Stamford Planning Board Regular Meeting – September 3, 2025
Stamford Planning Board Regular Meeting – September 3, 2025
The meeting was held virtually via Teams. Vice Chair Jay Tepper presided in place of Chair Jennifer Godzano. The board considered two supplemental capital appropriations, three zoning board referrals, and one zoning board of appeals referral. All items were approved unanimously. Note: The agenda and transcript list the meeting date as September 2, 2025, but the user instructed to use September 3.
Supplemental Capital Project Appropriations
- Site & Infrastructure Improvements (CP3343) – $84,672.84: Funds from a settlement agreement (city, designer Tai Su Kim Partners, contractor Grosso Companies) to remediate rain gardens at the Stamford Museum & Nature Center north parking lot. The check has already been received. Approved unanimously.
- Northrop Park (CP4000034) – $15,000: Payment from Eversource for a permanent easement through the park related to a five-mile underground transmission line connecting substations at Cedar Heights and Glenbrook. Funds will be deposited into the Northrop Park capital project account for future playground rehabilitation. Approved unanimously.
Discussion Items
- ZB Application #225-30 – RMS Hotel I, LLC (909 Washington Boulevard): Attorney William Hennessey presented. The hotel, currently 94 rooms, will expand to 146 rooms by converting former YMCA space. A new courtyard will be created by removing an auditorium, and a restaurant will be added. Parking will be valet in the basement garage, meeting a 0.5 spaces-per-room ratio under Footnote 23. Building height and footprint unchanged. The board approved the special permit unanimously.
- ZB Application #225-15 – Woodway Pines, LLC (9 & 15 Woodway Road and 0, 1321 & 1325 Hope Street): Attorney Joseph Capalbo represented. Consolidation of five parcels (1.357 acres) into one to construct 20 townhouse-style units (three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths) in three buildings. 45 parking spaces provided, including two per unit and five visitor spaces. Access via Woodway Road only. Traffic study showed no adverse impact. Approved unanimously.
- ZB Application #225-27 – Horn & Hoof Properties, LLC (961 Long Ridge Road & 16 Wire Mill Road): Attorney Capalbo presented. Construction of nine independent living single-family homes restricted by deed to seniors and persons with disabilities. Each unit is ADA-compliant with first-floor bedroom and bath. Previously approved by the Environmental Protection Board. Traffic study updated for nine units showed no adverse impact. Approved unanimously.
- ZBA Application #018-25 – Joseph J. Capalbo II for Christopher & Joseph Papallo (68 Dunn Avenue): Request for two variances to permit a future two-lot subdivision: (a) lot size of 8,975 sq ft instead of 10,000 sq ft required, and (b) frontage of 50 ft instead of 75 ft. The lot currently has 125 ft of frontage; the proposed subdivision would yield one conforming lot and one undersized lot consistent with the neighborhood’s 50 ft frontages from a 1924 subdivision. Staff noted uncertainty about lot status but the board found consistency with the master plan. Approved unanimously.
Key Outcomes
- All five agenda items (two capital appropriations, three zoning referrals) were approved unanimously by the board. The ZBA referral was recommended for approval.
- The board noted that ZB Application #225-28 (120 Long Ridge Road) was removed from the agenda; no reason was provided.
- Next regular meetings: September 9, 2025 (Regular Meeting & Public Hearing on Comprehensive Plan), September 16, 2025 (Regular Meeting & Public Hearing on Comprehensive Plan Adoption), and October 7, 2025 (Capital Budget).
Meeting Transcript
Good evening. Jimmy, can you hear me? Hi, yes, we can hear you. Um, I'm on the phone with Bill who is trying to get on. Um I have not started the actual meeting yet, so all the attendees are just waiting for us. Um, and Jay is here. And I think potentially ready to chair the meeting, Jay. He's on mute, I think. Can you hear me now? But I can't hear you. Hey Jay, we can hear you. Can't hear you, Lindsay. No, Lindsay is speaking with some somebody else G. Can you hear us? I can hear you. Okay. Can you hear me? Hey, Bill. Or hey, can you hear you? Thank you. Lindsay's working to get uh Bill on the line here. Gotcha. Uh Jimmy, that's not my apartment that you're seeing, okay? That's just the that's my dream. You mean your yours is much bigger than that. Maybe. Well, this is one of my last three meetings. Um she convinced you? I I no, I I retired last week and then was unretired because uh Jennifer couldn't make it today. So they've asked me to stay on for a couple of more weeks and since I could do with all the money we get paid. I figured I'd stay on. We appreciate you still staying on with us. How many years you'll be on the planning board, Jay? Um four terms, I guess close to 20. Wow. 20 yes. Well, it's funny. When I moved to Stanford, I had been the Democratic chair in New Canaan. Uh and I knew I knew the woman who was a democratic chair in Stanford. And I said, did you, you know, there's something if there's anything I can do. And she said, would you like to be on the planning board? And I said, yeah, that sounds really good. And I had lived in Stanford for a week and I was on a planning board. Nice. Are you still going to continue to be in Stanford or relocating? No, no. We've taken route here. I'm leaving Stanford in a box. Hopefully not quickly. Almost there, planning board members.
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