Riverfront Houses On Stilts Planned

Four modernist duplex townhouses on stilts may be in the offing for Quinnipiac Avenue.

They will be built in a back yard by the river, and a vacant languishing Victorian in the front will be resurrected and preserved.

That plan to combine old with the new at 904 Quinnipiac Ave. emerged last week at a hearing of the Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA).

Local architect Fernando Pastor, who is designing the project, pitched the project to the BZA in the Hall of Records at 200 Orange St.

In addition to the rehabbing of the Victorian close to the road, Pastor proposes to build, on the lot running down to the river, four two-unit townhouses. The townhouses would be raised from the ground to provide parking underneath. They would have open modernist floor plans, and a new driveway.

Because the property carries a coastal access easement and maintenance agreement dated in 2016, Pastor’s project also includes a boardwalk to increase public access.

The zoners approved various requested variances for side yard setback requirements, smaller distances between the proposed buildings, and a height of 30 feet rather than permitted 14. The variances were granted based on a hardship stemming the narrowness of the lot and its location close to wetlands and intertidal areas, preventing construction on the land close to the river.

The zoners approved the plan and referred it to the City Plan Commission for a coastal site plan review. Before it arrives there, however, Pastor’s next step is to have his plans and construction documents reviewed by the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), because coastal waters and wetlands may be affectedby the project.

If all goes well, and building permits in the upcoming months, initial steps in construction could commence by the end of the year, according to Pastor

The old Victorian house had once been a wedding chapel. Its rehab calls for it to house four rental units.

Perhaps for newlyweds.