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Record of Proceedings

Stamford Planning Board Regular Meeting & Public Hearing - June 11, 2025

Planning Board — Wednesday, June 11, 2025
BodyStamford, Connecticut
SessionPlanning Board
DateWednesday, June 11, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:04

Like to call to order the meeting meeting of the Stanford Planning Board of June 10th, 2025.

0:11

First item on the agenda would be the minutes of the previous meeting, which was Can you just quickly introduce uh who's here?

0:21

Oh, excuse me.

0:23

Um here are Ravi Souvermanian, regular member, Chet Salad Alternate, Bill Levin Alternate, Jerry Linda, Jerm Jeremy Linder, sorry about that, regular member.

0:37

And Lindsay Cohen, who is the brains of the planning board.

0:42

Thank you.

0:45

First item on the agenda is minutes of the meeting of May 20th.

0:52

Are there any questions or comments on the minutes?

0:57

If not, I'll entertain a motion to uh adopt the to accept the minutes of the meeting.

1:06

Move.

1:07

Do you have a question rather or moving?

1:09

I'm moving that.

1:09

I'm moving the motion.

1:11

Do I have a second?

1:12

Seconded by Jeremy.

1:13

All in favor, signify by saying aye, raising your right hand, carried unanimously.

1:23

Next item on the agenda is a supplemental capital appropriation for the Mill River Community Commons Project.

1:30

Total request of 500,000, requesting 500,000 from the city to match 12 and a half million in already committed state federal funds for the community commons project.

1:41

Pardon me, I've got a little bit of a throat problem.

1:44

This will serve as a vital civic hub, providing event space, public restrooms, extensive green space, a dog park, and outdoor seating that will create year-round vibrancy and support economic development in downtown.

2:02

All right.

2:02

And we have anybody speaking on that uh yes, we have Nattie Compton here from Mill River Collaborative.

2:09

So Natty.

2:10

Hello.

2:11

Hi everyone.

2:12

Thank you so much for having me.

2:14

Um, Nettie Compton, that's a pleasure to see you and be part of this meeting.

2:19

Um I'm just putting in a send request.

2:21

I have some slides to share.

2:26

Share.

2:26

Okay, here we go.

2:31

All right.

2:32

Just go to the top.

2:34

So uh got straight to the bottom of it.

2:38

There we go.

2:40

Sorry about that.

2:44

There we go.

2:45

Okay.

2:45

Um, so as I said, I'm Nettie Compton.

2:47

I'm the president and CEO of Mill River Park Collaborative.

2:50

Um, and I'm excited to uh chat with you today.

2:54

There we go.

2:55

Okay.

2:56

So many of you have been part of Stanford for uh in Mill River Park for far longer than I have, but just as a refresher, um, Mill River Park was included in the city 2002 master plan.

3:08

Um, the image you see here was the park plan that was developed um growing out of that an original master plan.

3:14

Um Olin Partnership created um this image you see here um back in 2005.

3:20

Um, and the park and its expansion has been included in subsequent master plans.

3:25

Um it's kind of actually kind of wild when you think about this.

3:28

It was an image that was created 20 years ago, overlaying a space that looked nothing like this, and you can kind of trace like, oh yeah, there's the carousel building, you know, there's the ice saving ring, there are the grand steps.

3:39

Um so the park has really come a long way.

3:42

We as the collaborative are uh a nonprofit that has an agreement with the city of Stanford to manage basically all of the functions of the park.

3:51

Um everything from fundraising to overseeing the design and construction work that we do within the park to now that the park has become established, the day-to-day operations, programming, summer camp, all sorts of different things.

4:04

And so the community commons, as we're calling it, is really this final core section of Mill River that we are seeking to complete.

4:15

Um so when I came on to the role um about four years ago, you know, the Whittingham Discovery Center was was wrapping up in construction.

4:23

If you can see my cursor, that's the Wittingham that's shown right here.

4:27

Um and this parcel remained as the final part of the sort of core heart of the park to to be completed.

4:36

Um, if you travel along Washington Boulevard as almost 30,000 cars do a day, you kind of see this unfinished, you know, kind of, you know, almost what is often perceived as a parking lot area um facing one of Connecticut's busiest roads.

4:53

Um and so it's been a priority of ours to um get this final piece of the park um up and running.

5:01

Part of why this was one of the last parcels to be developed within the park is that it will have been privately owned and was one of the later parcels to become parkland to be acquired.

5:12

So starting in 2003, uh 2023, we did some extensive community engagement.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Planning and Zoning███████████████████████████27%
Affordable Housing█████████████████████████25%
Procedural███████████████15%
Zoning█████████9%
Parks and Recreation██████6%
Parking██████6%
Urban Design█████5%
Community Engagement██2%
Grant Funding██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Stamford Planning Board Regular Meeting & Public Hearing - June 11, 2025

Note: The agenda and transcript indicate the meeting occurred on June 10, 2025, but the user instruction specifies the date as June 11, 2025. This summary uses the user-provided date.

The Stamford Planning Board convened on June 11, 2025, for a regular meeting and public hearing conducted via Zoom. The board approved minutes, supplemental capital appropriations, a subdivision map extension, and a master plan amendment. It also reviewed zoning board referrals for a major affordable housing development and two text changes, and tabled a ZBA referral. All actions were taken after discussion and public comment.

Consent Calendar

  • Minutes of May 20, 2025: Approved unanimously.
  • Supplemental Capital Project Appropriation – Mill River Community Commons Project (Project #001436): Approved $500,000 in city funds to match $12.5M in state and federal funds for a civic hub with event space, public restrooms, green space, dog park, and outdoor seating. Unanimous vote.
  • Supplemental Capital Project Appropriation – Citywide Manhole & Basin (Project #C56129): Approved $2,500 appropriation from an Eversource damage claim reimbursement. Unanimous vote.
  • Extension of Deadline for Subdivision 4054 (Riverbank): Approved a 90-day extension to file subdivision plans. Unanimous vote.
  • Zoning Board Text Change 225-16 (Illustrative Graphics): Approved adding graphics and definitions to make zoning regulations more comprehensible. Unanimous vote.
  • Zoning Board Text Change 225-17 (Eating/Drinking Establishments & Parking): Approved updated definitions and parking requirements based on a 2023 parking study. Unanimous vote.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Master Plan Amendment #MP-447 (27 High Ridge Road): Dave Adams (29 Flint Rock Road) expressed concerns about property lines, tree loss, and visual impact on adjacent homeowners at 100 Old North Stanford Road. He noted the applicant had not contacted the neighbor and argued the plan would open a direct view into the neighbor's backyard.

Discussion Items

  • Master Plan Amendment #MP-447 – 27 High Ridge Road: Applicant John Leydon (representing BE Properties LLC & G&T of Stamford LLC) proposed changing the master plan designation from Residential Low Density Single-Family (Category #2) to Commercial Arterial (Category #7) to allow a 40- to 46-space parking lot expansion for the existing retail plaza (HomeGoods, My Salon, etc.). The site is landlocked, heavily wooded, and steeply sloped. Board members debated the need for additional parking: some noted the existing lot is often half-full, while others argued the parcel is impractical for residential use and that the change would support future growth in the Bulls Head area. The board also discussed the possibility of a connection to the adjacent Dig lot. The applicant agreed to consider a connection. After a public hearing, the board voted 3-2 to approve the master plan amendment.
  • Zoning Board Referral #225-14 – St. John Urban Development Corp. (109 Tresser Boulevard): Applicant Ray Mazio (Redniss & Mead) presented a plan to redevelop the site with a 305-unit all-affordable apartment building, replacing two existing 1970s towers (240 units, about 120 currently occupied). The project includes two levels of parking, double-height amenity space, and a through-block connection. The affordability mix ranges from 30% to 80% AMI, with an average of 55% AMI. A public comment letter raised concerns about a 2021 tax abatement agreement limiting rents to 60% AMI. The applicant acknowledged the issue and stated it would be addressed. The board unanimously recommended approval, citing consistency with the master plan and the need for affordable housing.
  • Zoning Board of Appeals Referral #013-25 – McDonald’s (1103 East Main Street): Tabled from the May 20, 2025 meeting. The applicant requested a second tabling due to ongoing traffic analysis. The board voted to table to the June 24, 2025 meeting.

Key Outcomes

  • Minutes of May 20, 2025: Approved unanimously.
  • Mill River Community Commons: Approved $500,000 city appropriation. Vote: unanimous.
  • Citywide Manhole & Basin: Approved $2,500 appropriation. Vote: unanimous.
  • Subdivision 4054 Extension: Approved 90-day extension. Vote: unanimous.
  • Master Plan Amendment #MP-447: Approved (3-2 in favor). Motion by Ravi Souvermanian, seconded by Jeremy Linder. Voting in favor: Ravi, Jeremy, Chet Salad (alternate). Opposed: Jay Tepper, Bill Levin (alternate).
  • Zoning Board Referral #225-14 (St. John’s): Recommended approval unanimously. Motion by Chet, seconded by Jay.
  • Zoning Board Text Change 225-16: Approved unanimously. Motion by Bill, seconded by Jay.
  • Zoning Board Text Change 225-17: Approved unanimously. Motion by Jay, seconded by Jeremy.
  • ZBA Referral #013-25 (McDonald’s): Tabled to June 24, 2025. Vote: unanimous.

Meeting Transcript

Like to call to order the meeting meeting of the Stanford Planning Board of June 10th, 2025. First item on the agenda would be the minutes of the previous meeting, which was Can you just quickly introduce uh who's here? Oh, excuse me. Um here are Ravi Souvermanian, regular member, Chet Salad Alternate, Bill Levin Alternate, Jerry Linda, Jerm Jeremy Linder, sorry about that, regular member. And Lindsay Cohen, who is the brains of the planning board. Thank you. First item on the agenda is minutes of the meeting of May 20th. Are there any questions or comments on the minutes? If not, I'll entertain a motion to uh adopt the to accept the minutes of the meeting. Move. Do you have a question rather or moving? I'm moving that. I'm moving the motion. Do I have a second? Seconded by Jeremy. All in favor, signify by saying aye, raising your right hand, carried unanimously. Next item on the agenda is a supplemental capital appropriation for the Mill River Community Commons Project. Total request of 500,000, requesting 500,000 from the city to match 12 and a half million in already committed state federal funds for the community commons project. Pardon me, I've got a little bit of a throat problem. This will serve as a vital civic hub, providing event space, public restrooms, extensive green space, a dog park, and outdoor seating that will create year-round vibrancy and support economic development in downtown. All right. And we have anybody speaking on that uh yes, we have Nattie Compton here from Mill River Collaborative. So Natty. Hello. Hi everyone. Thank you so much for having me. Um, Nettie Compton, that's a pleasure to see you and be part of this meeting. Um I'm just putting in a send request. I have some slides to share. Share. Okay, here we go. All right. Just go to the top. So uh got straight to the bottom of it. There we go. Sorry about that. There we go. Okay. Um, so as I said, I'm Nettie Compton. I'm the president and CEO of Mill River Park Collaborative. Um, and I'm excited to uh chat with you today. There we go. Okay. So many of you have been part of Stanford for uh in Mill River Park for far longer than I have, but just as a refresher, um, Mill River Park was included in the city 2002 master plan. Um, the image you see here was the park plan that was developed um growing out of that an original master plan. Um Olin Partnership created um this image you see here um back in 2005. Um, and the park and its expansion has been included in subsequent master plans. Um it's kind of actually kind of wild when you think about this. It was an image that was created 20 years ago, overlaying a space that looked nothing like this, and you can kind of trace like, oh yeah, there's the carousel building, you know, there's the ice saving ring, there are the grand steps. Um so the park has really come a long way.

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