East Side Apartment Building With 130 Units Nearing Approval

STAMFORD, CT — The Lafayette, a proposed apartment building featuring 130 units and retail space from East Main Street to North State Street in Stamford, is close to being fully approved by the city.

The project appeared in its latest iteration before the Stamford Zoning Board last week. Originally approved for 86 units, the developer Wellbuilt Company acquired additional parcels and has now expanded the project to include 130 units with a mix of studios, one and two bedrooms.

The density of the project hasn't increased since the building would be more spread out, according to Wellbuilt Company Managing Partner Mitch Kidd. Eighteen of the units will be classified as affordable, since the project would raze 17 existing apartments that are below market rate.

Overall, the building, which drops down from five stories to four, would be 136,660 square feet, with 2,950 square feet dedicated to retail/commercial space. The price tag for the project is about $35 million.

"We're very excited. It's been several years in the making since we acquired the property and worked on some initial design," Kidd told Patch. The project was conceived in 2018. "I think it will be great for the area."

The project received support from the public during last week's zoning meeting, especially for one potential aspect that would revitalize an area underneath Interstate-95 behind the proposed building.

Kidd and fellow Managing Partner Scott Lumby want to beautify the underutilized land and turn it into somewhat of an urban park, similar to Mill River, with benches, lighting, green space and plantings. They believe this will activate the surrounding area and inject new life.

"You can do anything down there. You could have bench seats, you could have sculptures, you could hold events. That's something we're really encouraged by with the potential of this," Kidd said.

The land belongs to the state and is not part of The Lafayette development, so there would need to be collaboration between the city and the state Department of Transportation. There are no concrete plans yet.

"We've been in contact with the state and we've brought it up with the city and put together a concept which would beautify that area," Kidd said. "We would have to encourage a city and state partnership to work together. We'd obviously love to get involved."

During last week's meeting, James Grunberger, co-founder and chair of the Eastside Partnership, spoke in favor of the building and the possible revitalization project.

"Scott and Mitch came to me early on. They asked me what the community needed. They wanted to get people out of their cars, they care about the carbon footprint," Grunberger said. "The fact that they care about these kinds of things means we have the opportunity to usher in young developers that really care about our community... I hope you approve this plan in short order, because we're anxious to see this happen."

Resident Doreen Harrison, who lives in The Stillwater, Wellbuilt Company's other development on the West Side, said Stamford needs more units like that.

"I came here in November of last year, and I'm truly blessed with the building. We need more like this. Wellbuilt is doing a beautiful job with what they're doing," she said.

Another resident, Cynthia Bowser, agreed.

"When things work well, we need to say they work well," she said.

Resident Jeffrey Walden said he had concerns about flooding since the area for the proposed building is susceptible.

Wellbuilt Company's land-use consultant Raymond Mazzeo said during last week's meeting peak flows during storm events are being reduced.

"Is this project going to solve all of the drainage issues of the entire neighborhood? No, but it's certainly not going to make them worse for anyone," he said.

Kidd told Patch certain design features of the building will help mitigate flood issues.

Should the project get the final green light in the coming weeks, Kidd said construction could commence this summer. Work is anticipated to last about 18 months, with completion in late 2023.

"The local area, the community, other business owners and landowners who know about [the project] have all been very encouraged by what they've seen," Kidd said. "We see this as a great investment to the area."