Groton Housing Authority to rebuild, expand Grasso Gardens

Groton ― The Planning and Zoning Commission on Tuesday unanimously approved the Groton Housing Authority's plan to rebuild and expand the number of apartments at the Grasso Gardens housing complex off Route 117.The two-year project, which will be done in four phases, will result in 20 additional apartments for a total of 90 overall, Robert Frink, chairman of the Groton Housing Authority's Board Of Commissioners, said in a phone interview. The housing development will remain as low-to-moderate income housing for people who are 62 or older or who have disabilities, he said. The plan calls for demolishing, in phases, the existing 18 residential buildings and the community building, shed and garage, according to application documents from Loureiro Engineering Associates.A three-story building with 24 apartments will be built ― the first phase ― as well as 13 one-story buildings with four to six units each, according to the presentation to the commission from Crosskey Architects and Loureiro Engineering. The apartments all will be one-bedroom units and will be about double the size of the existing apartments.According to the presentation, the estimated project cost is about $44.8 million. In addition to traditional sources of funding such a bonding and grants, the housing authority is seeking energy tax credits for the project, said Robert Cappelletti, the housing authority's executive director.Deborah Jones, the town's assistant director of planning and development services, said the project, located in a Residential Multi-Unit (RM) zone, features amenities, such as gazebos, covered porches and picnic tables on concrete pads, scattered throughout the site, that are designed for people with mobility limitations and to promote socialization and prevent heat-related health issues. Jamie Lee, property manager for the Groton Housing Authority, said there is about a two-year waiting list for housing for people who are 62 and older or have disabilities. Frink said the Groton Housing Authority has been discussing the plan with existing tenants for more than a year and got their feedback on the floor plans. He said the project will be done in phases that impact about 15 to 16 apartments at a time. For each construction phase, the Grasso Gardens tenants that live in the impacted area will be relocated to another area of Grasso Gardens, or to Pequot Village, another Groton Housing Authority development. Most residents affected by the first phase have already been relocated or have chosen to move somewhere else. Frink said the new buildings will be modern, energy-efficient and have a low carbon footprint and will replace the housing complex that was built in the 1980s. He said a Connecticut Housing Finance Authority's Capital Needs Assessment from 2013 found a lot of issues that need to be addressed. He said the housing authority will try to re-purpose building materials for the project. The new buildings will be architecturally distinctive with geothermal heating and cooling, solar roofing, energy efficient appliances, low water-use plumbing fixtures, and LED lighting. There also will be 10 Electric Vehicle charging stations.He said the plan is to start construction during the fourth quarter of this year.The Groton Housing Authority gave a presentation at Tuesday's Groton Town Council Committee of the Whole on its mission and its plans to modernize its housing to sustainable standards. The housing authority plans to modernize Pequot Village, a 104-unit housing complex on Poquonnock Road, after the Grasso Gardens project, according to the presentation.In addition, 51 new affordable housing units are on the drawing board for land adjacent to Grasso Gardens, according to the presentation. k.drelich@theday.com