City of Stamford Zoning Board Meeting - November 25, 2025

The City of Stamford Zoning Board resumed its hearing from November 24, 2025, at 9:52 PM to address two zoning text change applications and continue several specific development projects due to technical recording issues. The primary focus of the night was a proposed amendment to the VC (Village Center) district regulations to streamline text, add illustrative graphics, and introduce a staff-level architectural review process for smaller projects. Board members debated the appropriate square footage threshold for this staff review, ultimately adjusting the proposal from 20,000 to 12,500 square feet. Two additional text amendments and a site plan approval for a residential conversion were also discussed, while several applications were continued to future meetings.

Consent Calendar

• No formal consent calendar items were processed; the board moved directly to specific agenda items and discussions.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Dave Adams: Expressed strong opposition to reducing the Zoning Board's authority over projects with up to 12-15 units (based on the 12,500 sq ft threshold), stating that such developments require board consideration rather than passing without review. He also voiced significant frustration with the Teams platform, hoping to move away from its use in the future.

Discussion Items

Application ZB 225-32: VC District Text Change and Staff Review

• Proposal Overview: The Land Use Bureau proposed renaming the current VC district into VC1 (Glenbrook and Springdale) and VC2 (all other districts). The plan included adding illustrative graphics for setbacks and heights (which resulted in no substantive regulatory changes) and establishing a new section for staff-level architectural review for sites under 20,000 square feet.
• Discretionary Review Debate: Board members discussed whether a threshold of 12,500 vs. 20,000 square feet was appropriate to shift minor projects from Board review to Staff review. Concerns were raised that projects like 492 Glenbrook (approx. 19,000 sq ft) or 488 Glenbrook (approx. 19,000 sq ft) were too significant to bypass the Board.
• Position Summary:
  • Bill and Ken (Board Members): Expressed support for lowering the threshold to 10,000 square feet to minimize costs and delays for small developers. Ken preferred 15,000 square feet but was open to 10,000.
  • Jerry (Board Member): Expressed support for a 15,000 square foot threshold, though he noted the need to balance allowing development with maintaining quality control.
  • Ralph Blessing (Land Use Bureau Chief): Stated that the goal was to streamline regulations to avoid delaying vacant properties but acknowledged the importance of Board review for projects with significant unit counts or complex changes.
  • Board Consensus: The Board voted to lower the threshold to 12,500 square feet (approx. 12-13 units), acknowledging that while some larger multifamily buildings would be affected, staff review would be more efficient for minor changes like siding or roof repairs, which were deemed unnecessary for Board review.
• Final Amendments: The Board agreed to rename the districts on the map via footnotes in the text change rather than requiring a separate map amendment.

Application ZB 225-40: Appendix B Table Updates

• Proposal Overview: This item proposed combining separate residential and non-residential regulation tables into a single unified table, adding missing districts (VC, CG, TCD), and updating footnotes to remove outdated references. No substantive regulatory changes were proposed.
• Discussion: Ralph Blessing explained that the change was purely organizational to improve accessibility of data. He noted a technical correction regarding the CG district regulations, reverting to current rules rather than proposed ones while awaiting a separate CG text change.
• Position Summary: Board members expressed support for the consolidation as a logical step to improve clarity, with no substantive opposition noted.

Application ZB 225-28: 120 Long Ridge Road (Site Plan)*

• Note: Application 225-28 refers to 120 Long Ridge Road. The transcript indicates this specific application was voted on later, though 120 C Long Ridge Road was mentioned as being continued.
• Proposal Overview: Approval of a special permit for a residential conversion involving landscape plans, affordable housing payments (BMR), parking management, and traffic improvements.
• Key Discussion Points:
  • Parking Width: Board member Bill questioned why the parking requirements allowed 8.5-foot spaces in Category 3 districts versus 9-foot requirements elsewhere, expressing concern that 8.5 feet is too tight and potentially unsafe for occupants exiting vehicles.
  • Staff Response: Luke (Engineering) indicated that 8.5 feet is generally acceptable across the board if the city wished to adopt that standard universally, acknowledging the trade-off between space constraints and cost.
• Position Summary: The Board approved the application with 4 affirmative votes and 0 objections, accepting the conditions regarding reduced parking width for the specific district category.

Key Outcomes

• Application ZB 225-32 (VC Text Change): Continued to the December 1, 2025 meeting to finalize the text change with the 12,500 square foot threshold for staff-level architectural review. The Board agreed that projects exceeding this size, or those with significant changes, will still require Board review.
• Application ZB 225-40 (Appendix B Update): Continued to the December 1, 2025 meeting to allow for public access following technical difficulties.
• Application ZB 225-28 (120 Long Ridge Road): Approved unanimously (4-0) with conditions, including:
  • BMR payment of approximately $2.7 million to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund.
  • Provision of 267 self-parking spaces (including 27 EV spaces), with an adjustment to ensure all spaces are at least 9 feet wide.
  • Contribution of $150,000 for traffic signal updates and $50,000 for pedestrian upgrades.
• Continuances:
  • 488 Glenbrook Road (ZB 225-24): Continued to December 15, 2025.
  • 120 C Long Ridge Road (ZB 225-28): Continued to December 1, 2025.
  • 120 Long Ridge Road: Continued to December 1, 2025.
  • 2 Barry Place Applications: Continued to December 15, 2025.
• Future Agenda Items: Upcoming meetings will feature the conversion of the WWE (Titan Tower) building at 1241 East Main Street and site plan modifications for a bathhouse in Harbor Point.

Disclaimer: The transcript contains a discrepancy where the item 120 Long Ridge Road is cited as Application 225-28 in one section, but the board discusses continuing it to December 1st while simultaneously approving 120 Long Ridge Road as 225-28 with conditions. The summary reflects the approval action for the site mentioned.