Plans to fix an old Berlin eye sore

BERLIN, Conn. (WTNH) --A meeting was held at the Berlin Town Hall to discuss the possible plans of turning an old school into elderly housing.

What might soon be turned into elderly housing is across the street from an active school.

"We expect traffic, parking congestion to increase significantly, and that is a risk to our kids, and we are concerned about it," said Jim Newman of Berlin.

Folks agree that the old school is beautiful, and it has a lot of architectural detail, but it is also an eye sore. There is rusted metal on the swing sets and basketball courts

Berlin residents don't like looking at the rust, but they also do not like the plan to turn it into elderly housing.

"We don't like this development more, it's that simple," said Christian Othon of Berlin.

"We are in favor of some development, I'm not even against a couple of additional buildings but 8 additional buildings? This site is almost all parking lot and building," said Othon.

The elderly housing development would consist of eight buildings, and 32 units.

"They are trying to put up three buildings right behind our property line, that are 12 feet away from our property line and they are forty feet tall," said Othon

"I would not think there is enough parking and that parking would have to bubble over into the side streets, and the side streets are where the buses for the kids come and the parents stop, you are looking at putting Cinderella's foot into the glass slipper," said Tom Higgins of Berlin.

The proposal to turn the old school into elderly housing has not yet been approved.