Stamford Zoning Board Meeting - May 6, 2025
Stamford Zoning Board Meeting - May 6, 2025
The Zoning Board of the City of Stamford met on May 6, 2025, at 6:35 PM via Zoom. Chair David Stein presided over roll call, public hearings, and discussions on three main applications: a lawsuit executive session, a general development plan for converting an office building to residential units, and a proposed University and Research Overlay District (UROD) text and map change. The meeting was recorded and posted online.
Consent Calendar
- The board unanimously approved the minutes from the April 28, 2025 meeting.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Application 225-08 (30 Oak Street conversion): Several residents spoke. Brittany Lawrence (1201 Washington Boulevard) opposed the high number of studio apartments, stating they are difficult to rent and do not accommodate families. Susan Halpern (Elmcraft Road) asked about operable windows and whether the property could be used for dorms. Monica Twal (37 Hanrahan Street) opposed the project due to traffic, infrastructure, and rat concerns. Nanette Chiapetta (39 Oak Street) raised parking, sewer, and rodent issues. Dave Adams (29 Flint Rock Road) supported operable windows and urged caution on conversion pace. Kathy Kligler (21 Friar Tuck Lane) emphasized windows as a necessity and asked about market needs. Nora Blight-Salano (37 Oak Street) opposed the general development plan as vague, cited lack of environmental assessment and tree removal, and argued it bypasses proper review. The applicant, Ray Mazio, responded that many concerns will be addressed at final site plan stage.
- Applications 225-09 & 225-10 (UROD): Public comment included strong support and opposition. Brittany Lawrence (1201 Washington Boulevard) opposed the overlay due to displacement of affordable housing residents at 1201 Washington Boulevard. Arthur Selkowitz (262 Ocean Drive East) supported the overlay as a way to revitalize downtown with university and cultural uses. Barry Michelson (Idlewood Drive, Stamford Neighborhood Coalition) urged a smaller district, questioned state exemption from zoning, and asked for equal partnership. Michael Moore (Stamford Downtown President) strongly supported the overlay, citing UConn’s positive impact on downtown. Michael Bacanelli (225 Kelowna Road) opposed, fearing tax base loss and noting the boatyard property. Susan Halpern again spoke, criticizing the overlay’s complexity and its impact on the South End’s historic district. Elizabeth McCauley (18 Walter Wheeler Drive) opposed the overlay as a free-for-all for higher density, raising infrastructure and quality of life concerns. Mohammed Holeb (UConn Stamford senior and Stamford resident) supported the overlay for economic and cultural benefits. Mark Diamond (North Stamford) asked about transfer of development rights boundaries and whether future residential construction could benefit. Monica Twal (37 Hanrahan Street) opposed both applications, calling them a "communist" approach and questioning the unelected officials’ role. Dave Adams (29 Flint Rock Road) expressed confusion about benefits to developers versus the city and asked for a sunset clause. Gina Calabries (300 Cove Road) criticized the zoning board and questioned the boatyard inclusion, infrastructure capacity, and quality issues with BLT properties. Chris Dawson (81 Mangle Road, North Stamford) strongly supported the overlay, drawing comparisons to Worcester, Massachusetts, and highlighting UConn’s contributions.
Discussion Items
- Executive Session on Pending Litigation: The board entered executive session at approximately 6:38 PM regarding the lawsuit by Butter Cannabis (Butter Holding Five, LLC) against the Zoning Board for denial of a dispensary application. The session ended at approximately 6:54 PM with no votes taken. Participants included the three board members, land use staff, and the city’s law department.
- Application 225-08 – 30 Oak Street General Development Plan: Ray Mazio (Redniss & Mead) presented on behalf of the applicants (contract purchasers Bellpoint, associated with 460 Summer Street conversion). The plan seeks to convert a 53,388 square foot office building into up to 60 residential units (about half studios, with one- and two-bedroom units). Parking would be maintained at 80 spaces (1.33 per unit) in an existing garage; the grade-level deck may be repurposed for amenity space. The final site plan will address landscaping, operable windows, facade refresh, and BMR compliance (either on-site or fee-in-lieu). Board members (Roseanne, Bill, Chair Stein) expressed general support for the conversion concept but requested robust landscaping, open space, and facade improvements at final site plan. The public hearing was closed; a vote is expected at the next meeting.
- Applications 225-09 & 225-10 – University and Research Overlay District (UROD): Ralph Blessing (Land Use Bureau), Jennifer Orlikoff (Dean, UConn Stamford), and Leah Kagan (Economic Development) presented. The UROD is an overlay district covering about 3% of Stamford’s land area (downtown and South End) with exclusion zones for historic areas and low-density residential. It provides development bonuses (up to 25% density increase, up to 10 percentage points coverage increase, one extra story per five stories, parking reductions, and transferable development rights) only for 10 eligible uses: dorms, classrooms, labs, student/faculty housing, museums, theaters, etc. Transfer of development rights (TDR) is allowed only within the UROD and cannot cross I-95. Existing residential conversions are not eligible for bonuses. The board decided to review the text line-by-line at the next meeting. Numerous public comments were heard; the hearing was continued to May 19, 2025.
Key Outcomes
- The board closed the public hearing for Application 225-08 (30 Oak Street). A vote on the general development plan is expected at the next meeting on May 19, 2025, after conditions are circulated.
- Applications 225-09 (text change) and 225-10 (map change) for the UROD were continued to the next zoning board meeting on May 19, 2025, at 6:30 PM on Zoom. The public record remains open for written comments.
- The board approved the minutes from the April 28, 2025 meeting.
- No votes were taken during the executive session.
Meeting Transcript
With three percent. Oh my god. We can get started, David. Okay. I'd like to welcome everyone and call tonight zoning board meeting to order. I'm David Stein, chair of the zoning board, and it is 635 on May 5th, 2025. 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. I'd first like to do a roll call of the board and the staff. Bill Morris? Here. And now for the staff, Ralph Blessing. Okay. Um the board's microphones will be open throughout tonight's meeting. The applicant's mics will be open during the public hearing for their application. However, we would ask 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. Each member of the public will be muted until it is your turn 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 phone numbers, please press star nine, and this will raise your hand. And then press star six to unmute when you are called on to speak. When members of the public speak, please give us your name and address for the record, and whether you are in favor of or opposed to the application. The board requests that members of the public limit your comments to three minutes so that everyone will have a chance to speak. And this uh limit is enforced by Benita. So it's pretty strict. Uh if you have a problem getting in, for some reason you can't uh we can't hear you or you some other issue with trying to speak, please send an email to Vanita um at her city email address. That's V M A T H U R V Montor at Stanford C T dot gov, and she'll try to figure out why you can't get on. Um tonight's meeting is being recorded and it'll be posted on the zoning board's website. And you can find the agenda for tonight's meeting and the meeting applications and other materials by going to our website www.stanford ct.gov slash zoning. Um the first item that we have on tonight's agenda uh is under updates and discussions, and it says discussion regarding pending litigation in the matter of butter holding five, LLC, doing business as butter cannabis versus zoning board of the city of Stanford, uh application two two three-four six potential executive session. And this matter is the lawsuit against the zoning board by um butter cannabis, which was a cannabis dispensary that um the zoning board um denied their application to open a dispensary. Um can I get a motion, please, to go into executive session? So moved. Second. Okay. Um all in favor, say aye. Aye. Okay. We're going into executive session. Um, for everyone who is on here, um, we're gonna exit for a little while, go into executive session, and we will be back. Uh this shouldn't take too long. Um, but don't leave. We will return. So uh zoning board, we're gonna leave you. Sorry to keep you. I um I logged in to a different Zoom meeting on my calendar as well. Was anybody there? Was it more fun? You dealt with special permits. Oh, there you go.
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