45°
DARIEN, Conn A group of Darien residents has come up with a design for 20 units of affordable senior housing for the site of the current Senior Center. The units would be constructed once the Senior Center moves to Town Hall as part of the towns shuffle project.
The units would be 100 percent affordable, according to Bruce Hill, one of the members of the Darien Senior Housing Initiative. The units would be arranged in a series of single-family one-story duplexes.
We wanted to have single-floor living, so it would be accessible. We didnt want large-scale buildings with elevators, we wanted to keep it in scale with the neighborhood, said architect Dan Conlon, who did the conceptual designs for the buildings.
The units would be arranged in a loop around a parking area with 38 spaces, eight of which would be handicapped. Each 1,100-square-foot unit is designed with two bedrooms, one bathroom and a patio, and all would be capable of being fully handicapped accessible.
Were going to build these buildings in a green, energy-efficient fashion, Conlon said when he and Hill introduced the plan to the Planning and Zoning Commission on Tuesday night. He anticipates that they will be well insulated, with high efficiency heating and cooling systems, and economical to operate over time.
The Darien Senior Housing Initiative is a nonprofit, with no mandate or funding from the town, Hill said. It would be responsible with coming up with the funding for the project, as well as demolishing the Senior Center. He said the units would be owner occupied, not rental units.
The designs were only conceptual at this point, Hill said. This is not a done deal. Theres no green light for us, and there will be plenty of opportunity for the public to weigh in on this. We anticipate that the plans will most likely change over time.
The group has not formally submitted an application to go through the zoning process. It will also meet with the Parks and Recreation Department and the Board of Education to discuss issues concerning nearby playing fields and Middlesex Middle School, he said.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Darien and receive free news updates.
