The Stamford Planning Board has received a briefing on the plans to build a new Westhill High School as a replacement for Stamford’s existing aged Westhill High School at 125 Roxbury Road. Adam Levitus, senior project manager for Colliers Project Leaders, represented the Stamford Board of Education and gave an update on the project. The project needs approval from the city before it can be submitted to the state, which must approve before the project can go out for bids and the subsequent bid acceptance and beginning of construction.
Levitus said that they hoped to begin construction in April of next year. He said that the completion of the new building would be in the summer of 2029 in time for an opening for the 2029-2030 school year.
“Construction would continue past that as the demolition of the existing high school needs to occur after the new building is opened,” Levitus said. “There is some ongoing enabling work at the adjacent emergency medical services site that will be used to help support construction activities.”
The Planning Board decided it would send a letter to Stamford Mayor Carline Simmons notifying her that the Planning Board reviewed the project and likes what it saw.
As of July, the cost to build the new school and then demolish the existing school was estimated at $460,717,567. The state is expected to reimburse up to 80% of the cost of the project. Some funds have been accumulated for the local share of the costs with bonding expected. It is expected that there would be no significant impact to local taxpayers from new bonding since some existing bonds are being retired.
The existing high school was built in 1971. The site covers 32 acres. The new school would be designed for a maximum enrollment of 2,458 students, a slight increase from the current enrollment of approximately 2,300. The programs offered at the school will be largely the same as the existing school.
The new building has been sited to the north of the existing building where ball fields currently exist. A new main parking lot with parent drop-off loop, transit bus stop and the main parking lot will be constructed south of the new building in the area of the site where the existing building now stands. There will be new ball fields, tennis courts, a six-lane track, soccer fields, and a pedestrian sidewalk network and other enhancements. The site will be bicycle friendly and include bicycle racks.
The new site design will be 100% ADA accessible. New vehicular circulation will provide separate drive-aisles for buses and cars. A total of 513 parking spaces are provided in the design for faculty, staff, students and visitors, which is an increase of 38 spaces over the current count. There will be electric vehicle charging stations at 10% of the parking spaces. Separate parking for 57 school buses will be provided.
The building will use a hybrid heating and cooling plant that uses geothermal heat pumps supplemented by gas-fired boilers and electric air-cooled chillers for peak loads. There will be rooftop solar panels help offset the building’s electric requirements.
