Zoning Board Approves Site Plan, Cannabis Text Change, and Additional Units - July 30, 2024
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Stamford Zoning Board Meeting - July 30, 2024
The Stamford Zoning Board met on July 30, 2024, to consider several agenda items including a site plan application, a text amendment regarding cannabis and smoke shops, and an administrative review for additional dwelling units. The board approved all three items with amendments and conditions.
Application 224-04: Site and Architectural Plans
- The board reviewed conditions for a development providing 95 self-park spaces and 9 electric vehicle charging spaces. Discussion noted an upcoming amendment to remove EV charging requirements for home ownership units with garages.
- A Transportation Demand Management (TDM) plan will be required, with reports if fewer than 20% of occupants use alternative transportation.
- Bicycle parking includes 6 Class A spaces (in garages) and 3 Class B spaces (bike racks).
- The applicant must provide at least 18 street trees with a bond of $2,500 per tree (total $45,000) for three growing seasons.
- A landscape maintenance plan must include trimming vegetation to maintain line of sight as per the traffic engineer's report.
- Motion to approve with conditions as amended passed unanimously (5-0).
Application 224-14: Text Change – Cannabis and Smoke Shops
- The board discussed a comprehensive text amendment to regulate cannabis dispensaries and smoke shops.
- Key changes:
- Reduced permitted window signage from 30% to 15% and added neon sign prohibition for smoke shops.
- Increased distance from schools, parks, and community centers remains at 1,000 feet (board decided not to increase to 1,500 feet at this time but requested a map to evaluate future changes).
- Cannabis dispensaries eliminated in CN and CB districts; now permitted only in CG and CC districts with a special permit.
- Smoke shops eliminated in all districts except ML and MG (manufacturing), requiring a special permit.
- Reduced threshold for tobacco sales from 50% to 10% of retail area.
- Added definition for "community center" and clarified that sales must occur within a building (not from a truck).
- Motion to approve as amended passed unanimously (5-0).
Administrative Review: 22-25 Walton Place and 80 Prospect Street Partners LLC
- The applicant requested an administrative modification to add up to 20 additional dwelling units within the existing approved floor area, with no exterior changes.
- The applicant agreed to keep the previously committed BMR units (mostly two- and three-bedroom units) and provide two additional one-bedroom units.
- Motion to approve passed 4-0-1 (one abstention from Raquel).
Key Outcomes
- Approved Application 224-04 (site plan) with conditions, 5-0.
- Approved Application 224-14 (text amendment) as amended, 5-0.
- Approved administrative modification for additional units at Walton Place, 4-0-1.
- The board adjourned at 11:25 PM and will reconvene in September.
Meeting Transcript
Um, I see we have section seven there. But um questions or discussion on this. Okay. Next we have vehicle parking that they'll provide 95 self-park spaces and nine electric vehicle charging spaces for electric vehicles only. Um this is uh consistent with uh what our current regulations are um but as we discussed um there's an amendment in the works to take away the requirement of electric vehicle charging spaces when you've got um home ownership units and people having their own garages good um next there'll be the parking management plan which is the uh same as always it should really be a standard condition, yes um then um where that and they'll have to provide uh reports to us transportation demand management plan um they will submit prior to CO a plan and again if fewer than 20 percent of the building's occupants um use means of transportation other than single family car the uh owner tenant or property manager shall submit proposals for increasing that share to the land use bureau um and TTP um can we add bureau in there after land use on the the next to the last line it's also all the 19s become section 19 becomes two what is what is it now Ralph two still G all right next we have bicycle parking uh with we need to just scroll up a little please yes um we have six class A and three class B spaces uh how the class there'll be a separate place for the bikes is this correct yes there will be three um class B spaces a bike rack somewhere for three bikes yes and then the garages themselves count as the class A they would have more than six um yeah but this this is the minimum requirement yes I think that's something else we should add to the list if we're gonna talk about home ownership with garages yeah yeah I think that's that's we're already in there that um the the bike parking if it's individual uh if it's town houses that it's uh included in the the thing is yeah you're saying it's in odds and ends no it's I think it's already in the regulations because what we say is that basically if you have a townhouse the single family parking requirement applies and for a single family dwelling you don't have a bike park requirement right so it's already in there okay um then we have our bicycle parking performance obligations which um another one that can get moved to standard conditions um signage uh subject to review and approval by staff and we have the uh comments from the various city departments that um applicant is required to uh complete prior to building permit uh can we just scroll um we have TTP EPB comments um hold on i'm sorry uh engineering yeah no that's okay i i see what it is fire marshal uh then we have photometric plan subject to staff approval sidewalk easements where um any um proposed or existing public sidewalks located on applicant's property um there'll be an easement uh to the city and that's subject to uh review and approval No, that's okay. I I see what it is. Fire marshal. Uh then we have photometric plan subject to staff approval, sidewalk easements where um any um proposed or existing public sidewalks located on applicant's property. Um there'll be an easement uh to the city, and that's subject to uh review and approval by law department and zoning board staff. Um next we get to street trees. Uh they will provide it not less than 18 street trees um and submit a bond uh 2500 per tree for a total of uh 45,000 to warrant that the trees will survive for three growing seasons. Um the landscape maintenance plan is um that's a standard condition. Um okay. Um I think that's the only one that we we had a discussion about. Bill, you raised a point on that, right? About uh yeah, there was regarding uh the line of sight issue that the uh traffic engineer mentioned that a certain particular part of the landscape had to be uh trimmed. Yeah, uh want to add that um you want to add that in there? Um say uh the agreement uh uh will provide that applicant will um maintain line of sight excuse me. Um trim, how about trim vegetation to maintain line of sight? Yeah, as uh suggested by the traffic engineer in his report dated, blah, blah, blah. That's the that's that's good. Any comment on this? No, Mr. Chairman. No. Okay, then I think the others are all pretty standard. And um, yeah. Okay. Uh is there any discussion on the uh on this application, site and architectural plans um or these conditions? No, Mr. Chairman. Nope. Okay, can we get a motion to approve application 224-04? Um site and architectural plans with the conditions as amended tonight. I'll make that motion, Mr. Chairman. Second. Okay. Uh further discussion. All in favor say aye. All right. That was everyone, right? Yes, sir. Yeah. Okay. It's approved. Uh the uh application two two four-04 is approved. Five zero. Okay.
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