Bloomfield, CT – Can resident of Bloomfield trust that the Town Councilors and Administration will support projects that are in the best interests of their residents with respect to town-owned property on 15 Douglas Street?
A obtained a study entitled Bloomfield’s Market Rate Housing that suggested Bloomfield is (1) currently experiencing significant gentrification and (2) an affordable housing crisis. The study further asserts by 2025, the town will have added approximately 2000 more residence to the population.
However, residents right to decide what is in the best interests of their community and in the long-term future plans.
The Hartford Courant published an article in the June 13, 2022 edition entitled “Affordable housing plan meets objections” written by Deidre Montage. The story of this article focused on whether a proposal for a parcel of Town-owned land located at 15 Douglas Street consisting of senior housing with supportive services is the highest and best use for this site. The Town’s Purchasing and Risk Management Division interviewed two firms for developer of this parcel and recommended the firm of Cast, LLC, as the Developer to the Land Use and Economic Development Subcommittee.
Cast’s proposed to build a three-story structure consisting of 41 apartments for seniors. The proposal will involved 33 1-bedrooms, and 8 2-bedrooms ranging from 625 to 1,000 square feet. These units will developed for the 55 and older community consisting of market rates apartments with 5 affordable units. Cast has offered the town $300,000 for the land. In addition, the complex will offer memory care and other supportive services for the elderly. Cast was one of two developers who responded to a Request for Proposal (RFP) issued by the Town of Bloomfield on January 12, 2022. Currently the town already has two major assisted living (Seabury and Duncaster) of elderly market rate apartments which have vacancies so it appears there is no demand for this type of housing.
The other developer was 15 Douglas Street LLC. This firm proposed to develop a 5-story structure for 60 units of Workforce Housing. Workforce Housing is an urban planning concept that refers to persons with jobs who desire to work in the town where they are employed. These individual already have jobs but invariably cannot find quality affordable housing. The firm proposed to develop 42 market-rate apartments and 18 affordable units. In addition, there would be classrooms and working- from -home conference spaces on the ground level. Training would be provided for individuals who desired to become entrepreneurs. The development team formed a partnership Capital Workforce Partners, Inc. to provide these services.
The proposal also designed each apartment to have flexible space to accommodate working-from- home stations: the new working culture and paradigm for working in the future. 15 Douglas Street, LLC, offered the Town $100,000 for the land and also asserted the firm would contribute $1.2 million dollars to write down the development cost, thereby, privately underwriting the affordable housing rental units. Additionally, the firm incorporated healthy and anti-bacterial components/systems in the building envelop. We obtained a copy of their rendering and also a letter from Capital Workforce Partners, Inc. who is partnering with Douglas Street LLC, to provide training for future entrepreneurs.
Our paper would like to engage the residents at-large to solicit their input as to what they prefer to be developed on that site? Please send in your comments regarding these two proposals, bearing in mind that Cast has already be selected as the developer of 15 Douglas Street. The next step requires the Town’s Zoning Committee to approve the sale of the land, which then is sent to Town Council for their approval. As of yet the Town council has not been fully briefed on the Cast project.
We would like to hear from the citizens regarding these two proposals or other land-use suggestions for this town-owned land. You can send comments in care of (inqnews@gmail.com). Inquiring News Staff Report.
