The Darien Times

July 27, 2006
Bank, Dolcettis closer to P&Z approval
By Austin Amoros

In June, the Planning & Zoning Commission voted against drafting a resolution to approve the project by the Darien Rowayton Bank and Dolcetti Inc. because certain aspects of the application did not meet regulations. The applicants felt P&Z denied taking action because of confusion over the two phases of the project and because the application was filed jointly.

Whether there was no action taken because the application didn’t meet regulations or because it was a joint application is up for debate, but what was certain was that the applicants would have to return with a new application. On Tuesday night, they brought their revised application to the commission, which is now split into three separate, but connected projects.

“This is three applications, but it’s one project that is connected by the shared parking agreement,” bank president John Bowes said. “It’s three separate properties and applications, but it’s really one project.”

One of the biggest issues for the project has been parking. The applicants seemed to take a big step forward on Tuesday night when they presented their revised plans, which include a total reduction of more than 2,000 square feet from the original plan and an extra 56 parking spaces.

“Things have straightened out and it’s clear that both projects are ready to go,” Bowes said. “This is a good project for the town and I don’t see how they won’t approve it.”

In the revisions, the applicants split the proposal into three applications for the three buildings: the bank building and the two Dolcetti buildings, which will house a Ching’s Table restaurant and a Brooks Brothers clothing store.

The applicants purchased the extra 56 permit parking spaces from the town parking authority for employee parking. With the conversion of the Grove Street lot, the applicants think there is more than enough parking to accommodate the project.

The town parking authority, which is the Board of Selectmen, recently passed a resolution to convert 89 permit parking spaces in the Grove Street lot to municipal spaces after 10 a.m. when the same rules will apply as the other three-hour spaces in town.

Commissioners Ursula Forman and Joe Spain were hesitant about the 56 purchased spaces and the 89 converted spaces from Grove Street being a saving grace for the applicants and still had a few reservations about the parking issue. “These 56 purchased spaces certainly take pressure off the cluster of parking, but we need to remember that those 56 spots are in a municipal area and will have to be taken into account when we look at town parking as a whole,” Forman said.

“The Grove Street lot is an area where people buy a permit, but there are well over 89 people who have purchased a permit,” Spain said. “We can’t control who or how many will show up on any given day. There are times of the year, like holidays, when commuting will peak. How do we know the spots won’t fill up by 10 a.m.?”

In light of Spain’s query, Bowes spoke up about his understanding of the situation. “The town parking authority passed this resolution a few weeks ago,” he said. “It’s been my observation that, in our studies, there are 30 to 40 percent open spots. I was under the impression that the town parking authority is intending to, over time, make more parking available as municipal and reduce the number of permits.”

Mike Galante, a traffic engineer hired by the town, said 122 parking spaces were needed for this project, according to research done on similar projects of this kind. Galante, who works in Fairfield, compared the conversion of the Grove Street lot to Fairfield’s downtown, which has a similar regulation in place.

“I agree with (the applicants) about the parking demand,” he said. “There might not be enough (parking) on-site, but with the other places like Grove Street, the extra parking can be found.”

At the end of discussion, commission Chairman Pat Damanti opened the floor to public comment and a line immediately started at the side of the room. Every comment was in favor of the project.

“Since 1948, my family has owned the commuter lot next to the train station,” resident Kip Koons said. There isn’t a parking problem in town, there is a pricing problem. Over the years, we have increased the price of our permit spaces and we’ve slowly had to turn down less people for spaces. At an average of $1.15 a day (for a permit space), Darien is the cheapest buy in the area. There’s no parking problem and all this (discussion) is doing is stopping the development of the downtown.”

Said resident Carl Pombar: “I’m 33. I represent a large and growing demographic in town. Informally, I represent a lot of people of my generation and we are all very excited about this project. Maybe now (with this project) we won’t have to go to neighboring towns to shop and eat. It’s frustrating sitting here and watching the commission debate details that are minor. You’re spending so much time on minor details and missing the big picture. There is all this talk on the parking issue, but nobody will tell me we have a parking problem in town. When there is a new application put forward, there are these archaic and out-dated rules that come up. To turn down a great project because of a non-existent parking problem is ridiculous.”

At the end of the presentation, the commission voted unanimously to close the hearing. The decision deadline for this application is Aug. 31, but because P&Z doesn’t meet in August, the commission requested an extension of the deadline for 30 days, which the applicants agreed; the next meeting is Sept. 5.

“We’re pleased with what happened and we’re pleased that the hearing was closed,” Bowes said. “We urge the commission to make a decision at the earliest time possible, hopefully at the Sept. 5 meeting.”