Continuing the discussion from STAMFORD, CT. | Stamford Core Redevelopment:
Public gets first look at proposed ‘hole in the ground’ development
Posted: Tuesday, June 10, 2014 4:10 pm
By MATT KIERNAN Times Staff Writer
STAMFORD — Local developers are seeking the Zoning Board’s approval to construct a mixed-use development at the “hole in the ground” site at the intersection of Greyrock Place and Tresser Boulevard.
RB Stamford Associates, LLC, is proposing to build a 672-unit apartment complex on the Parcel 38 property, which has been left in development limbo for years.
“I think it’s going to be an excellent project,” said RB Stamford Associates project manager John Wuestneck, on Monday.
Wuestneck and other members of the project’s development team attended the Zoning Board’s meeting in Stamford Government Center for a public hearing that was continued from last week.
Architects and attorneys representing the developers provided renderings of what the development would like when completely finished.
They also answered questions from Zoning Board members regarding the specific details of the complex’s facade and construction materials.
“It’s a cutting edge URL project,” Wuestneck said, referring to the local development company URL Stamford.
The complex will consist of 11 apartment buildings that are five to eight stories tall. The buildings will have a mix of 272 studios, 273 one-bedroom and 127 two-bedroom apartments.
The apartment buildings will be connected in a square-like shape, with one building erected in the center of the 10 other buildings.
Between the center building and the other 10 buildings will be a landscaped courtyard called the “Oasis.”
The 83,000-square-foot outdoor area will include a pool, chess board, fire pit, space for residents to run with their dogs and seating.
“We’re really looking forward to it,” Wuestneck said.
Parking for renters will be available with 571 spaces supporting 85 percent of the apartment units and 672 bicycle rack storage units.
The site will also feature a 5,090-square-foot, small public café at the corner of Greyrock Place and Tresser Boulevard. In nicer weather, the café will offer outdoor seating.
The corner of Tresser Boulevard and Greyrock Place will be enhanced by a rail trail, planted trees, street furniture and sitting areas.
“It’ll take every bit of two years to completely finish the project,” Wuestneck said.
The buildings’ exterior facades will be made of glass, granite, metal panels, some cedar wood and other materials.
“All of these buildings require some maintenance,” said Glenn Haydu, project director of Minno Wakso Architects and Planners, which is handling the development’s architectural designs.
The city’s Planning Board voted unanimously in favor of the project at its regular meeting on May 20.
Last October, former Mayor Michael Pavia announced F.D. Rich Company bought the 4.3-acre site from Milstein Properties for an undisclosed amount.
The F.D. Rich Company has partnered with RB Stamford Associates LLC and New Jersey-based developers Ironstate for the project.
F.D. Rich has built much of downtown Stamford including Stamford Town Center mall, Landmark Square and the Stamford Marriott Hotel & Spa.
The Rich family owned Parcel 38 more than 20 years ago. They dug holes for a development’s foundation, but the plans failed to take off.
For the new proposed project, Stamford’s city traffic engineer Mani Poola has asked developers to address traffic signal controls at the four surrounding intersections, medians, sidewalks and crosswalks. The concerns included accessways for disabled people and parking garage access controls for traffic at the property.
“It’s impossible to sustain this list financially,” said attorney William Hennessey of Carmody Torrance Sandak & Hennessey LLP of Stamford, representing the developers.
Hennessey suggested zoning officials meet with city administrators to discuss ways to address traffic control in the area around Parcel 38.
He said his clients may be willing to contribute funds alongside the city to solve traffic issues next to the proposed development.
“I think we’re going to have to have a little more dialogue,” Hennessey said.
