Stamford Planning Board Regular Meeting - January 9, 2024
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Stamford Planning Board Regular Meeting
The Stamford Planning Board held a regular meeting on Tuesday, January 9, 2024, at 6:30 PM via Zoom webinar. The board approved prior meeting minutes, authorized a capital appropriation for roadway safety improvements, and issued recommendations on two zoning board referrals regarding affordable housing contributions and a deeply affordable housing development.
Consent Calendar
- Minutes of December 19, 2023: Approved unanimously (all members present, except Jay Kepper who was absent).
- Belltown Roadway Capital Appropriation (Project #001389): Authorized a $1.8 million grant-funded project for roadway safety and infrastructure upgrades on Burdick Street, Upland Road, and Belltown Road, including new sidewalks, drainage, crosswalks, traffic calming, and lighting. The project is 100% grant-funded from CT DOT and Low SIP grants. Approved unanimously.
Discussion Items
- Zoning Board Referral #222-32(MOD) – 100 & 101 Clinton Avenue (CP VIII 100 Clinton, LLC): The applicant sought a special permit to contribute $12,953,280 to the Stamford Affordable Housing Trust Fund in lieu of providing on-site Below Market Rate (BMR) units. The project, located in the Mill River Design District, was approved in 2016 for 456 apartments, later modified to 471 units. The board discussed the trade-offs between on-site affordable units and fee-in-lieu payments, noting that 71% of BMR units in the past 8 years were on-site and 29% fee-in-lieu. Chair Teresa Dell advocated for a hybrid solution, supported by Vice Chair Jay Kepper and Member Michael Bacino. The applicant (Jay Klein) raised feasibility concerns due to financing challenges. Ultimately, the board voted unanimously to recommend that approximately 10% of units (47 units) be provided on-site at 65-80% Area Median Income (AMI), with the balance paid into the trust fund, leaving flexibility for the Zoning Board’s January 22 hearing.
- Zoning Board Referral #223-44 – 66 Stillwater Avenue (Pacific House, Inc. & Mica Development Company, LLC): The applicant proposed an 18-unit deeply affordable residential building (supportive housing) with on-site case management and parking for 9 vehicles. The site is less than 10,000 sq ft and located in the Village Commercial (V-C) District. Staff noted alignment with surrounding uses and the master plan, despite density exceeding the outdated 17 du/ac recommendation. The project is expected to be shovel-ready within 4-5 months after zoning approval. No public opposition was reported. The board approved the application unanimously.
Key Outcomes
- Belltown Roadway: Approved $1.8 million capital request (unanimous).
- 100 Clinton Avenue (Fee-in-Lieu): Voted to recommend a hybrid approach to the Zoning Board (unanimous).
- 66 Stillwater Avenue (Pacific House): Approved the special permit, site plan, and coastal review (unanimous).
- Next Meetings: January 23 (regular meeting and public hearing on capital budget), January 30 (regular meeting), February 13 (regular meeting and final capital budget discussion).
Note: The agenda listed an invitation to a joint Zoning Board pre-application session on January 22, but no action was taken.
Meeting Transcript
My text, you can delete it. Thank you. Thank you. And we are on the record. And it's exactly 6:30. So we could start on time. Good evening. I'd like to welcome everyone to the Stanford Planning Board. Tonight is a regular meeting. It is Tuesday, January the 9th of 2024. And Leslie, I got it right this year. I called it 2024. So we're going to start off on a great footing. So tonight is a webinar. The original agenda gave all the information on how to get on to the Zoom portion from either a PC, a Mac, an iPad, an iPhone, or an Android. You could also get in from a mobile phone. The numbers are there, and also by a regular telephone. So all of the information for our meeting is there. And it will be posted tomorrow. So anyone wishing to see the video who is not able to come this evening will probably be able to do so then. I'd like to introduce the members of the board this evening. I'm Teresa Dell, Chair. We have Jay Kepper, our vice chair, Michael Bacino, who is a regular member, Michael Tutillo, who is a regular member, and Stephen Perry, who is our alternate. Stephen will be voting this evening as a regular member, as Jennifer Godzino is absent this evening, and as is uh William Levin. So we will all be uh we have a quorum this evening, so we will be fine. I'd like to welcome everyone who is an attendee also to our meeting. And I'd like to welcome Lindsay Cohen, who is our associate planner for the planning board. And we thank her again for all the time and effort she puts in on getting everything ready for us to have these meetings. So the first item on our agenda this evening are the uh minutes for uh Tuesday, December the 19th. Uh Jay will not be voting on this as he was absent for that um one, but the rest of us are all able to vote on it. Did anyone have any corrections or additions that they would have liked to have seen in the minutes for December 19th? Okay, one there. May I have a motion then to approve? Yes. It's it says here that I that I was here. I'm sorry, mine says that you were absent. Is this the 12th? Nope, this is for the 19th, December 19th. Okay. Are you looking, Jay? Are you looking at November 12th? Whatever came the this one that I have in front of me is December 19th for the minutes, and it says that Jay was absent. Okay. Okay. So may I have a motion then for approval of the minutes? Move by Michael T. May I have a second. Second by Michael B. Favor show of hands. Minutes accepted.
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