The city of Stamford has initiated the first phase of what it is calling a comprehensive overhaul of its zoning regulations, designed to simplify and modernize those ordinances and to address residents”™ concerns about zoning.
The proposed revisions are part of a larger effort led by the city”™s Land Use Bureau to implement an extensive update of its 360 pages of zoning regulations that date back to the 1950s.
The first phase proposes:
Ӣ Better protections for historic buildings.
ӢImplementing a Stamford Sustainability Scorecard.
Ӣ Establishing stricter guidelines for development around the cityӪs downtown and South End.
ӢRequiring better stormwater management.
As for Stamford”™s single-family zoning districts, the most notable proposal involves strengthening protections for neighborhoods.
“These proposals are a combination of feedback from Stamford”™s community, new legal mandates established by the state and the federal government and best practices from other cities researched by city staff over many months,” said Land Use Bureau Chief Ralph Blessing. “This project began in February (2019) and we”™re committed to modernizing our guidelines to match the expectations residents have for a forward-thinking city like Stamford.”
The proposals for historic preservation are partly the result of recommendations made by the South End Neighborhood Study that was completed in 2018. The proposed changes would strengthen Stamford”™s Historic Preservation Advisory Commission (HPAC) as the reviewing body for redevelopment of historic buildings.
The Stamford Sustainability Scorecard would require new office and apartment buildings to disclose their environmental sustainability. Categories of sustainability include energy usage, water usage, open spaces and landscaping, urban design, waste management and others. Depending on their scores buildings would be awarded a letter grade, in a system officials likened to the letter grading awarded to New York City restaurants.
The proposed new R-HD zoning district ”” or Residential High Density ”” is a stricter version of the R-H zoning district currently utilized in areas of downtown and the South End. Developments approved for the R-HD zoning district would be required to adhere to several conditions, including:
”¢ Providing on-site parking not visible from the street to prevent “concrete deserts” in Stamford”™s most populated areas.
Ӣ Restricting new projects by floor area and number of units to provide the city with more control over managing the size of new developments.
Ӣ Designing guidelines for ground-floor storefronts and residences to create a more attractive environment for pedestrians, residents and businesses.
In response to new regulations required by the state of Connecticut and the federal government, the proposed zoning revisions would require new developments to better manage stormwater runoff from private property, thereby preventing stormwater from overburdening the city”™s storm drains and better protecting its wetlands areas and Long Island Sound.
The proposed revisions will be reviewed by the city”™s Planning Board and such other offices as the Traffic Department and Law Department before they are submitted for approval. Following that process, the Zoning Board will hold public meetings on the proposed revisions, possibly as early as February.
The next phase of the city”™s zoning efforts will involve revising zoning regulations for affordable housing, parking requirements and updating the downtown zoning district.
