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Record of Proceedings

Stamford Zoning Board Meeting June 11, 2024: 800 Long Ridge Road Proposal and Other Applications

Zoning Board — Tuesday, June 11, 2024
BodyStamford, Connecticut
SessionZoning Board
DateTuesday, June 11, 2024
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

Sorry.

0:03

Um let's get out of here.

0:08

Hi, thank you.

0:09

Thank you for your time this evening.

0:11

Hi, my name is Joanne Manjoni.

0:13

I live on Loch Ren Avenue, which intersects with 800 Long Ridge Road.

0:17

I'm writing to let you know my opposition to this application.

0:22

I moved to our current singly single family home from downtown Stanford seven years ago with my three children to live in a quiet single family neighborhood where the children could ride their bike bikes, play ball, or walk to their friend's house for an afternoon of play.

0:36

This proposal for the land adjacent to our home on Loch Ren Avenue goes against the very reason why my family and many other families in this neighborhood have moved here from other areas of Stanford.

0:48

This neighborhood consists of single family homes on half acre to over a half acre to over acre size lots.

0:55

Apartments.

1:10

Let's better.

1:12

Can you hear me?

1:13

I'm sorry.

1:14

Yes.

1:14

I'm sorry about that.

1:17

Um the apartment buildings do not belong here with this area.

1:25

There are more than enough options downtown for these types of developments.

1:29

That's what downtown is for.

1:30

That's why I lived loving downtown when I did live there.

1:34

There's so much overdevelopment in Stanford lately, and the very thought of my neighborhood having to go through this makes my stomach turn.

1:42

Please do not ruin my family's neighborhood.

1:45

It makes me want to move out of Stanford.

1:48

This neighborhood deserves the peace and quiet we all moved here for, not the traffic, the air pollution, or the overcrowding.

1:57

This proposal lacks the compatibility with the single family zones and will introduce traffic congestion strain on city resources, including the public schools, which are a problem to this day for my children getting on and off the bus.

2:11

People do not stop for the buses when they have their red lights on.

2:25

The incessant speeding also that goes on at these lights and up and down Long Ridge is enough to make you not want to leave your home sometimes.

2:36

Um I'd be if I'd like to know how they will address the traffic light on that intersects Long Ridge with Lochran, because right now only two cars can get out of Lochran Avenue when that light changes.

2:51

So if there's gonna be 120 cars coming out of the road.

2:55

And you've got 30 seconds.

2:58

Thank you.

3:01

Um there's no RM1 zones near 800 Long Ridge, so I don't appreciate those comments.

3:08

I was said Havemeyer is not made up of apartment buildings.

3:12

Businesses are returning to offices and drones.

3:15

We're gonna run out of business office space now soon, apparently.

3:18

May 22nd was a half day for Stanford Public Schools.

3:22

So if that's one of the days that the traffic study was done, I would question that day in the other days of the traffic study.

3:30

Um there and during the presentation, they conveniently left out the residential neighborhoods across the street from 800 Longridge.

3:38

I oppose this.

3:39

Thank you.

3:41

Good.

3:41

Thank you.

3:45

Next we have Mr.

3:47

Patrick Casley.

3:49

Hello, uh, this is Patrick Casley from uh Vineyard Lane.

3:52

Uh, thank you all for taking the time and I appreciate uh you you guys use uh taking the time to listen to us.

3:58

Um I oppose this application vehemently on the basis that it's egregiously incompatible uh with the surrounding area, far too intensive, and that the residents tonight will confirm this lack of compatibility, just to give some numbers.

4:11

This will be roughly five to six percent of the Turner River population at one address.

4:15

The next door proposed sites that you rejected a few months back, would have been eight to ten percent.

4:20

Collectively, these two sites would be 13 to 16 percent of the Turner River population.

4:24

If you add in the other corporate parks, we're talking about a quarter of the Turner River population at a handful of addresses.

4:30

It's far too intensive, it's obviously egregiously incompatible.

4:33

We need a comprehensive plan for these corporate park reutilizations, not a one-by-one staggered application review.

4:40

The building is empty because they stopped offering new leases to tenants, not because of lack of demand.

4:44

I know this as a corporate renter in the area, actually.

4:47

So there's no truth to the fact that they hit were unable to fill their building.

4:51

They had higher than desired vacancy rates, but they absolutely could have filled it.

4:55

It is not the purview of zoning to ensure that land use maximizes profit, but rather that land use adheres to zoning regulations and is compatible with the surrounding neighbors.

5:04

BLT has a history of crying poor and pretending to be trapped in their buildings to force the hand of zoning through political and empathetic pressures.

5:10

They also have a history of constructing apartments that sink into their foundation, and they put resident lives at risk by cutting corners in the construction of their buildings, including an internal pool collapse in Harbor Point that luckily did not kill anyone.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Planning and Zoning█████████████████████████████████████████████55%
Traffic██████████████17%
Procedural███████████14%
Housing██████7%
Environmental Protection██2%
Public Safety██2%
Density█1%
Pedestrian Safety█1%
Economic Development█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Stamford Zoning Board Meeting - June 11, 2024

The Stamford Zoning Board met on June 11, 2024, to discuss a proposed housing development at 800 Long Ridge Road, along with other zoning applications. The bulk of the meeting consisted of public comments on the 800 Long Ridge Road application, which were overwhelmingly opposed. The board continued the application to June 24, 2024.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved minutes of the May 20, 2024 Zoning Board meeting (3-0).
  • Held minutes of the special meeting held May 30, 2024 due to lack of quorum; will be placed on the next agenda.
  • Approved CSPR 1194 for 49 C Beach Drive (in-ground pool, spa, patio, fire pit, and generator legalization) with conditions from engineering and the Environmental Protection Board (3-0).
  • Approved a one-year extension for application 223-19 (2224 Dolson Place) until August 15, 2025.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Joanne Manjoni (Loch Ren Avenue) opposed the application, citing incompatibility with single-family neighborhood, traffic congestion, school strain, and safety concerns.
  • Patrick Casley (Vineyard Lane) opposed vehemently, citing egregious incompatibility, density (354 units, 10,000 sq ft commercial), and BLT's history of poor construction and political pressure. He referenced the rejected 900 Long Ridge project and argued the same reasons apply here.
  • Dr. Michael Kelleck (400 Tamper) opposed, citing traffic on side streets and the combined impact of 800 and 900 Long Ridge (over 800 apartments).
  • Helen Colvin (reading for Carolyn Baer) opposed, citing safety, traffic, utility cost increases, and sewer system concerns.
  • Kathy Clickler (21 Friar Tuck Lane) opposed, citing community problems and asking for townhouses instead of apartments.
  • Steve Garst (1477 Hook Sheet) opposed, requesting confirmation of the number of apartments built/proposed (citing 14,000 built and 6,000 proposed) and criticizing the traffic study.
  • Monica Troy (37 Hanraham Street) opposed, citing environmental concerns (blasting, drainage, wildlife), lack of lighting, and faulty traffic analysis.
  • Susan Bell (Hope Street) opposed, citing traffic, safety, and BLT's record (pool collapse, elevator failures); questioned the board members who do not live in Connecticut.
  • Laurie Tianburrow (Vineyard Lane) opposed, criticizing the traffic study methodology and asking for full-week data; pleaded for mercy and suggested townhomes.
  • Barry Michelson (Stanford Neighborhoods Coalition) opposed, citing excessive density and zoning regulations that are not compatible with single-family neighborhoods.
  • Dave Adams opposed, suggesting rewilding the property instead of development.
  • Madge Kimick opposed, citing incompatibility, loss of green space, and traffic safety.
  • Papa Demetria (61 Wire Mill) opposed, citing traffic on side streets and cut-through patterns.
  • Jeffrey Katz opposed, citing precedent and concerns about crosswalk traffic impact.
  • Kevin McGuire supported the project, citing potential tax base benefits, traffic reduction from converting office to residential, and the housing shortage in Connecticut.
  • Annie Caseley (19 Vineyard Lane) opposed, citing overbuilding (7,600 units approved, 2,000 with zoning) and traffic issues.
  • Helen Culvin (56 Wire Mill Road) opposed, urging alternatives and noting the similarity to the rejected 900 Long Ridge proposal.
  • Joseph de Bolito (881 Long Ridge Road) opposed, citing traffic and highway access.
  • Andre Andruki Shiksy (1145 River Bank Road) opposed, citing traffic, BLT's record, and zoning incompatibility.
  • Umita Kikuti (151 Clayhill Road) opposed, citing traffic, resource strain, and lack of tax benefits.
  • Flower Woodman opposed, citing traffic safety and pedestrian deaths, and urged the board to consider life-or-death consequences.

Discussion Items

  • The board discussed the 800 Long Ridge Road application. Chair Stein noted that two of the buildings (all-residential) appear to exceed the height limitations, while the mixed-use buildings are four-story. He also agreed with the staff report that strongly recommends design improvements.
  • The application was continued to June 24, 2024, with additional materials due by Wednesday, June 19, 2024.
  • The application for 1600 Summer Street (map change from RMF to NCL to CG) was continued to July 8, 2024.
  • The board held off on senior housing (224-06), Nautilus Botanicals (224-16), and the reorganization item (224-07) until the next meeting with a full board.
  • The board decided to add a note to the agenda for 91 Hope Street (map change and site plan for 27 townhomes) indicating it may be continued due to time constraints.

Key Outcomes

  • 800 Long Ridge Road application continued to June 24, 2024, 6:30 PM on Zoom.
  • 1600 Summer Street rezoning continued to July 8, 2024, 6:30 PM on Zoom.
  • CSPR 1194 approved 3-0.
  • Extension for 223-19 approved 3-0.
  • Minutes of May 20 approved 3-0; minutes of May 30 held over.
  • Next regular meeting scheduled for June 24, 2024, with agenda including 800 Long Ridge Road, senior housing, reorganization, and possible hearing on 91 Hope Street.

Meeting Transcript

Sorry. Um let's get out of here. Hi, thank you. Thank you for your time this evening. Hi, my name is Joanne Manjoni. I live on Loch Ren Avenue, which intersects with 800 Long Ridge Road. I'm writing to let you know my opposition to this application. I moved to our current singly single family home from downtown Stanford seven years ago with my three children to live in a quiet single family neighborhood where the children could ride their bike bikes, play ball, or walk to their friend's house for an afternoon of play. This proposal for the land adjacent to our home on Loch Ren Avenue goes against the very reason why my family and many other families in this neighborhood have moved here from other areas of Stanford. This neighborhood consists of single family homes on half acre to over a half acre to over acre size lots. Apartments. Let's better. Can you hear me? I'm sorry. Yes. I'm sorry about that. Um the apartment buildings do not belong here with this area. There are more than enough options downtown for these types of developments. That's what downtown is for. That's why I lived loving downtown when I did live there. There's so much overdevelopment in Stanford lately, and the very thought of my neighborhood having to go through this makes my stomach turn. Please do not ruin my family's neighborhood. It makes me want to move out of Stanford. This neighborhood deserves the peace and quiet we all moved here for, not the traffic, the air pollution, or the overcrowding. This proposal lacks the compatibility with the single family zones and will introduce traffic congestion strain on city resources, including the public schools, which are a problem to this day for my children getting on and off the bus. People do not stop for the buses when they have their red lights on. The incessant speeding also that goes on at these lights and up and down Long Ridge is enough to make you not want to leave your home sometimes. Um I'd be if I'd like to know how they will address the traffic light on that intersects Long Ridge with Lochran, because right now only two cars can get out of Lochran Avenue when that light changes. So if there's gonna be 120 cars coming out of the road. And you've got 30 seconds. Thank you. Um there's no RM1 zones near 800 Long Ridge, so I don't appreciate those comments. I was said Havemeyer is not made up of apartment buildings. Businesses are returning to offices and drones. We're gonna run out of business office space now soon, apparently. May 22nd was a half day for Stanford Public Schools. So if that's one of the days that the traffic study was done, I would question that day in the other days of the traffic study. Um there and during the presentation, they conveniently left out the residential neighborhoods across the street from 800 Longridge. I oppose this. Thank you. Good. Thank you. Next we have Mr. Patrick Casley. Hello, uh, this is Patrick Casley from uh Vineyard Lane. Uh, thank you all for taking the time and I appreciate uh you you guys use uh taking the time to listen to us. Um I oppose this application vehemently on the basis that it's egregiously incompatible uh with the surrounding area, far too intensive, and that the residents tonight will confirm this lack of compatibility, just to give some numbers. This will be roughly five to six percent of the Turner River population at one address. The next door proposed sites that you rejected a few months back, would have been eight to ten percent. Collectively, these two sites would be 13 to 16 percent of the Turner River population.

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