Stamford Zoning Board Meeting - January 28, 2025
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Stamford Zoning Board Meeting - January 28, 2025
Note: The transcript indicates the meeting was called to order on January 27, 2025 at 6:35 PM, but the provided date for this summary is January 28, 2025. This discrepancy is noted.
The Stamford Zoning Board held a regular meeting on January 28, 2025, chaired by David Stein. The board reviewed three major applications: a new animal control facility, a proposed extended-stay hotel, and a rezoning and general development plan for townhomes. The meeting included public comment, board deliberation, and decisions on several items.
Administrative Review — CSPR 1208: Animal Control Facility
- The City of Stamford, represented by City Engineer Lou Castle, presented a Coastal Site Plan Review for a new animal control and care facility at 201 McGee Avenue. The facility will include parking, exercise runs, walking paths, and a garage. The project is within the CAM boundary, and the board was only asked to review the coastal area management application.
- The Harbor Management Commission and DEEP have both expressed no objection. The existing building may be demolished or repurposed depending on bid costs.
- The board voted unanimously (4-0) to approve CSPR 1208.
Public Hearing — Application 223-48: Tolomore LLC Extended-Stay Hotel
- This is a continuation of a public hearing from January 6, 2025. The applicant proposes a 10-story, 99-room extended-stay hotel with ground-floor retail/restaurant at 0 West Park Place.
- The applicant, represented by Ray Mazio, presented revised plans addressing pedestrian safety, including reversing vehicle flow, adding tactile strips, cobblestone paths, and speed humps. Board members raised concerns about pedestrian-vehicle separation. Discussion included options for a raised curb, bollards, or railings. The board preferred a physical barrier, with bollards or a curb, to be finalized with staff.
- The board also requested a list of approvals as a separate exhibit and clarification on affordable housing and bike parking.
- Public comment: Michael Moore (Stamford Downtown) and several others spoke in favor, citing the developer's reputation and need for hotel rooms. Monika Twal and Kathy Kligler voiced concerns about safety, parking, and pedestrian easement. The board will vote at the next meeting.
Public Hearing — Applications 224-37 & 224-38: Toll Brothers Townhomes
- The applicant seeks to rezone 700 Fairfield Avenue and 0 Cummings Point Road from IPD to RM1 and approve a General Development Plan for 56 condominium townhomes with associated amenities.
- The Planning Board recommended approval (3-1). The applicant, represented by Ray Mazio and Kevin Moses (Toll Brothers), presented a plan for 13 buildings, 2-story townhomes with 2-car garages, a clubhouse, pool, and 3 acres of open space. The project is 6.5 units/acre, with 10% affordable housing either on-site or via fee-in-lieu.
- Board members expressed support for homeownership and lower density. Bill Morris requested on-site affordable housing. Discussion included sidewalk improvements, traffic analysis, and density comparisons.
- Public comment: Several neighbors and attorneys (Nicholas Vitti for Dolphin Cove, Brian Smith for Cummings Point) objected, requesting detached homes and lower density to match neighborhood character. Others, including Margaret Dietz (Ardenwood), supported the project. Monika Twal and Dave Adams raised concerns about traffic, flooding, and precedent.
- The board closed the public hearing and will vote next week, pending submission of a separate exhibit listing all GDP requests.
Consent Calendar
- No items were listed on the consent calendar.
Key Outcomes
- CSPR 1208 (Animal Control Facility): Approved unanimously (4-0).
- Application 223-48 (Hotel): Hearing closed; vote scheduled for next meeting. Board will review conditions and finalize pedestrian separation design.
- Applications 224-37 & 224-38 (Toll Brothers): Hearing closed; vote scheduled for next meeting. Applicant to submit a separate exhibit of GDP approvals.
- Minutes: Minutes from January 6, 2025 approved.
- Extension of Time: Approved for application 223-40 (19-11 Summer Street) through March 25, 2026, and application 222-32 (100 Clinton Avenue) through March 27, 2026.
- Extension of Acting ZEO: Approved extension of Dan Trapp's term as Acting ZEO through February 15, 2025 (with note that March 15 extension will be on next agenda).
- Prior Approvals Update: Received and noted.
Meeting Transcript
No, I'm still here. Just fixing my light. Okay. You can start, David. 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 635 on January 27th, 2025. The members, sorry about that phone guy. The members of the board and the staff are holding this meeting by Zoom video conference. The public is in attendance both on video conference and by teleconference. First, I'd like to do a roll call of the board and the staff. Bill Morris. Gary Bozak. Present. And now for the staff, Ralph Blessing. Yeah. And Vanita Matter. You're here. So we have everyone. The board's microphones will be at will be open throughout tonight's hearing. The applicants' mics will be open during the public hearing when their application is being heard. However, I would ask applicants to please mute their microphones when not speaking in order to reduce background noise. Each member of the public will be muted until it is your turn to speak. Here's the procedure for the public to let us know that you would like to speak. If you came in through Zoom, please use the raise your hand function and you will be unmuted when it is your turn to speak. If you called in on one of the telephone conference call uh telephone numbers, please press star nine and this will raise your hand. Then press star six to unmute when you are called on to speak. When members of the public speak, please state your name and address for the record and whether you are in favor of or opposed to the application. If you have problems, um if you're trying to speak and you've got problems getting in, please email uh Vanita and she will um get you in. And um her email address is v Moter. That's V as invictor, M-A-T-H-U-R at Stanford C T.gov. Um board requests that members of the public limit your comments to three minutes so that everyone will have a chance to speak. Um you can find the agenda for tonight's meeting uh and the meeting applications and other materials by going to our website www.stanford ct.gov slash zoning. Um this meeting is being recorded and will be posted at the zoning board's website. Um the first item we have is uh administrative review. It's uh CSPR 1208, City of Stanford 201 McGee Avenue proposing to construct a new animal control and care facility with parking, exterior exercise runs, walking paths, and attached one-car garage. The property is within the cam boundary. So um just uh so the public understands we are not being asked to approve um a site plan uh or any other kind of plan for this uh facility. We're only um having a hearing on the uh coastal area management um application um for uh for this location. And I see we have uh the city engineer, uh Mr. Castle. So um Lou, why don't you unmute, introduce yourself, and um just explain what it is you're doing here. Good evening, Lou Castle City Engineer. I'm presenting the coastal side plan review for the animal control facility, the proposed animal control facility that's been completely designed for the city of Stanford. Uh I have a very brief presentation, but before I I show that to you if you'd like to see it. Um I presented um two weeks ago, approximately two weeks ago to the uh excuse me, the Stanford Harbor Management Commission, and your board has a letter in hand uh following the presentation and the review that expresses no objection to the application. Uh your board may also have a copy of the DEEP um finding that the application is consistent with the applicable coastal um policies for the coastal uh site plan review checklist. Um this is a project that, as I mentioned, is designed. Um I will be bidding the project on this week, and I have a very brief presentation if you're interested to see it. Um, sure.
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