change zoning regulations from single-family residential to a special development district. And in subsequent 4-3 votes they denied a motion to accept the applicants’ calculations that the campus has had a vacancy rate of 80% for 24 months and a protest petition from residents asking the PZC to have a super majority vote to approve the application.

Representatives for the nuns and Community Builders have appeared before the PZC for over a year and several times revised the proposed project for what would have been 330 apartments in response to concerns of residents. Among the issues residents raised was increased traffic in the surrounding neighborhood, higher taxes to support the public schools should families with children rent units, and the effect it would have on views of the historic district.

After hearing opposition, the nuns and their partner withdrew their application in September 2021 and reappeared before the PZC in early June 2022 with a revised application.

A public hearing remained open until mid-September.

During hearing on the second application, Carl Landolina, lawyer for the applicants, said all criteria for the zone change request had been met. He wasn’t sure how PZC members viewed the vacancy rate because, he said, it’s not clearly defined in the regulations.

Landolina said the applicants came before the PZC almost two years ago to discuss available options for the proposed project within the context of zoning regulations. The consensus of PZC members at the time was that applying for a special development district was the appropriate mechanism to make the project go forward, Landolina said.

On Thursday, PZC Chairman Lewis Fiore thanked the applicant and members of the public for their professionalism and passion over the proposal during public hearings.

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