The purpose of this section of the regulations is to promote the public health, safety and general welfare of the community by providing decent, safe, and sanitary affordable housing units for those in need of affordable cost housing for rental or purchase. The Affordable Housing Zone (R-AHZ) in the town of Westport, allows for multi-family type of residential development with a percentage of units designated as affordable housing pursuant to §8-30g of the Connecticut General Statutes as required by the Statute at the time a site plan to develop the property is filed. The intent is to assist the town in meeting the statutory goals of affordable housing, and to provide such housing near the commercial and retail shopping areas of the town.

The district shall consist of parcels of land, not necessarily contiguous to each other, which have public water and sewer available. At least 100 feet of one side of the property must abut one of the Commercial districts described in the Westport Zoning Regulations, with the exception of the DDD. Such property must also have frontage on an arterial road.

In an R-AHZ, no land, building, or structure shall be used and no building shall be hereafter erected, altered, or added to, unless otherwise provided in these regulations, except for one (1) or more of the following uses:

Necessary accessory buildings, structure, and uses including, but not limited to, facilities for maintenance, administration, off-street parking, storage facilities and those facilities necessary to the operation of a utility system serving the development and customarily accessory to the principal use may be permitted. Outdoor recreational uses, including swimming pools and tennis courts may be permitted.

The maximum lot size for the zone is three (3) acres. The minimum width of the lot shall be 100 feet, and the lot shall be able to contain a rectangle of 100 feet by 150 feet.

The lot shall have frontage of least 100 feet on an arterial street.

The number of housing units shall not exceed eight (8) per acre. The minimum number of dwelling units for an R-AHZ shall not be less than five dwelling units.

Building coverage in an affordable housing zone (R-AHZ) shall not exceed 25% of the net lot area. Building coverage shall include only the building area.

The total percentage of a development site in an Affordable Housing Zone (R-AHZ) occupied or intended to be occupied by all buildings, structures, parking areas, driveways, and similar improvements shall not exceed 60% of the net lot area. The maximum building size shall be 5000 square feet of floor area.

No principal building, structure or use or accessory building or structure shall extend closer than 30 feet from public or private streets, 50 feet from single-family residential zone lines if not separated by a street, and 15 feet from commercial districts.

Building height shall not exceed two and one-half (2 ½) stories and a height of thirty (30) feet. Accessory buildings shall not exceed sixteen (16) feet and one (1) story in height.

The amount of on-site parking shall be 1.75 spaces for a one-bedroom unit and 2.25 spaces for a two-bedroom unit, in accordance with §34-5. Tandem parking cannot be counted as required parking. Handicapped parking will be designed in accordance with the Connecticut Basic Building Code. All parking areas shall be convenient to building entrances. Driveways shall be arranged in a safe manner and afford satisfactory access to fire fighting and emergency vehicles. Any internal roads or driveways shall circulate in a counterclockwise direction and shall have sight line distances of at least 150 feet where they intersect a street. Parking, access and design standards shall conform to §34-11, Design Standards. The parking area will be planted with shade trees in accordance with §35. All parking spaces must be 15 feet from the residential zone line and 30 feet from any streets or street line.

The minimum space between buildings where there are two or more buildings on the site shall be one-third (1/3) of the average height of the two adjacent buildings.

The size, design and location of signs shall conform with §33 of the zoning regulations.

No mandatory requirement, except that any land so set aside shall be properly laid out, graded, screened and landscaped.

Landscaping, screening, sidewalks and buffer areas shall be provided in accordance with §35 of the Supplementary Regulations.

In order to develop land for affordable housing, a site plan and special permit application shall be filed with the Planning and Zoning Commission which shall comply with the site plan standards in §44 of the Zoning Regulations, subject to the limitations imposed by the Affordable Housing Statute, §8-30(g) of the General Statutes. An affordability plan shall be submitted with the application which complies with the requirement of §8-30 (g).

In conjunction with an application for approval of a Special Permit for an Affordable Housing Development, the applicant shall submit an “Affordability Plan,” in accordance with §8-30g which shall describe how the regulations regarding affordability will be administered. The plan shall include provisions for administration of and compliance with the provisions of this section, notice procedures to the general public of the availability of affordable units, identification of those units that are to be designated affordable, procedures for verification and yearly confirmation of unit occupancy income, and compliance with affordability requirements to the Planning and Zoning Department. Such plan shall also include drafts of documents, such as deeds of conveyance, which will be used in the administration of the affordability restrictions and any explanations which will be provided to the unit occupants concerning such restrictions. The plan must also include a means of offering a "right of first refusal" to the Town of Westport for any units that are vacated after the affordability period.

 

Any use permitted in the Residence AAA District, subject to the same approvals and conditions as specified in §11-2, herein, and subject to the current minimum lot area and shape, setbacks, height, coverage, parking, sign and landscaping standards of the Zoning District in existence at the time such R-AHZ is established and any amendments to these standards that are subsequently adopted after the R-AHZ is established. The standards listed in §19-4 to §19-19 shall not apply to Principal Uses specified in §11-2, herein.

The following uses are permitted in principal buildings subject to Special Permit and Site Plan approval in accordance with §43, herein, and the standards in this Section.

Residential dwellings shall be limited to efficiency, one-bedroom and two-bedroom dwelling units. Libraries, dens, studios, lofts and other similar spaces shall be deemed to be bedrooms by the Commission

Public water and sewer must be available for the property, and all units must be connected to the sewer and water lines.

All utilities and conduits within the site shall be underground.

No Zoning Certificate of Compliance shall be issued for any dwelling unit unless and until such unit has been connected to a public water supply, suitable power supply and a public sanitary sewer line.

Storm drainage facilities shall be provided and shall be designed to achieve a zero impact run-off based on a minimum 25-year storm flow. Street culverts and bridges shall be designed for a 100-year storm flow.

All storm drainage facilities and public sanitary sewers shall be designed and constructed in accordance with Town Standards, subject to the approval of the Town Engineer.

Exterior lighting shall be provided and maintained by the property owner at all access points to streets, parking areas, building entrances and elsewhere for the safety of vehicular and pedestrian traffic. All exterior lighting shall be low-level, except for required street lights & tennis courts. The glare from light sources shall be shielded from roads and abutting properties.

Refuse collection areas shall be provided and conveniently located for all buildings. The collection area shall be screened and supplied with covered receptacles.

Mail boxes shall be provided and conveniently located for all units. The mail boxes shall be covered from the elements.

Sidewalks must address pedestrian safety issues.

The architectural design, scale and mass of buildings and other structures requiring a Special Permit, including the exterior building material, color, and roof-line and building elevations shall harmonize and be compatible with the neighborhood, to protect property values in the neighborhood and to preserve and improve the appearance and beauty of the community.(813, 03/27/2023)

Pitched roofed buildings shall be required.

Roof-top mechanical equipment shall be prohibited; except for energy conservation systems such as solar energy panels.

Dwelling unit facades need to be designed to avoid a barracks or dormitory appearance. Staggered or off-set unit facades and/or varied unit facade materials shall be utilized.

Buildings should be designed and located on the site so as to retain the existing topography and natural features of the land to the greatest extent possible.

Construction of residential dwelling units for this Section shall be permitted for detached dwellings, semi-detached dwellings, and attached dwellings such as garden apartments and townhouses. The housing development will have the percentage of affordable housing units which comply with the Connecticut affordable housing statute, §8-30g of the General Statutes. Affordable housing for purposes of this zone means "affordable housing development" as defined in §8-30g(a) of the General Statutes on the date when an application is filed under this section of the Zoning Regulations.