Stratford ARB urges stronger landscaping, screening for proposed boat sales and mixed-use at 326 Ferry Boulevard

The Architecture Review Board on Feb. 13 reviewed conceptual plans for 326 Ferry Boulevard, where contract purchaser John Brown seeks permission to sell, store and repair boats and to add a small food/retail use if the zoning commission approves a regulation change to allow those activities in the CA zoning district.

Board members said the application was preliminary but that the proposed exterior changes and site work warranted an advisory response for the zoning commission, and they voted to send a written recommendation with conditions and clarifications.

The applicant’s attorney, Pete Harvey, told the board that his client is a contract purchaser and will not proceed with the acquisition if either the requested zoning regulation change or the special-permit for the site is denied. Harvey introduced the project team, including architect Joe Russo and landscape architect Jim Castro, and described the proposal as keeping the existing building footprint while converting the property to mixed marine services and a small food/retail component.

Landscape reviewer Sam Balastro and other board members questioned how the application counted town-owned planting strips toward the applicant’s open-space requirement. The applicant’s team said the proposal would create additional on-site landscaped area by removing asphalt and forming an L-shaped planting area along the fence line; the team calculated this would meet the board’s stated need for roughly 5,000 square feet (the application cited a 40% open-space target tied to the town requirement). Board members cautioned that plantings placed between the curb and sidewalk (the public “hell strip”) would likely fail because of salt and snow and recommended placing more durable plantings and screening away from the street.

Board members also pressed the applicant on visibility and access: reviewers asked that the boat storage and display area be separated from the restaurant/retail parking and that the site plan show Ferry Creek and the neighborhood context so the board and the zoning commission can judge impacts on adjacent residential property. Several members said neighbor screening—ordinarily tall, evergreen specimens rather than Bradford Callery pears—should be shown on plans to shield Willow Avenue residences from the boat storage area. The landscape architect said proposed plantings included hydrangeas, winter gem boxwoods and pyramidal hollies; board members advised revising species choices and spacing and avoiding Bradford pears because of breakage and long-term maintenance concerns.

The board recommended screens for dumpsters and rooftop mechanicals and discouraged chain-link fencing; members suggested decorative vinyl or architectural screening and recommended relocating the dumpster pad to the northeast corner of the site if feasible. Members also asked for more architectural detailing—brackets and enhanced materials were suggested—and for down-directed site lighting to limit spill onto neighboring properties.

The ARB voted to adopt the following advisory recommendations to be transmitted to the zoning commission: include planting around all four sides of the property; avoid Bradford pear trees; screen dumpsters with architectural fencing (no chain link); consider relocating the dumpster pad to the northeast corner; light any second-story pop-up to emphasize a nautical motif but use downward-directed fixtures; fully plant any asphalt-removal areas with a mix of species for year-round interest; study removing the single row of parking along the southern edge and converting it to green space; screen mechanicals from view; add architectural elements such as brackets; provide railings for ramps and stairs; unify signage styles; depict and plan screening along adjacent property lines (especially toward Willow Avenue); study reconfiguration of boat-storage aisles so display and storage access are separate from restaurant/retail parking; and show Ferry Creek on the site plan. The board’s recommendations noted that final, detailed landscape and architectural plans should be returned to ARB if requested by the zoning commission.

The board’s recommendation was delivered as an advisory report to the zoning commission; it does not itself change zoning. The ARB chair said the board would welcome the applicant back with final plans if the zoning changes are approved and encouraged the applicant to return at the next monthly meeting if additional review items remain.

The board recorded the applicant’s status as a contract purchaser (not yet owner) and emphasized that if the zoning relief sought by the applicant is denied, the applicant indicated it would not proceed with the purchase and the site work would not occur.

The ARB voted to transmit the recommendations to the zoning commission; members voted in favor during the meeting.