Stamford Transportation Committee Meeting – October 19, 2026

The Transportation Committee of the Stamford Board of Representatives met remotely on Monday, October 19, 2026, from 6:31 p.m. to 7:51 p.m. Chair Jeff Wirz presided, with Vice Chair Scott Stone and Reps. Adams, Hughes, Pelliccia, Sandford, Shore, and Weathers present; Rep. Gilbride was excused. Also attending were Reps. Camporeale, McKeown, Pollack, Price, and President Shaw, along with Director of Operations Matthew Quiñones, Senior Transportation Planner Luke Buttenwieser, Director of Transportation Thomas Turk, and Assistant Corporation Counsel Chris Dellaselva. The committee approved a parking lot lease and reviewed the city’s Road Restoration Program.

Parking Lot Lease Agreement (Item T32.007)

• The committee voted 8-0-0 to suspend its rules and take this item out of order.
• Director Quiñones presented a long-term parking lot lease between the City of Stamford and St. Leo Roman Catholic Church at 24 Roxbury Road. The lease supports off-site student parking during the West Hill High School construction project. Instead of monthly rent, the city would provide snow removal services, not to exceed $10,000 annually, and pave an agreed portion of the lot when the project is completed.
• The minutes identify the church as St. Leo; the raw transcript transcribes the name as St. Louis.
• The lease had previously been approved by the Planning Board 5-0-0 on September 22, 2026, and by the Board of Finance 6-0-0 on October 6, 2026.
• The committee approved the lease 8-0-0.

Road Restoration Program Review (Item T32.006)

• The item was a review of the August 14, 2026 Office of Operations memorandum titled “Stamford Road Restoration Program, Recent History, Policy Evolution, and Future Strategy.”
• Director Quiñones said the administration made road paving a priority starting in 2022, doubled the number of roads paved that year to about 75 through increased funding, and changed utility coordination policy so the city could pave curb-to-curb in more locations.
• A citywide road assessment created a prioritized top 200 list, split into first 100 and 101-200. Before working through that list, the city honored roughly 40-plus road commitments made by the prior administration.
• The 2023 road condition survey found 81% of Stamford roads unsatisfactory. The next citywide survey is planned for 2028.
• Director Quiñones recommended $8 million to $12 million in annual city bond funding for road restoration, out of roughly $30 million to $36 million in annual city bonding. He said the city could handle up to about $15 million without major staffing changes.
• The administration proposed a tiered program for unaccepted roads after inspecting all of them, but the funding for the tier-one focus area was not secured in the current budget.

Committee Discussion

• Rep. Shore asked about bicycle accommodations during repaving. Senior Planner Buttenwieser said paving projects are treated holistically and include drainage, curbs, sidewalks, and, where appropriate, bicycle infrastructure from the bike/pedestrian plan.
• Vice Chair Stone asked how representatives can inform constituents about paving plans. Director Quiñones described the online road-paving tracker as fairly new and welcomed feedback. He acknowledged that many residents are on unsatisfactory roads and said the challenge is communicating the scale of the need.
• Rep. Weathers asked whether asphalt is the best material and whether high-traffic roads have a guaranteed repaving cycle. Director Turk said concrete is stronger but far more expensive and impractical for city streets, and that a concrete program would complete far fewer roads. There is no set cycle; road surveys, about every five years, identify needs. Weathers also asked whether unpaved planned roads roll over; Turk confirmed that once a road is on the list, it stays on the list until completed.
• Rep. Camporeale asked about state aid. Staff noted the state municipal roadway paving grant provides about $1 million per year to Stamford. She also raised constituent complaints about utility company communication, including a Vine Road meeting notice left in mailboxes the day of the meeting. Director Quiñones acknowledged the challenge and said a citywide utility audit was underway.
• Rep. Pelliccia asked about funding realism, full-depth reconstruction, road-score reevaluations, and unaccepted roads. Director Quiñones said the 15-year projection was a high-level estimate and that additional funding would be welcomed. He noted the assessment removed traffic from the prioritization formula. On unaccepted roads, he suggested a joint Board of Representatives/Board of Finance discussion. Pelliccia also suggested annual performance reporting, such as roads completed, miles paved, dollars spent, and cost per mile.
• Chair Wirz asked about staffing, contractors, and the paving calendar. Director Turk said internal staffing was being strengthened and the city uses a main paving contractor with multiple crews, plus separate contractors for drainage assessment, surveying, and striping. The paving season generally runs from April 1 through late October, with drainage work done in winter months.
• Vice Chair Stone asked about oil-price volatility. Director Turk said multiyear contracts with one-year terms and two one-year extensions help shield the city; the next paving contract bid is expected within eight to ten months. Director Quiñones added that the purchasing ordinance was being reviewed.
• Chair Wirz asked how many roads would be completed in calendar year 2026. Staff estimated the number would be in the 40s, partly because full-depth reconstructions take longer and cost more.
• Regarding the online tracker, staff said it is updated roughly monthly based on contractor invoices, with “planned” indicating the remaining top 200 roads and “in progress” identifying the current season’s grouping. A 2027 paving season grouping had not yet been set.

Key Outcomes

• Approved the St. Leo parking lot lease agreement 8-0-0.
• Received and discussed the Road Restoration Program review; no formal vote was taken on the review item.
• Possible next steps identified: a joint discussion with the Board of Finance about unaccepted roads, possible annual performance reporting to the boards, continued updates to the online paving tracker, and a future paving contract bid within the next eight to ten months.
• Chair Wirz adjourned the meeting at 7:51 p.m.