Meeting colors

OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Stamford Zoning Board Meeting - December 1, 2025

Zoning Board — Tuesday, December 2, 2025

BodyStamford, Connecticut

SessionZoning Board

DateTuesday, December 2, 2025

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 3:04:39

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:13

We can start the meeting.

0:17

I'd like to welcome everyone and call tonight's zoning board meeting to order.

0:22

I'm David Stein, Chair of the Zoning Board, and it is 638 on December 1st, 2025.

0:29

The members of the board and the staff are holding this meeting on Zoom Video Conference.

0:36

Thank God we're back on Zoom.

0:38

And the public is in attendance both on video conference and by teleconference.

0:43

I'd like to first do a roll call of board and staff.

0:47

Bill Morris?

0:48

Here.

0:49

Roseanne McManus.

0:51

Here.

0:52

Well, you know, roll calls is too fast.

0:55

We need some more people.

0:58

And now for the staff, uh Ralph Blessing.

1:01

Yeah.

1:02

And Vanita Mother.

1:04

Yeah.

1:06

The board's microphones will be open throughout tonight's hearing.

1:10

Applicants' mics will be open during the public hearing for their application.

1:16

However, I would ask the applicant to please mute their mics for not speaking in order to reduce background noise.

1:29

Each member of the public will be muted until it is your turn to speak.

1:34

Here's the procedure for the public to let us know that you would like to speak.

1:39

If you came in through Zoom, please use the raise your hand function, and you'll be unmuted when it is your turn to speak.

1:46

If you called in on a telephone conference call phone number, please press star nine, and this will raise your hand, and then star six to unmute when you are called on.

1:58

When members of the public speak, uh please give us your name and address for the record and whether you're in favor of or opposed to the application.

2:07

The board requests that members of the public limit your comments to three minutes so that everyone will have a chance to speak, and we will let you know when you uh hit the end of your time.

2:18

Uh the meeting is being recorded and will be posted at the zoning board's website.

2:24

Um you can find the agenda for tonight's meeting and the meeting applications and other materials by going to our website, www.stamford ct.gov slash zoning.

2:40

If you're having trouble, by the way, getting on, um, you've raised your hand and it's not working.

2:47

Um send an email to Vanita.

2:50

Her email address is V, that's V isn't Victor, V Motor, M-A-T-H-U-R at Stanford C T.gov, and she will try to get you on.

3:04

Um we're now um going to the public hearing, our first public hearing, and that is uh application uh 225-29.

3:15

That's continued from our meeting of November 24th.

3:20

Um it's 120 C Long Ridge, LLC and Toll Northeast V Corp.

3:27

Uh 120 C Long Ridge Road, site and architectural plans and our requested uses and special permit.

3:34

Applicant is proposing to construct 44 two-story carriage homes and 58 three-story town homes with associated improvements and amenities.

3:46

Uh I see uh attorney Feinberg is here.

3:51

So um welcome and um please proceed.

3:55

Thank you, Mr.

3:56

Chairman.

3:57

Just just to be clear, we're starting with the text change, correct?

4:02

Um we're on 120 C Longridge.

4:06

Oh sorry.

4:08

My mistake.

4:10

Um when we get there, we'll do the text change and the public hearing, and then separately we'll do the um Thank you.

4:18

We'll do the site plan.

4:20

Okay, let me just may I go ahead and share my screen?

4:25

Uh yeah.

4:31

Okay.

4:48

Okay.

4:49

Can you all see that?

4:51

Yep.

4:53

So for the record, my name is Lisa Feinberg.

4:56

I am a partner with Carmi Torrent, Sandak and Hennessey.

5:00

With me tonight is Matt Pott from Environmental Land Solutions, Eric Lynquist from Tie and Bond, Thomas Wamser from Tie and Bond, Dr.

5:09

Donald Poland from Goman and York, our urban planning and strategy consultant.

5:15

And we're all here on behalf of the applicant and contract purchaser Toll Northeast V Corp, represented here tonight by Kevney Moses and Michael Zamola.

5:26

So as usual, I'd like to start with orienting everyone to the development site.

5:32

So as contemplated, the property is about 19.5 acres.

5:38

It's bordered on the eastern side by Long Ridge Road and across Long Ridge Road, of course, you'll find Whole Foods and Saxaw Fifth, Pepe's Starbucks, Shake Shack, and CVS.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Housing███████████████████19%

Planning and Zoning██████████████████18%

Procedural████████████12%

Urban Redevelopment███████████11%

Urban Design███████████11%

Traffic██████6%

Transportation Safety██████6%

Engineering And Infrastructure████4%

Zoning Board███3%

Summary of Proceedings

Stamford Zoning Board Meeting - December 1, 2025

On December 1, 2025, the Stamford Zoning Board of Appeals convened via Zoom for a public hearing and regular meeting. The primary focus was a comprehensive site plan and special permit review for a 102-unit residential development at 120 Long Ridge Road, alongside several zoning text change applications. The evening included presentations by the applicant's team regarding architecture, landscaping, drainage, and traffic, followed by board questions and public testimony.

Consent Calendar

Approval of the November 24, 2025, meeting minutes (Passed 3-0).

Public Comments & Testimony

Sue Halpern (Elmcroft Road): Expressed strong concern regarding pedestrian safety on Long Ridge Road and High Ridge Road following recent fatalities. She advocated for additional crosswalks and measures to slow down traffic, noting the wide nature of the streets and the increase in pedestrian activity expected from new developments.

Discussion Items

Application 225-29 (120 C Long Ridge, LLC):
- Proposal: Redevelopment of 19.5 acres into 102 homes (44 carriage homes, 58 townhomes), including 2+ acres of usable open space and 60,000 sq. ft. of publicly accessible trail amenities.
- Staff/Expert Presentations:
  - Drainage: New ponds are being constructed higher than existing wetlands to dewater regulated areas, maintaining existing watershed delineations.
  - Landscaping: Plan to remove 184 trees and replace with 525 new trees. Board requested clarification on street tree requirements for Old Barn Road and the feasibility of enlarging the child play area and pollinator garden.
  - Traffic: Study indicates the development generates fewer trips than other permitted uses (e.g., apartments or schools). Level of Service at surrounding intersections remains D or better.
  - Fiscal Impact: Dr. Donald Poland testified that despite concerns about school enrollment, the project is fiscally positive for the city, generating approximately $2.1M in revenue against $800k in costs, projecting only ~24 school enrollments.
- Board Concerns: Questions were raised regarding the size of the child play area, the pollinator garden, parking calculations, and the necessity of a Transportation Demand Management (TDM) plan waiver.
Application 225-3-2 (Zoning Text Change - VC District):
- Proposal: Streamline VC district regulations, add graphics, and update master plan categories. No substantive changes to the threshold for review (remains 12,500 sq. ft. lot area).
Application 225-40 (Zoning Text Change - Appendix B):
- Proposal: Update Appendix B tables to reflect current regulations and comprehensive plan categories. No substantive changes proposed.
Application 225-3-4 (1241 East Main Street Associates LLC - Text Change):
- Proposal: Amend regulations to permit the conversion of legally non-conforming, previously exempt mechanical penthouses into floor area (habitable space) without increasing building height or massing.
- Board Discussion: Board members debated whether to limit the text change to residential conversions only to avoid potential office space non-conformities. Attorney Feinberg agreed to revise the text to clarify height definitions and exclude references to "previously exempt" status to ensure clarity under current regulations.
Application 225-3-5 (1241 East Main Street Associates LLC - Site Plan):
- Proposal: Conversion of the former WWE headquarters into 84 residential units, utilizing existing parking and the mechanical penthouse.
- Board Concerns: Questions focused on sidewalk widths (minimum 5 feet), absence of amenity strips on East Main Street, operable windows, and the need for a concept for the rooftop deck landscaping. The Fire Department's request for 24-foot curb cuts was confirmed as met.

Key Outcomes

Applications Continued:
- 225-29 (120 Long Ridge): Continued to December 15, 2025. Applicant to provide revised landscape plans (tree locations, play area size), rooftop landscaping concepts, and sidewalk dimension details.
- 225-3-4 (1241 East Main - Text Change): Continued to December 15, 2025. Applicant to revise the text to clarify height definitions and remove "previously exempt" language.
- 225-3-5 (1241 East Main - Site Plan): Continued to December 15, 2025. Applicant to provide sidewalk width dimensions, street tree frontage/breakdown, roof deck landscaping concepts, and the TTP letter.
Text Changes Approved (Motion Passed 3-0):
- Application 225-3-2: Zoning text change for the VC district approved.
- Application 225-40: Zoning text change for Appendix B approved.
Extensions Approved (Motion Passed 3-0):
- Application 221-29 (South End Pacific): Time extension to February 23, 2027, for the firehouse project (conversion from rental to homeownership).
- Application 223-48 (Zero West Park Place): Time extension to February 20, 2027, for the Columbus Park project.
Next Steps: The Board discussed the possibility of voting on Barry Place, 120C, and East Main Street applications at the December 15th meeting once required information is submitted.
Adjournment: Meeting adjourned at 6:30 PM.

Meeting Transcript

We can start the meeting. 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 638 on December 1st, 2025. The members of the board and the staff are holding this meeting on Zoom Video Conference. Thank God we're back on Zoom. And the public is in attendance both on video conference and by teleconference. I'd like to first do a roll call of board and staff. Bill Morris? Here. Roseanne McManus. Here. Well, you know, roll calls is too fast. We need some more people. And now for the staff, uh Ralph Blessing. Yeah. And Vanita Mother. Yeah. The board's microphones will be open throughout tonight's hearing. Applicants' mics will be open during the public hearing for their application. However, I would ask the applicant to please mute their mics for 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'll be unmuted when it is your turn to speak. If you called in on a telephone conference call phone number, please press star nine, and this will raise your hand, and then star six to unmute when you are called on. When members of the public speak, uh please give us your name and address for the record and whether you're 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 we will let you know when you uh hit the end of your time. Uh the meeting is being recorded and will be posted at the zoning board's website. Um you can find the agenda for tonight's meeting and the meeting applications and other materials by going to our website, www.stamford ct.gov slash zoning. If you're having trouble, by the way, getting on, um, you've raised your hand and it's not working. Um send an email to Vanita. Her email address is V, that's V isn't Victor, V Motor, M-A-T-H-U-R at Stanford C T.gov, and she will try to get you on. Um we're now um going to the public hearing, our first public hearing, and that is uh application uh 225-29. That's continued from our meeting of November 24th. Um it's 120 C Long Ridge, LLC and Toll Northeast V Corp. Uh 120 C Long Ridge Road, site and architectural plans and our requested uses and special permit. Applicant is proposing to construct 44 two-story carriage homes and 58 three-story town homes with associated improvements and amenities. Uh I see uh attorney Feinberg is here. So um welcome and um please proceed. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just just to be clear, we're starting with the text change, correct? Um we're on 120 C Longridge. Oh sorry. My mistake. Um when we get there, we'll do the text change and the public hearing, and then separately we'll do the um Thank you. We'll do the site plan. Okay, let me just may I go ahead and share my screen? Uh yeah. Okay. Okay.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI

TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com