Jewish Home Looks to Loosen Town Zoning Regulations

The Jewish Home for the Elderly, a nursing home near Sacred Heart University, wants to change town zoning regulations in advance of what town officials say could be a demolition and rebuild of its more than 200,000-square-foot facility.

The JHE, in the application filed in the town's Zoning Department, doesn't say why it wants to change town zoning regulations, but town officials said the explanation would be formally presented during a public hearing on the JHE's request. The date of the hearing, which would be conducted by Fairfield's Town Plan and Zoning Commission, hasn't been set.

The JHE, which includes five buildings totaling more than 200,000 square feet on 15.6 acres at 175 Jefferson St., may be seeking to demolish and rebuild its facility, according to town officials.

The JHE's property was most recently appraised at $41.3 million. JHE owns the property and its main building was built in 1972, according to town tax records. The JHE opened a year later.

Andrew H. Banoff, the JHE's president and CEO, didn't return a call today, and Austin K. Wolf, the JHE's lawyer, was on vacation.

The Town Plan and Zoning Commission, an elected board of 10 volunteer residents, seven of whom vote on applications to develop property and amend zoning regulations, would have to approve the JHE's proposed regulation changes before they took effect.

The JHE wants town zoning regulations to allow buildings on its property to be 60 feet tall and wants the maximum lot coverage, or footprint, of buildings on its property to be 20 percent of the property's size.

Current zoning regulations allow buildings on JHE's property to be a maximum height of 40 feet or three stories, whichever is less, and the maximum lot coverage is now limited to 15 percent.

The JHE also wants the total floor area of buildings on its property to be permitted at 50 percent of the property's size, instead of the current 30 percent. If approved, the total floor area of buildings on JHE's 15.6-acre property, which is now just over 200,000 square feet, could increase to 338,897 square feet.

However, JHE's proposed regulation changes wouldn't be limited to just its property. They would apply to hospitals, homes for the aged, rest homes, chronic and convalescent nursing homes and buildings, and assisted living facilities that are on properties zoned Residence 3.