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Record of Proceedings

Stamford Planning Board Regular Meeting – August 26, 2025

Planning Board — Wednesday, August 27, 2025
BodyStamford, Connecticut
SessionPlanning Board
DateWednesday, August 27, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:22:33

Original source
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0:02

Button.

0:03

Okay, not a problem.

0:06

All right.

0:08

Good evening.

0:11

This is the August 26th meeting of the Stanford Planning Board.

0:17

I'm Jennifer Gadzenho Chair.

0:19

Vice Chair Jay Tupper as present.

0:24

Our is Robbie.

0:27

Ravi's out today.

0:29

Okay.

0:33

And board member Jeremy Linder and our two alternates, Bill Levin and Chet Salad.

0:41

First on our agenda is the planning board minutes from uh June 24th.

0:47

That was our last meeting before our um well that was that was the last meeting before our July break.

0:54

Um and present at that meeting and able to vote.

1:00

Um myself, Robbie, Jeremy, Bill, and Chad.

1:06

Are there any amendments to the minutes?

1:10

Yes.

1:11

Okay.

1:12

Um for the minutes of uh June 24th.

1:19

Um I checked my own.

1:21

I am in attendance at this meeting, but it's none of the items are showing how I voted.

1:28

And um, so all of them that currently say 4-0, Godzino Levin, Linder, and Sub Romanian should actually be five-zero, including me.

1:47

Thank you for catching that.

1:50

And that's that's it for me.

1:53

Okay.

1:54

Um so with that amendment noted and Lindsay, you'll follow up with Leslie.

1:59

Um do I have a motion for the minutes.

2:05

Uh oh, Jay, you can't move on this because you were absent.

2:09

Oh yeah, my line.

2:12

Um, so motion from Bill, second from chat for approval.

2:17

All in favor, um, please raise your hand.

2:20

Jeremy, I can't see you, so voice uh will be great.

2:24

Thank you.

2:27

All right, and a little bit more housekeeping.

2:32

Uh next on the agenda is the minutes from the August 8th special meeting.

2:39

Um present and able to vote were Jay Tupper, Jeremy Linder, Chet Salad, and other members were absent.

2:47

Um, but the three was sufficient for a quorum.

2:50

Um are there any amendments to the minutes for the special meeting on Friday, August 8th?

2:58

All right, do I have a motion for the minutes?

3:01

Um so Jeremy moves approval.

3:04

Do I have a second?

3:05

Second from Chet.

3:06

All in favor, switch your hand.

3:08

And passes unanimously.

3:10

Thank you.

3:17

A lot of paper today, so trying to make sure I manage it all.

3:21

Um, and finally we have the uh minutes from the August 12th regular meeting.

3:30

Um present at that meeting were Jay Tupper, Robbie Subramanian, Jeremy Linder, Bill Levin, and Chet Salad.

3:37

Um are there any amendments to the minutes for the August 12th meeting, which focused on the comprehensive plan?

3:45

Yes, I think just one quick uh question.

3:49

Um let me just see.

3:52

Um discussion um planning board completed a thorough review of the comprehensive plan.

4:02

Um I just think we should uh strike the thorough that that sounds fair.

4:16

Um I know that we can talk about this more either now or at the end of the meeting about okay.

4:23

So seconding the amendment.

4:25

Um all right, so with that amendment, uh yeah, it's I don't know how you raise your hand.

4:32

Oh I guess there's a way to raise your hand, but it doesn't.

4:36

Uh anyway, I to me it didn't seem like we conducted a review of the plan.

4:41

We just heard a presentation about it, so it seems like that's still kind of giving a false impression of what took place.

4:52

Well, if you'd like to propose that as uh an amendment, I'll second that.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Planning and Zoning██████████████████████████████████████38%
Procedural█████████████████17%
Traffic█████████████13%
Transportation Safety██████████10%
Affordable Housing████4%
Board of Ethics████4%
Land Use Planning███3%
Budget Equity Analysis██2%
Engineering And Infrastructure██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Stamford Planning Board Regular Meeting – August 26, 2025

The Stamford Planning Board held its regular meeting on Tuesday, August 26, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. via Teams webinar. Chair Jennifer Gadzenho presided, with Vice Chair Jay Tupper, members Ravi Subramanian (absent), Jeremy Linder, and alternates Bill Levin and Chet Salad present. The board approved previous minutes, a lease renewal, supplemental appropriations, and recommended action on several zoning referrals. A significant portion of the meeting was devoted to discussing the timeline for the adoption of the Comprehensive Plan.

Consent Calendar

  • Minutes of June 24, 2025, August 8, 2025 (Special), and August 12, 2025 (Regular): Approved unanimously after amendments. The June 24 minutes were corrected to show a 5-0 vote (including member Robbie Subramanian). The August 12 minutes were amended to say “the planning board received a presentation regarding the comprehensive plan” instead of “completed a thorough review.”
  • Lease Agreement – Blachley Road (CT DOT): Authorized renewal of a lease for a pedestrian walkway to/from Rogers International School. The lease is for a 5-year term with two 5-year extensions (total up to 15 years), with no monetary consideration. The city is responsible for maintenance. Approved unanimously.
  • Supplemental Capital Appropriation – Sidewalk Extensions (Project #CP8706): $50,000 from the developer of 120 Hamilton Avenue for sidewalk and pedestrian safety improvements on Lawn Avenue. Approved unanimously.
  • Supplemental Capital Appropriation – Library HVAC Equipment Replacement (Project #CP2650): $400,000 in ARPA funds (administered through the Connecticut State Library) for the first phase of a three-phase HVAC upgrade at the Ferguson Library. Total project estimated at $3 million. Approved unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comments were made during the meeting.

Discussion Items

  • ZB Application #225-23 – Continental Family Holdings, LLC (23 Barry Place): Proposal to construct 60 townhomes (for-sale) and a 201-unit apartment building (rental), with 474 parking spaces, on a former industrial site. The applicant noted the project is fully compliant with zoning and includes 26 affordable units. A member asked for a wastewater impact study; staff clarified that is typically handled by WPCA. Traffic analysis showed minimal impact and reduction in truck trips compared to prior use. The board recommended approval unanimously.
  • ZB Application #225-24 – 492 Glenbrook Road, LLC (488 Glenbrook Road & 37, 41 Parker Avenue): Proposal for a three-story, 19-unit apartment building (16 two-bedroom, 3 one-bedroom) with 28 parking spaces, replacing an industrial/office building. The site is near the Glenbrook Metro-North station. Three units will be affordable at 50% AMI. The ground floor will be residential (not retail) due to market demand. The board recommended approval unanimously.
  • ZB Application #225-25 & #225-26 – Stamford Hospital (31 Wright Street): Map change from R-5 to HCD (Hospital Complex Design District) and modification of the General Development Plan to incorporate a 0.2-acre parcel into the hospital campus, connecting two existing surface parking lots. The board described it as “completing the campus.” Recommended both applications approval unanimously.
  • ZB Application #225-31 – Raymond Mazzeo (Zoning Text Change): Text amendment to align variance approval expiration and extension timing with site plan and special permit approvals. Recommended approval unanimously.
  • ZBA Application #019-25 – Miguel Sostre for Jason Gaynor (32 Apple Tree Lane): Variance to reduce a side yard setback from 15 ft to 12.6 ft for a single-family addition. The board noted the use is compatible with the Master Plan and the encroachment is minor. Recommended approval unanimously.
  • ZBA Application #020-25 – John & Olivia Downing (276 Den Road): Variance to allow a side yard setback of 2.3 ft (existing nonconformity) for a roof replacement and screened porch addition. The homeowners explained the 2.3 ft setback pre-dates zoning and the addition will not worsen it. Recommended approval unanimously.
  • ZBA Application #013-25 – McDonald’s Real Estate Company (1103 East Main Street): Variances to add a second drive-through lane, reduce parking from 61 to 37 spaces, and install signage (springboard canopy, digital menu boards). The proposal aims to address queue backups onto East Main Street by increasing queue capacity from 11 to 23 vehicles (47% increase). A pedestrian walkway from the bus stop will be added. Traffic experts testified the new layout will process existing demand more efficiently without generating new trips. The board recommended approval unanimously, with a suggestion to consider a raised crosswalk.

Key Outcomes

  • All motions on consent items and zoning referrals passed unanimously (5-0 or voice vote).
  • Comprehensive Plan Update: The board discussed the schedule for public hearings and adoption. The public hearing is a single hearing split over two dates: September 9, 2025 (virtual) and September 16, 2025 (in-person/hybrid). The board decided to move the adoption vote from September 16 to September 30, 2025, to allow time for board deliberation after public testimony and potential revisions. Staff will incorporate public comments and provide an updated draft for the September 9 hearing.
  • Vice Chair Retirement: Jay Tupper announced his retirement from the board effective after this meeting. The board expressed appreciation for his service. An election for a new vice chair will occur at a future meeting.
  • Next Meetings: September 2, 2025 (regular), September 9, 2025 (public hearing on Comprehensive Plan), and September 16, 2025 (continued public hearing, possible adoption vote moved to September 30).

Meeting Transcript

Button. Okay, not a problem. All right. Good evening. This is the August 26th meeting of the Stanford Planning Board. I'm Jennifer Gadzenho Chair. Vice Chair Jay Tupper as present. Our is Robbie. Ravi's out today. Okay. And board member Jeremy Linder and our two alternates, Bill Levin and Chet Salad. First on our agenda is the planning board minutes from uh June 24th. That was our last meeting before our um well that was that was the last meeting before our July break. Um and present at that meeting and able to vote. Um myself, Robbie, Jeremy, Bill, and Chad. Are there any amendments to the minutes? Yes. Okay. Um for the minutes of uh June 24th. Um I checked my own. I am in attendance at this meeting, but it's none of the items are showing how I voted. And um, so all of them that currently say 4-0, Godzino Levin, Linder, and Sub Romanian should actually be five-zero, including me. Thank you for catching that. And that's that's it for me. Okay. Um so with that amendment noted and Lindsay, you'll follow up with Leslie. Um do I have a motion for the minutes. Uh oh, Jay, you can't move on this because you were absent. Oh yeah, my line. Um, so motion from Bill, second from chat for approval. All in favor, um, please raise your hand. Jeremy, I can't see you, so voice uh will be great. Thank you. All right, and a little bit more housekeeping. Uh next on the agenda is the minutes from the August 8th special meeting. Um present and able to vote were Jay Tupper, Jeremy Linder, Chet Salad, and other members were absent. Um, but the three was sufficient for a quorum. Um are there any amendments to the minutes for the special meeting on Friday, August 8th? All right, do I have a motion for the minutes? Um so Jeremy moves approval. Do I have a second? Second from Chet. All in favor, switch your hand. And passes unanimously. Thank you. A lot of paper today, so trying to make sure I manage it all. Um, and finally we have the uh minutes from the August 12th regular meeting. Um present at that meeting were Jay Tupper, Robbie Subramanian, Jeremy Linder, Bill Levin, and Chet Salad. Um are there any amendments to the minutes for the August 12th meeting, which focused on the comprehensive plan? Yes, I think just one quick uh question.

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