Before they left for their August break, Zoning Board members OK’d a general development plan for tearing down the two remaining St. John’s Towers on Tresser Boulevard and replacing them with 305 affordable apartments. Board members approved lighting, landscaping and a street extension that will allow F.D. Rich Co. to get its building permit and begin constructing a 198-unit residential tower on Broad Street downtown. Board members approved a developer’s plan to convert an old office building on Seaview Avenue in Shippan into a high-end complex of 55 “best in class” condominiums with water views. The draft, released in mid-July, recommends that the city build more housing because of continuing demand. It says the city should encourage development of “accessory dwelling units” – apartments added to single-family properties – by loosening zoning requirements. It recommends that Stamford officials “reduce regulatory barriers” so developers can build more “multiplexes, townhomes, and cluster housing to increase housing choice and affordability.”

Stamford Officials to Vote on Master Plan as Zoning Hums Along