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Stamford planning board recommends package of zoning housekeeping changes to streamline district rules and add design and environmental safeguards
Summary
Staff presented a package of zoning text changes to reorganize district regulations (VC, R‑6, CG, Appendix B), add designation criteria, clarify permitted uses, add an FAR for R‑6, require staff architectural review for small VC sites, and add urban design standards. The board approved the package section‑by‑section.
Stamford planning staff presented a multi‑part zoning text change package on Oct. 28 intended to consolidate and clarify district regulations, add design standards and make several technical edits across the code.
Ralph, a planning staff presenter, said the amendments reorganize district chapters to add a purpose and designation criteria tied to the city’s comprehensive plan, move material from appendices into main district sections and add illustrative graphics and consistent development standards. "VC stands for village commercial," he said while noting the proposal renames and clarifies VC subareas (VC‑1, VC‑2), keeps existing density and parking rules and adds a new staff architectural review for sites smaller than 20,000 square feet to avoid minor exterior changes having to go to the zoning board.
Key changes approved include adding FAR and lot‑coverage/pervious‑surface rules to R‑6 to reduce oversized single‑family building footprints, an organized CG (general commercial) section that creates CG‑1 and CG‑2 with new site and architectural design standards (ground‑floor glazing, parking behind buildings, sidewalk buffers) and an Appendix B consolidation to bring bulk tables into one place and include parameters such as lot coverage.
Board members pressed staff on how environmental rules, the sustainability scorecard and tree‑planting requirements will be referenced. Staff pointed the board to existing sections (street tree planting and the sustainability scorecard) that the reorganized chapters reference rather than repeat. Members also raised questions about how building heights and "premium height" bonuses would work (Ralph said premium height would be tied to providing all required below‑market‑rate units on site).
Each text change in the package passed on motions by board members during the meeting. Staff said larger substantive zoning changes would be preceded by broader public outreach during future neighborhood studies or focused outreach processes.
