Stamford planning board backs recommendation for full replacement of West Hill High School

The Stamford Planning Board voted unanimously Sept. 22 to affirm receipt of a presentation on the West Hill High School replacement project and to transmit a recommended-approval letter to the mayor.

Chair (Planning Board Chair) read the project description into the record, saying, “The new West Hill High School will be a full replacement of the existing aged West Hill High School at 125 Roxbury Road,” and that the school will remain a comprehensive high school serving grades 9–12 with a design enrollment of 2,458 students.

Abel Abides, owner’s representative with Colliers Project Leaders, told the board the project is state grant–funded and that “up to 80% of the costs” may be reimbursed by the state as part of the grant program. He said the design work has been ongoing since 2023 and that the project team plans to submit for the state’s pre-bid authorization once local approvals are complete. “Ultimately looking for main construction to start in approximately April 2026 with the completion of the new building in 2029,” Abides said, with phased demolition of the old building to follow into 2030.

Kent Morehart of SLAM Collaborative, the lead architect, walked the board through site and building design details, describing an L-shaped building of roughly 450,000 square feet on the existing campus. He said the existing 42,000-square-foot vocational agriculture (VOAG) building will remain on site and that a small, older gym will be demolished to permit the single-phase construction sequencing. The design separates bus and parent car circulation, increases parking from about 475 to 513 spaces, retains the main competition track and grandstand, relocates tennis courts to improve community access, and accommodates 55 bus parking spaces around the perimeter.

Morehart described a geothermal well field to be installed beneath athletic fields as part of the project’s heating and cooling plant and said the design has been coordinated to accommodate 45–50 feet of topographic change across the site.

Board members asked procedural and logistical questions, and staff confirmed that the planning board typically issues a brief report under the municipal-improvements/charter process to confirm consistency with the charter and master plan. Planning staff said they would draft the standard letter used for similar school projects and that it would include a recommendation of approval where appropriate.

After discussion, a board member moved to record that the board had received the presentation and supported continued implementation per applicable statutes; a second was recorded and the motion passed unanimously.

Next steps for the project: the team will finalize local approvals, submit to the state for pre-bid authorization (a grant requirement), complete enabling work such as utilities and construction access, and begin main construction in spring 2026 if state review and pre-bid authorization proceed on schedule. The project team projected turnover and on-site occupancy in 2029 with final site work and demolition completed into 2030.