Stamford Zoning Board Meeting - November 28, 2023
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Stamford Zoning Board Meeting - November 28, 2023
Note: The transcript indicates the meeting was held on November 27, 2023 at 6:30 p.m., but the provided date is November 28, 2023. This summary uses the provided date per instructions.
The Stamford Zoning Board met on November 28, 2023 via Zoom. Chair David Stein presided. Board members present: Bill Morris, Roseanne McManus, Jerry Bozak, Ralph Blessing, and Vanita Matter. Raquel Smith Anderson was absent. The meeting began with a roll call and proceeded to the regular agenda after noting that no public hearing was scheduled for that evening.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of Minutes (November 13, 2023): The minutes were approved unanimously by voice vote with no corrections.
Discussion Items
- Application 223-32 – Nautilus Botanicals (Cannabis Dispensary at 1110 East Main Street): Board members expressed unanimous opposition. Concerns included: inadequate parking (only 6 spaces provided vs. 8 required per ZEO), traffic impacts from the nearby I-95 on/off ramps, insufficient off-site parking (over 500 feet from the entrance without a shared parking agreement), and potential detriment to the surrounding residential neighborhood. The board cited non-compliance with special permit findings (Section 19 C2, 19 C21, 19 C24) and the master plan.
- Application 223-34 – 900 Long Ridge Road (Site & Architectural Plans, Special Permit): All board members opposed the proposal. Reasons included: the project was not an adaptive reuse of the existing office park but rather a demolition and new construction; the size and scale were more appropriate for downtown; the design lacked architectural diversity and earned a sustainability rating of C; and the density and intensity were inconsistent with the master plan’s guidance for lower-density development adjacent to downtown. The board noted the applicant preserved open space but found the overall plan unsuitable.
- Continued Items: Applications 223-36 (Taylor Street) and 223-24, 223-25, 223-26 (related to 74th Street and parking garage) were all continued to the December 11, 2023 meeting.
- Adoption of 2024 Meeting Calendar: The board approved the calendar for 2024 with no objections.
- Land Use Training Requirements: Under new Connecticut statutes, board members must complete 4 hours of training (including 1 hour on housing/affordable housing) by January 1, 2024, with an affidavit due by February 1, 2024. Links to approved courses will be resent by staff.
Key Outcomes
- Application 223-32 (Cannabis Dispensary): Denied on a vote of 4-0. The board adopted a resolution of denial citing inadequate parking, traffic concerns, and failure to meet special permit findings.
- Application 223-34 (900 Long Ridge Road): Denied on a vote of 4-0. The board adopted a resolution of denial citing non-compliance with the master plan, lack of adaptive reuse, unsuitability of scale and design, and a sustainability rating of C.
- Next Meeting: December 11, 2023 at 6:30 p.m. via Zoom. Agenda includes continued items (Taylor Street, High Group, 110 Prospect Street daycare expansion).
- Adjournment: The meeting adjourned by unanimous voice vote.
Meeting Transcript
The whatever. Yeah. 6 30 it is. Good. My cell phone. Ralph and Vanita, I'm assuming our system, our Zoom system here can handle a lot of people. Yes. On it. We may have quite a few tonight. Yeah. I think it's up to 500. So yeah. Really? You can get started. Okay. I'd like to welcome everyone and call tonight's zoning board meeting to order. I'm David Stein, Chair of the Zoning Board, and it is 6 30 p.m. on November 27, 2023. The members of the zoning board and staff are holding this meeting by Zoom video conference. The public is in attendance both on the video conference and by telephone. I'd like to first do a roll call of the board and staff. Bill Morris. Here. Roseanne McManus. Here. Jerry Bozak. President. Ralph Blessing. Here. And Vanita Matter. Yeah. Okay. A note that Raquel Smith Anderson is not with us at tonight's meeting. During tonight's meeting, the microphones for the board will be on throughout. The applicants' mics will be on during the public hearing for their application. However, I would ask the applicants to please mute their mics when not speaking in order to reduce background noise. The first part of tonight's meeting is the public hearing during which the public will have an opportunity to speak. Except that there is no public hearing tonight. So why don't we skip this part? We are we'll be going um we'll be continuing the applications that are scheduled under the public hearing, and um we will be going into the uh regular meeting. Um David, real quick question. Uh yes to the second correction to our agenda, and there was gonna be a public hearing tonight. Well yeah, there isn't there a public hearing for 223-24 and 25 and 26. It's there's been a last minute um change in that. Um we're back to the first agenda. Okay. You can toss out we can toss out the revised. Put that back in the pocket. Okay. I believe there is uh someone from the uh applicants team here.
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