Enfield weighs future of Annex: fix it, move services, or build new

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Town Council members tour the Annex's infrastructure, peering inside utility closets. The former Fermi High School -- which closed in 2016 and is now known as the Enfield Annex -- has become a deep part of the community. Whether it's the swimming pool, space for wrestling, the student robotics competition team Buzz Robotics, summer camp or its many other uses, the building has a broad base of support. Last week, some of those supporters turned out to urge Town Council members to preserve the facility. The future of the former Fermi High School has lingered on the periphery of town discussions for years. No longer. The Town Council tour of the Annex was intended to help members see firsthand the remedial infrastructure work needed, from utility closets to the boiler room and roof. But residents saw it as a chance to show the council how important the building is to the town. A large crowd turned out, some with signs urging support for the Annex. Among those at the school was Jef...
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PZC approves 70-unit housing development in Thompsonville

 

Screen shot from PZC meeting. Site plan of Impact Residential project.


Despite parking concerns, the Planning and Zoning Commission approved a 70-unit housing development on the former Strand Theater site. The Commission voted 5-2 Thursday.


The action allows Impact Residential to proceed with its project, which includes 56 units of affordable housing.


The project met opposition due to fears of increased on-street parking, with opponents including Mayor Ken Nelson. At its Dec. 4 meeting, the Council rejected a grant application that would have assisted developer Impact Residential.


Nelson suggested allocating the grant to a "parking structure" instead.


"We have to address the parking, which is already a problem, and we just can't make it worse," Nelson said at the earlier meeting.


But at Thursday's meeting, PZC Chair Lewis Fiore, highlighting the area's designation as a Transit Oriented District (TOD), argued that rejecting the project would undermine this status.


In general, TOD districts reduce parking requirements, de-emphasizing parking in favor of transit.


"If we're going to keep using parking as an excuse to not go forward, we're never going to go forward with anything in this town," Fiore said.


"You build the housing first, and then the economic development occurs," Fiore added.


PZC member Linda DeGray, who also supported the project, said, "I understand the parking issues, but I also understand that we have to move forward. We have to look to the future."


DeGray noted that many people she knows no longer have cars.

"They use Ubers, Lyfts, buses, and other forms of transportation; they have e-bikes and scooters," she said. "I think this is really a fit for the future."

Patrick Tallarita, owner of the old Thompsonville firehouse at 11 Pearl, spoke in favor of the project. According to zoning records, he plans to create a beer and wine tap room.


Tallarita said parking will always be a problem in Thompsonville, "but sometimes progress needs to come before the solutions."


"There's opportunity in Thompsonville to improve the parking, but we need development to spur that on," Tallarita told the commissioners.


Commission member Virginia Higley, voting against it, cited Thompsonville's parking issues and the site's need for mixed-use, specifically retail, development.


Initially, the developers proposed a larger complex with some retail. But after council pushback regarding parking, they scaled back their development. Following further study on Thompsonville's retail situation, the developers opted against including retail in the smaller project, citing a 50% vacancy rate in retail in the immediate area, which would have made such development risky.


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