WETHERSFIELD - A residential development proposal for an abandoned former condominium complex will go before residents tonight at 6 p.m.

       Ridge Road Development Group, LLC, which is looking to turn the 291 Ridge Road property into a 70-unit apartment complex, will hold a meeting with residents in the downstairs community room at the Wethersfield Library.

       The meeting comes as the potential developers prepare to take the project proposal through a series land use bodies that includes the Town Planning and Zoning Commission. The proposal has already been before the Design Review Committee.

       The property has been described by town officials as a â€�"blight” on the area, and can bring close to $200,000 in annual property taxes to Wethersfield should the development be approved.

       That would put the property within the top 10 percent on the town’s tax rolls, according to Economic Development Director Peter Gillispie.

       But the Council’s approval of a 100 percent tax abatement-for the first two years-has raised controversy. Republican Councilors, who voted against it, say that residents did not have adequate time to weigh-in on the issue, but Democrats described the abatement as a good faith measure to show the developer that the town is invested in a project that is far from approved. Residents will have opportunities to voice concerns while the applicants present their plan before any of the land use bodies they need to seek approval from, Mayor Paul Montinieri said.

       The property, which has not been in use for 15 years, owes the town over $31,000 in back taxes, according to Gillispie. The project’s value on the Grand List, however, would pay that back if the development is approved, he said.

       The development is also expected to bring in $15,000 in additional automobile property taxes, according to Gillispie.