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Planning commission opposes rezoning proposal at 2152 Barnum Ave., citing scale, parking and safety concerns
Summary
The Stratford Planning Commission unanimously recommended against a zoning-text amendment and zone change for 2152 Barnum Avenue, a proposed six‑story, 55‑unit mixed-use development, citing mismatches between the text and site plan, parking deficits, building height and emergency-access worries.
The Stratford Planning Commission on April 15 issued an unfavorable recommendation for a proposed rezoning and text amendment at 2152 Barnum Avenue that would allow a six‑story, 55‑unit mixed‑use building.
Planning and Zoning staff member Susmitha summarized the application as a petition under Connecticut General Statutes Section 8-30g seeking to convert the property from a commercial retail (CA) zone to a Barnum Apartment Zone and to add standards for an affordable-housing set‑aside. "The petitioner is proposing a zone change and text amendment to allow the development of a mixed use building with 55 residential units and 1 retail store," Susmitha said. The application would set roughly 211 dwelling units per acre and reserve 30% of the units as deed-restricted affordable for 40 years, according to the materials presented.
Staff and commissioners identified numerous inconsistencies between the proposed text and the conceptual site plan: conflicting parking figures (the text lists 23 parking spaces while the site plan shows a one-per-unit assumption that would require 55 spaces), proposed lot-frontage dimensions that exceed the parcel's actual width, and missing site details such as emergency-vehicle access and landscaping. Susmitha noted prior approvals and variances for the site but said the current proposal lacked the detailed site-plan information necessary to assess traffic, parking and public-safety impacts.
Commissioner comments cited neighborhood context and emergency access. One commissioner who visited the site described Otis Street as "very narrow" with "no turnaround at the end," and said parking along adjoining properties was largely occupied during an afternoon site visit. Another commissioner observed that the proposed 72-foot building height is "completely out of scale" with surrounding one‑ and three‑story buildings.
Commissioner Joe Gehrigs moved an unfavorable recommendation on the ground that the proposal is inconsistent with the Town of Stratford Plan of Conservation and Development and presents safety issues; the motion was seconded and passed unanimously. The advisory unfavorable recommendation will be forwarded to the Zoning Commission for its hearing and final action.
Staff suggested that a less‑dense, three‑story alternative that aligns with on‑site parking capacity could fit the site more comfortably, but no formal direction to amend the application was made at the meeting.
