OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Land Use-Urban Redevelopment Committee Meeting – June 17, 2026

Board of Representatives — Wednesday, June 17, 2026
BodyStamford, Connecticut
SessionBoard of Representatives
DateWednesday, June 17, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:52:18
Transcript — Verbatim
0:01

My call to order the land use and urban redevelopment committee is June 17th, 2026 at 701 p.m.

0:15

Uh with us.

0:16

Uh co-chair price is excused.

0:20

Uh Representative Adams is present.

0:23

Uh Representative Representative Beckham is present.

0:29

Representative Boutreau is president.

0:32

Present.

0:33

Representative Field is present.

0:36

Representative Finkel is present.

0:39

Representative Gardner is present.

0:41

And Representative Pleach is present.

0:45

Ex officio members.

0:47

We have Representative Camperelli, Representative McEwen, Representative Weinberg, Representative Johnson, President Shaw, and Representative to the, I believe.

1:03

I've gotten everyone.

1:05

Did I miss anyone?

1:07

Please raise your hand.

1:09

Okay.

1:10

All right.

1:13

So first item we have is LU 32.09.

1:23

Ordinance for publication.

1:25

Ordinance establishing a conservation commission.

1:29

Originally LR 32019.

1:33

Submitted by Representatives Camporelli, Representative Sweinberg, and Representatives Day La Cruz.

1:42

With us, we have invited guests.

1:45

We have Attorney Anger, Director Canones.

1:52

We have from the Environmental Review Board.

2:04

Sorry, I don't have my glasses on.

2:06

And then we also have Ralph Blessing with us.

2:11

And so at this time, I'm going to uh going to start with our invited guests.

2:24

You want a motion to you want a motion first?

2:26

Yes, yeah.

2:27

Actually, can I get a motion first to take up this item?

2:30

Thank you, Representative Finkel.

2:32

I'll make a motion to take up this item.

2:37

Second.

2:39

All right.

2:40

I have a motion to take up item LU 32.009.

2:45

Ordinance for publication.

2:47

Ordinance establishing a conservation commission.

2:51

Uh all those in favor taking up this item say aye.

2:55

Aye.

2:56

Aye.

2:57

All those opposed say nay.

2:59

Any abstentions?

3:01

All right, the ayes have it.

3:05

Alright, so would our invited guests like to uh speak on this item?

3:12

Or yes, uh, Representative Camparelli.

3:15

I was just wondering, Chair, if I could give some opening remarks and background for the public and also for the committee about this ordinance to start.

3:23

Yes, being as you uh introduce this item, I see no problem with that.

3:28

So I will give you the floor.

3:30

Thank you so much.

3:31

Um good evening, everyone.

3:32

I want to take a minute to provide some context and background on this ordinance and why we believe it's an important and thoughtful step forward for the city of Stanford.

3:42

Uh the idea did not originate with me in late 2025.

3:46

Members of the public, along with the environmental protection board, executive director Bob Clowsey came before the board and asked that we modernize outdated language in our code and better define and separate the responsibilities currently assigned to the environmental protection board.

4:02

Director Clousey, who has more than two decades of experience in this field, strongly supported the creation of a standalone conservation commission and articulated why this structure would better serve Stanford moving forward.

4:16

I also met with the Director of Operations, Matt Canonis, several times last year before beginning work on this ordinance.

4:23

And he supported the concept then and continues to support it now.

4:27

More recently, I provided the current draft to Director Canonis so that it could be reviewed by the various land use boards to ensure we get it right.

4:37

We did, and it was also supported by land use chief blessing.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Environmental Protection█████████████████████████████████████████████61%
Procedural█████████████████████29%
Community Engagement██3%
Fiscal Sustainability██3%
Public Engagement██3%
Affordable Housing█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Land Use-Urban Redevelopment Committee Meeting – June 17, 2026

The Land Use-Urban Redevelopment Committee of the Stamford Board of Representatives met remotely on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, at 7:01 p.m., chaired by Co-Chair Hughes (Co-Chair Price excused). The sole agenda item was LU32.009, an ordinance to establish a Conservation Commission. After extensive discussion, the committee approved two amendments and then voted 5-3 to postpone the item definitely to the next committee meeting.

Consent Calendar

  • No consent calendar was presented.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No members of the public spoke during the meeting. All testimony came from invited guests and committee/ex-officio members.

Discussion Items

  • Ordinance Establishing a Conservation Commission (LU32.009) – Rep. Camporeale, a co-sponsor, provided background: the ordinance originated from requests by the public and the Environmental Protection Board (EPB) to modernize code and separate conservation from wetland responsibilities. The revised draft clarifies the commission is purely advisory and can operate with existing staff at no new cost. Director Clausi of the EPB expressed strong support, noting the commission could address broader environmental issues (e.g., invasive species, open space planning, climate resilience) beyond EPB’s regulatory workload. He flagged a correction in Section 6-23-1a (agency name) and suggested the commission might benefit from 7 members instead of 5. Land Use Bureau Chief Blessing and Director Quiñones also spoke in favor, emphasizing the commission would be advisory only and would not delay land-use applications (statutory 35-day referral period runs in parallel). Several committee members and ex-officio representatives raised questions about housing neutrality, potential obstruction of development, appointment challenges, staffing, and the commission’s role in accepting land. Rep. Camporeale and invited guests repeatedly stressed the commission’s purely advisory nature and that it cannot approve, deny, or delay projects. A motion by Rep. Field to approve the item for public hearing failed for lack of a second.

Key Outcomes

  • Amendment 1 (unanimous 8-0-0) – Corrected the agency name in Section 6-23-1a from “State of Connecticut Environmental Protection Agency” to “Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.”
  • Amendment 2 (unanimous 8-0-0) – Replaced the existing draft ordinance with the revised draft submitted on June 16, 2026, to reflect all prior offline edits.
  • Motion to Postpone Definitely (passed 5-3-0) – Carried by roll call: Co-Chair Hughes and Reps. Adams, Beckham, Gardner, and Pelliccia voted yes; Reps. Boudreau, Field, and Finkel voted no. The item will automatically appear on the next Land Use-Urban Redevelopment Committee agenda.
  • The meeting adjourned at 8:53 p.m.

Meeting Transcript

My call to order the land use and urban redevelopment committee is June 17th, 2026 at 701 p.m. Uh with us. Uh co-chair price is excused. Uh Representative Adams is present. Uh Representative Representative Beckham is present. Representative Boutreau is president. Present. Representative Field is present. Representative Finkel is present. Representative Gardner is present. And Representative Pleach is present. Ex officio members. We have Representative Camperelli, Representative McEwen, Representative Weinberg, Representative Johnson, President Shaw, and Representative to the, I believe. I've gotten everyone. Did I miss anyone? Please raise your hand. Okay. All right. So first item we have is LU 32.09. Ordinance for publication. Ordinance establishing a conservation commission. Originally LR 32019. Submitted by Representatives Camporelli, Representative Sweinberg, and Representatives Day La Cruz. With us, we have invited guests. We have Attorney Anger, Director Canones. We have from the Environmental Review Board. Sorry, I don't have my glasses on. And then we also have Ralph Blessing with us. And so at this time, I'm going to uh going to start with our invited guests. You want a motion to you want a motion first? Yes, yeah. Actually, can I get a motion first to take up this item? Thank you, Representative Finkel. I'll make a motion to take up this item. Second. All right. I have a motion to take up item LU 32.009. Ordinance for publication. Ordinance establishing a conservation commission. Uh all those in favor taking up this item say aye. Aye. Aye. All those opposed say nay. Any abstentions? All right, the ayes have it. Alright, so would our invited guests like to uh speak on this item? Or yes, uh, Representative Camparelli. I was just wondering, Chair, if I could give some opening remarks and background for the public and also for the committee about this ordinance to start. Yes, being as you uh introduce this item, I see no problem with that. So I will give you the floor.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com