Jared Weber
Chapel Hill
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Articles by Jared Weber
Stamford developer wants to save historic Taylor Street home
STAMFORD — The 1890 house on Taylor Street is a glimpse into Stamford's past. Originally designed for two families, the Queen Anne-style house was one of a row built on the West Side to accommodate mostly Irish immigrants who worked as servants in nearby mansions, on the railroad or in local factories. The houses aren't lavish, but they provided opportunity for new residents looking to make Stamford their home, influential preservationist Renee Kahn wrote in a May 1991 memo.
Can Stamford's Zoning Board force a developer to build townhouses, not apartments, on Long Ridge?
STAMFORD — Rarely does the Stamford Zoning Board reject proposals to build apartments in the city’s few zones that allow them. However, that’s what board members have signaled they may do when they convene Monday night, their first meeting since closing hearings on a developer’s plan to convert an office park near the Merritt Parkway into a new apartment complex.
From Florida to Milford to Stamford, Pedal Cruise party boat comes to Harbor Point in June
STAMFORD — A party boat will be setting sail this summer in Harbor Point. Pedal Cruise, a company started by three Connecticut men that expanded last year into Milford, will start offering rides in Stamford at the start of June, according to a press release. Article continues below this ad Up to 26 people total can tag along for the 90-minute trips, the release said.
Developer looks to revamp Stamford office park, put 508 apartments at 900 Long Ridge Road
STAMFORD — A controversial change to the city's zoning regulations could soon be put to the test for the first time. Monday Properties — which has offices in Manhattan and Arlington, Va., — is looking to construct a four-building residential complex with 508 apartments at 900 Long Ridge Road, just south of the Merritt Parkway exit. The 36.5-acre property currently has two four-story office buildings, one of which is occupied by beverage company BlueTriton Brands. The other building is vacant.
Stamford neighborhood group files lawsuit aiming to halt all Connecticut cannabis businesses
STAMFORD — A lawsuit filed against the Stamford Zoning Board is looking to crack down on Connecticut’s nascent cannabis industry. Besides targeting regulations unique to the city, the suit – which calls the state’s Social Equity Council a “scheme” – could have broad state-wide implications with its challenge to the law legalizing the possession and commercial sale of cannabis in Connecticut, saying it violates the federal Controlled Substances Act.
Three Stamford ZIP codes have seen home values surge. It's hitting millennials hard.
STAMFORD — Home values rose across all of Stamford over the past year, and nowhere more than in three ZIP codes: 06901, 06905 and 06906. From June 2022 to June 2023, prices rose about 6.3 percent in 06901, 5.7 percent in 06905 and 5.1 percent in 06906, according to data from real estate listings website Zillow. Elsewhere in the city, increases were slightly more modest: 4.4 percent in 06902, 5.1 percent in 06906, 4.4 percent in 06907 and 4 percent in 06903.
NEW CANAAN — A third project that would create new affordable housing in New Canaan is facing the same opposition from officials that killed two other proposals by the same developer.
‘Terribly embarrassed’ by her party, one of two Stamford Zoning Board Republicans drops affiliation
From left, Principal Planner Vineeta Mathur, Zoning Board member Rosanne McManus, Land Use Bureau Chief Ralph Blessing, Stamford land-use consultant Rick Redniss, and Zoning Board member William Morris look over site plans at the office park at 900 Long Ridge Rd. in Stamford, Conn. Thursday, Nov.2, 2023. The Stamford Zoning Board toured the 36.5 acre commercial property Thursday to determine whether apartments should be approved for development.
Stamford Zoning Board OKs long-debated senior living complex on vacant land zoned for office parks
STAMFORD — A long-discussed plan to turn an undeveloped 15-acre parcel zoned as an office park into senior housing is officially moving forward. The Zoning Board on Monday night approved a proposal for a senior living facility on Long Ridge Road in Stamford. The project — which will include 210 total housing units — is being spearheaded by Mozaic Senior Life, the nonprofit formerly known as Jewish Senior Services.
Third Stamford cannabis dispensary? Bridgeport's Nautilus Botanicals wants hybrid setup on East Side.
STAMFORD — Less than two months after Zoning Board members called for a moratorium on new cannabis dispensaries in the city, another one could be headed their way. Nautilus Botanicals, a Bridgeport-based company, has filed paperwork to operate a hybrid cannabis dispensary in a vacant retail building on the East Side. The site, at 1110 East Main St. near the neighborhood's southbound Interstate 95 exit, would be Stamford's third hybrid retailer.
'Streatery season' a boon for some Stamford restaurants, but location matters for outdoor dining success
STAMFORD — In just a few weeks, thanks to an ordinance passed last week, some downtown Stamford restaurants again will liven up the cityscape with outdoor dining on sidewalks and streets. One strip likely to see more foot traffic is Main Street near Columbus Park, restaurateur Peter Valis said. Valis owns Kouzina, a Greek taverna and bar, which opened at 223 Main St. about nine months before the pandemic started.
Stamford's East Side may get urban park and green path, thanks to nonprofit, Greenwich-based developer
STAMFORD — A local developer and nonprofit are taking the community's temperature about a project that could spruce up the city's East Side neighborhood. Wellbuilt Company, a Greenwich-based developer with a growing footprint in Stamford, announced it is exploring plans to build two major new public amenities serving the East Side. One would be an urban park below the Interstate 95 underpass at Lafayette Street and North State Street.
Stamford's crumbling West Main St. Bridge closed and temporary one installed — but for how long?
STAMFORD — There's a new West Main Street bridge in Stamford — for now, at least. After delayed supply deliveries pushed the project back, crews have been piecing together a temporary bridge next to the crumbling, 135-year-old one. Officials are working to have the new bridge open to pedestrians "by year's end," city engineer Lou Casolo said. Article continues below this ad "The contractor is basically working with utility companies to complete utility work on the new bridge," Casolo said.
In Stamford, should developers build more affordable housing or pay into trust fund?
STAMFORD — A developer’s delayed request to make an approximately $13 million payment instead of adding affordable units to their new downtown apartment complex sparked a familiar debate about the policy called "fee-in-lieu" on Monday night at the Stamford Zoning Board.
Stamford voters reject changes to city's charter, vote no on ballot question, unofficial results show
STAMFORD — Fifty-seven percent of voters rejected a ballot question Tuesday that would have resulted in multiple changes to Stamford's charter. A total of 11,101 voters opposed the changes to the city’s governing document, compared with 8,485 who voted for them, according to unofficial results from the city's Office of the Registrars of Voters.
Renovations at Stamford West Side apartment complex create confusion, debris-filled apartments
STAMFORD — For the past 17 years, Marie-Elena Britt has made Coleman Towers — a 13-story apartment building on Stamford's West Side — her home. Over the past year, however, she said her home has become a dusty, noisy and stressful place to be. The 1971 building changed hands last year after previously operating as a housing cooperative.
Stamford's Springdale area opens first affordable housing development, with $8.3M price tag
STAMFORD — Springdale’s first affordable housing development is now open, and it bears a familiar name. City officials celebrated the opening of David Martin Apartments, a 17-unit apartment complex with nine two-bedroom homes and eight three-bedroom homes, on Friday morning. The apartments are in the Springdale section of Stamford, on the site of the former Springdale Methodist Church.
Why a Stamford architect, historian and developer all gathered at former workshop of Rushmore sculptor
STAMFORD — What do a historian, a construction company and an architect have in common? It sounds like the start of a joke, but for advocates of historic preservation, it's no laughing matter. Article continues below this ad Local nonprofit Historic Neighborhood Preservation hosted its second annual Renee Kahn Preservation Awards Oct. 22, named after the organization's founder. It was held at the former workshop of Mount Rushmore architect Gutzon Borglum.
CT native and top banjo player Alison Brown chose music over investment banking. It paid off.
Alison Brown and her banjo have come a long way since her Stamford upbringing. The instrument has taken the 61-year-old on many journeys — through the professional bluegrass scene, through the fascinating and problematic history of American music, and finding her place in both. This week, she'll be back in the Nutmeg State for a special performance with her band. Article continues below this ad "My whole childhood was when I was in Stamford.
Stamford's Pacific House has plans for 18 more 'deeply affordable' units on city's West Side
STAMFORD — Deeply affordable housing — an industry term that means housing affordable to people with extremely low income — can be extremely difficult to finance, officials say. But Pacific House, one of Stamford's leading nonprofits addressing homelessness, was back before the Planning Board Jan. 9 with plans to build 18 more deeply affordable units on the city's West Side. The apartments would be in a building at 66 Stillwater Ave., which is now a vacant lot.
Stamford makes outdoor dining permanent, but restaurants will pay for the privilege
STAMFORD — When spring rolls around, expanded outdoor dining in Stamford will be here to stay. The Stamford Board of Representatives on Monday night added rules allowing outdoor dining in parking spaces and roadways — a lifeline for many local restaurants throughout the COVID-19 pandemic — into the city’s Code of Ordinances. Representatives unanimously approved the measure as part of the Board's consent agenda with one abstaining vote.
In Stamford, tensions flare amid push for South End Historic District: 'Why is this taking so long?'
STAMFORD — A push to enact Connecticut’s strongest form of historic preservation in the still-redeveloping South End has a major snag: Dozens of homeowners do not want added oversight on their property rights. That was the situation a year ago. That's still the situation now — except the discourse has gotten uglier. Article continues below this ad And, the process no longer has an end date. “Why is this taking so long?
Tenants of condemned Stamford apartment building aren't sure where to go: 'I'm just waiting'
STAMFORD — For weeks, Abel Ávila and his family have been heating up water on the stove just so they can take baths in their apartment. Ávila, 46, lives in 98 Hoyt St. alongside his wife, stepdaughter and 74-year-old mother-in-law. From Oct. 8 until late Thursday night, as temperatures dipped into fall averages, the apartment building was without heat and hot water. Article continues below this ad “I’ve been boiling the water all the time. That’s what I have to do. There’s no choice,” Ávila said.
In Stamford, developers of controversial Life Time Fitness offer a compromise. Will it satisfy critics?
STAMFORD — About five years after city legislators first blocked their plans, Life Time Fitness remains interested in building a gymnasium complex in a defunct Turn of River office park. And some neighbors and members of the Board of Representatives are still, at best, skeptical.
Stamford's Seaview House Marina gets OK for transformation to apartments despite flooding concerns
STAMFORD — Stamford officials are moving forward with the residential renovation of a vacant office building in the city's Cove neighborhood, despite the concerns of some neighbors and state officials. The Zoning Board on Monday night voted unanimously to approve a zoning map change and site plan for Seaview House Marina. The property's owner plans to turn the 100,000-square-foot office building at 68 Seaview Ave. into a low-density apartment complex with 52 units.
Stamford's historic lock factory is in disrepair, embroiled in lawsuit. Could preservationists help?
STAMFORD — The old Yale and Towne factory is in a state of preservation purgatory. The historic lock factory-turned-apartments hasn’t been home to tenants since July 2021. In that time, the building, known at the Lofts at Yale & Towne, has become more and more unkempt. Overgrown shrubs and vines now creep up windows — some of which are open, while a few are cracked. Article continues below this ad Until the building’s owner applies for a demolition permit, there’s not much state officials can do.
Stamford zoning officials have problems with Long Ridge 500+ apartments plan: 'I expected better'
STAMFORD — Neither Zoning Board members nor some residents were on board Monday night with a developer’s plan to convert an office park near the Merritt Parkway into a new apartment complex. After a nearly five-hour meeting, which turned vitriolic at times as land use consultants and aggrieved residents pushed the Stamford Zoning Board in conflicting directions, the plan to build more than 500 apartments and commercial space at 900 Long Ridge Road failed to gain any tractionwith officials.
Stamford train station parking lot goes from free to $12/day after influx of New Canaan commuters
STAMFORD — The city's largest developer said an influx of commuters from New Canaan caused them to start charging for parking at a lot where it was previously offered for free. Building and Land Technology has run a train station parking lot at 650 Atlantic St., in front of the old Blickensderfer typewriter factory, since January 2022. The parking is available through a deal between the developer and the city.
Indoor ice rink on Stamford-Greenwich border? Zoning board wants say over building's color
STAMFORD — The Stamford Zoning Board has given unanimous approval to a proposal for a new indoor ice rink in the city's Waterside neighborhood near the Greenwich border. All five Board members green-lit the approximately 35,000-square foot structure for the 50 Barry Place site on Monday. According to the application, the facility will play host to youth ice hockey and figure skating clinics, educational programs, leagues and tournaments.
Stamford's Heights & Lights 2023 spectacular: Santa to rappel down city's second-tallest building
STAMFORD — Stamford's annual holiday celebration is back next month to ring in the most wonderful time of the year. Heights & Lights will kick off at 5 p.m. on Dec. 3, officially signaling the start of the holiday season. As always, this year's festivities feature Santa Claus and friends rappelling down the side of One Landmark Square in downtown Stamford, the city's second-tallest building.
Take a look back at Downtown Stamford's 4 tallest skyscrapers and 2 that will soon join its skyline
STAMFORD — Downtown Stamford has been growing upward for decades. With last month's approval of Landmark 3 — a 31-story highrise replacing an office building in downtown’s Landmark Square — the city center now has three buildings approved at 300 feet or taller. At this point, only one of those buildings, Park Tower Stamford, has been completed.
Stamford officials bitterly divided about affordable housing, though most agree more is needed
STAMFORD — City legislators and land use officials largely agree that Stamford needs more affordable housing for people with extremely low income. But their differing understandings of how to get there were on full display at a recent Board of Representatives committee meeting.
Nonprofit adds more property, affordable housing funds to Long Ridge Road senior living project
STAMFORD — Nearly four years after officials approved plans for a senior living facility on Long Ridge Road,a new nonprofit has returned with a more detailed concept that adds affordable housing and uses more of the property.
STAMFORD — The city’s skyline will have a new landmark. The Stamford Zoning Board on has approved a proposal to build a 31-story high-rise apartment building in downtown’s Landmark Square. The residential tower will replace an existing office building built in 1977 as part of Stamford’s urban renewal era. The new project will be the city's third-tallest building.
Is Stamford's sewer capacity at risk from development and climate change? Here's what the data says.
STAMFORD — Officials have heard the alarms for years that new development is pushing Stamford’s sewer system to the brink of failure. Data provided by the city’s sanitary sewer authority paints a different picture. According to Stamford Water Pollution Control Authority, the city’s sanitary sewers are operating at two-thirds capacity. The city is capable of treating an average of 24 million gallons of wastewater per day, WPCA Executive Director William Brink said in an email.
Practice ice rink on Stamford-Greenwich border? A billionaire's legacy may help kids get more ice time.
STAMFORD — A proposal heading to the Stamford Zoning Board for approval would make way for a new practice facility for young hockey players and ice skaters. The family of late billionaire businessman Leandro Rizzuto, whose family founded Conair Corp., is proposing to build a 35,500-square-foot indoor ice rink in Stamford’s Waterside neighborhood. The site, located at 50 Barry Place, sits behind a vacant office building previously occupied by Conair.
Stamford's South End has changed a lot in the past decade. But is development finally slowing?
STAMFORD — A walk down Atlantic Street in Stamford's South End neighborhood inspires countless stories, depending on who's telling them. For Patrice Bardliving, it tells the story of home. For nearly all her life, Bardliving, 59, has lived in the South End. She waxes nostalgic about the landmarks of her youth — her childhood home on Pacific Street, the fire station on Henry Street and the old markets and pharmacies near Lathon Wider Community Center, where she used to play basketball in the summer.
Stamford's largest developer BLT to convert its HQ — former Pitney Bowes building — into 256 apartments
STAMFORD — After years of struggling to fill the office space, Stamford’s largest developer is converting its South End headquarters into an apartment building. Building and Land Technology plans to renovate its office building at 100 Elmcroft Road, the former home of technology firm Pitney Bowes, into 256 apartments. One Elmcroft Stamford LLC, a business entity that links back to BLT co-president Paul Kuehner, received approval from the Zoning Board to move forward with the project Monday night.
Which new restaurants, high-end supermarket on Stamford's High Ridge Road will open in 2024?
STAMFORD — Some hungrily anticipated developments north of Downtown Stamford could open up next year. Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana, Shake Shack, Starbucks and Whole Foods are all developing new locations in Bull's Head. All of the businesses beside Whole Foods have received permits, city spokesperson Lauren Meyer said in an email. The high-end grocery store is waiting for approvals from the Stamford Water Pollution Control Authority and Zoning Enforcement Officer.
1,000+ apartments to open in Stamford: Check out these housing developments to watch in 2024
STAMFORD — Despite high interest rates and fierce political opposition in 2023, multifamily housing development in Stamford will keep chugging along next year. In Stamford's more densely populated neighborhoods around downtown, multiple new apartment complexes are expected to open next summer. Several of the projects will also house new retail businesses too.
No more pickleball? Stamford's Rockrimmon Country Club withdraws request to build pickleball courts.
STAMFORD — Rockrimmon Country Club in North Stamford will not be adding pickleball courts, at least any time soon, according to the Zoning Board's agenda for Monday night's meeting. The document says the club "has revised the application removing the request for the (pickleball) courts." Rockrimmon General Manager Vincent Sofi did not return an immediate request for comment Friday.
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