Board of Representatives Land Use/Urban Redevelopment Committee - Regular Meeting

awesome good evening everyone uh it's 7 00 p.m i called to order the meeting of the land use and urban redevelopment committee with us this evening uh committee members we have co-chair price representative policia representative finkel uh representative boudreaux And I believe that is, hold on, one, two, three, four.

Okay, we have quorum.

Also with us in attendance, we have ex-officio members, Representative Weinberg, Representative McEwen, Representative Camparelli, Representative Didlow, Representative Johnson, Representative Silvestri, and Representative De La Cruz.

Representative Boudreau is joining us as well.

And Representative Boudreau, who is a voting member, is joining us as well. Thank you, Co-Chair Price. And Representative Walston is here. Thank you. Also with us is Representative Walston. And could our invitees please unmute and say your name and title for the record?

I think we just met. Robert Claus, City Executive Director.

Jack Egan.

Mr. Egan, what's your title?

City resident.

Okay, are you here for the public comment portion?

Yes, sir. Yes, sir.

Okay, no worries. We'll get to you in a moment. Okay, so that is all of our invitees. So now at this time, I'm going to open the public hearing portion of this meeting. It is 7.02. I just want to remind folks that you have three minutes to give your testimony. And our first individual who signed up was Jerry Silver. Do we have Jerry on the call? Anybody see Jerry in the fall attendees? Okay, not seeing Jerry. Next up on the list was Leah. I see Leah. Leah, can you say your last name for the record?

Sure, and my first name is Lee. My last name is Shemez.

Okay, thank you, and you may proceed.

Thanks. So thank you all for the opportunity. I'm speaking tonight in support of the conservation initiative commission ordinance. And I'm speaking from the perspective of three perspectives as a career environmentalist, as a longtime 15 plus, perhaps 20 years member serving on the Environmental Protection Board, and as a local environmental leader, as I'm the head of Soundwaters. In terms of environmental, Soundwaters has tremendous, Soundwaters, Stanford, has tremendous environmental assets. We're a coastal city. We are a forested city. We're an urbanized and developed city. We have beaches and rivers and forests and fields. We have parks. We have greenways. There's a lot to celebrate. There's also a lot to do to connect, to make more accessible. I think as a city that we have benefited from a conservation commission that brings focused attention and support to these myriad resources. As a longtime member of the Environmental Protection Board, I want to speak to our strengths and to our limits and why, as an EPB member, I support the Conservation Commission. I note that I'm speaking from my own perspective as an EPB member and not for the EPB as a whole. As an EPB, I would describe us as a workhorse. We meet each month, as most of you know, review dozens of cases ranging from simple applications to complex developments to suspected infractions, all through the filter of state inland wetland regulations. It's our strength, and I would say it's also our Achilles heel. EPB, it's a group of committed residents, range of backgrounds, supported and led by a skilled team of professionals. We have Bob Clausey here on the call tonight. EPB, we are a regulatory agency. We are charged with enforcing the state inland wetland laws as described in the Inland and Wetland Watercourse Regulations, City of Stanford, created in 1974, updated as recently as 2024. The key element is that as a regulatory agency, the review of projects against these regulations always takes priority. Everything else, and candidly, much of what a conservation commission would examine comes after and usually doesn't get addressed. There's simply too much regulatory work for the EPB with its attendant required deadlines to allow for the other projects. So if there is a question of why not the EPB, my response is because our time is filled with inland wetland regulatory oversight. If there's a question of will a new conservation commission obstruct the work of EPB, my response is that the opposite will prove true, that a conservation commission would augment and extend good environmental decision making and planning throughout the city. And finally, mindful of three minutes, I just want to speak briefly to the issue of potential collaborations. As a city, we have a strong environmental nonprofit sector, and as the leader of Soundwaters, I can speak to the potential that I would be very excited about for the collaboration and coordination with the Conservation Committee in the city of Stanford. Thanks for your time.

Thank you, Lee. Next up, we have Jack Egan. Mr. Egan, you have three minutes.

Thank you, Ryan. Can you guys hear me?

Yes.

Fantastic. Well, listen, I am in very strong support of the Conservation Commission. And thank you.

You should be on it. Is that my name?

I'm hearing Ken. Yeah, sorry. Yes. So you have my strong support. And just to give some context and flavor, I was thinking about how I could explain to you briefly my support for this. And I think of my grandfather, who was born in Stanford in 1900. And he worked for the Stanford Board of Education and the old Rogers School, probably starting in the 1930s. At any event, when the board of education was getting rid of the books, discarding books, he grabbed some. And those books are still in our family today, Latin books, actually. And he taught Latin. And inside the book jacket, it says Town of Stanford. Well, who cares, right? Well, this is the point. We're no longer a town. We're a city and things have changed. And I think about when my grandfather would walk the streets back in the day in Stanford, there were there were elm trees everywhere. There are American chestnut trees and they've been wiped out with the blight. Now, beech trees and ash trees are under threat. We have invasive species. The lanternfly is all over Westcott Cove. I live in Chappan Point, by the way, 14 Lanark Road. uh stanford resident obviously um so the world is changing uh stanford is no longer a town it's a city and it's music to my ears to hear uh you good folks are thinking about the conservation commission um as an example of wildlife there are deer all over japan i don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing but things are changing The air quality in Stanford from the Canadian wildfires is pretty outrageous. And if we extend out globally, I think the actions that we take locally are so significant. As many of you know, Europe has faced the hottest June and July record. The Danube is dry. There are wildfires in Belgium and Wales. And there was a local fire. A citizen in Belgium talking about how their town is overwhelmed with fires. They haven't kept up with the environmental concerns. So I think you guys are in the right spot and doing the right thing. And also in South Africa, Johannesburg, there's water shortage in the capital because of failing infrastructure. So the work that these your volunteers will do, adding their citizen scientist observations is worthy. And I support it completely. And just to end, I'd say a couple of local victories. The Wegmans parking lot in Norwalk, as an example, has solar panels on top that keep your cars cooler and generate some electricity for the facility. I think that we could look into that to making Stanford's parking lots no longer heat sinks.

Thank you, Mr. Egan. Yeah. Thanks, Ryan. Thank you. Have a great evening. Next up, we have Mike Papa. Is Mike on the call? Hello. Mr. Papa, you hear me?

Yes, my name is Mike Papa from Stanford, Connecticut. At this point, I'm a little bit neutral about this appointment because the politicians, they say one thing and they do another. And right now, I'm listening to the Kennedy, the appointed of Trump, which is talking about something that makes a lot of sense. that I first learned about 20 years ago from Rodale Institute. So the government becomes too late, too late of too late for political purpose. You know what, Stanford is doing a lot of good things. I remember years ago when I used to go to the public hearing in Hartford about the turf, organic turf for the kids. Everybody said there's no way that you could do without the pesticide. No way. Now in Stanford, they're doing an excellent job. So I think probably not going to hear from those people anymore. But at that time, it says there's no way. Now there is a problem that I see in the municipal work doing minimal job, not to begin with the opportunity actually to do excellent job. I think we have to probably start from the bottom up rather than go from the top down. It's important from the top to know the objectives, the ideas. But it needs to be done at the bottom. You know, I've been doing this for 22 years. This year, I think I'm going to save about $5,000 on fertilizers because nature is doing everything on its own, even with this climate change. So the climate change, it's a challenge, but it's an opportunity. So the more... trouble this weather gives you, the more professional you become. But you have to empower the people at the very bottom and the middle of the line managers to actually get things done. If the people excel and they're supposed to get a promotion, you're not supposed to promote somebody that's a friend of the mayor or whatever it is over there. Okay, you've got to promote a merit because right now there is actually no way to to gauge performance. You know, people, I've seen people going around doing menial jobs and still get union wages. You know, we have to somehow be able to become very passionate about what we do. This is not only the city of Stanford, this is all industry. The whole industry became a robbery over here with the pesticides It's like kicking the can down the road. We fail to learn how this climate change works and creates the opportunity for us to exploit. It became good at it. Emile River is doing a good job. This port field is doing an excellent job. You know, there's no plowing and mowing. They're doing a horrible job. If you complain, you've got the city of Stamford Lawyer come to defend the the failure. They come over here and defend themselves.

All right. So that's what we got to do. Thank you. Have a good evening. Next up, we have Diane Kolai. Is Diane on the call? Diane Kolai?

Co-chair, DK has her hand raised, so I think she might be here.

I believe that would be who we're looking for. Can we have, there we go. Okay, Diane, can you unmute?

Are you unable to unmute, Diane?

I think maybe we might need to unmute her if that's possible or.

Hi, sorry. Thank you.

No worries. Diane, you have three minutes. Okay.

Hi, everyone. My name is Diana Kolai. I'm 23 years old. I came to Stanford from Dublin, where I grew up in an affordable housing community with no trees. And I remember coming here and thinking Stanford was so lush. I loved my surroundings. But within a few years, most mature trees were cut down. I grew up pretty resentful. I hated the East Side. I kind of hated Stanford for it. I felt undignified walking scorching sidewalks and getting into a boiling car. I'm still competing with my neighbors for shade. I could take my Irish passport and skedaddle to a European city with advanced conservation progress and a higher quality of life. But Stanford inspired my environmental arc. That doesn't say much good about Stanford, but today I'm an ecological landscaper and student, quite possibly devoting my life to studying urban design. And I'm still here because I believe in leaving every place better than I found it. So let me just pivot and tell you about an affordable housing authority that in my opinion did just that. Charter Oak Communities took an old model of public housing on the west side and replaced it with mixed-income garden-style communities called Fairgate. They didn't just ask how many units can we max out, they asked what does this community need and was this environment lacking. They saw a need for green space, beauty, trees, and fresh food. So they have yards, gardens, playgrounds along with their apartments. and an organic farm called Fairgate Farm. I've worked there since I was 14. I'm not here to endorse anything on their behalf. I'm here to show you their affordable housing and conservation work are not competing priorities. At Fairgate, I've watched people grow food, learn about pollinators, teach their kids, and build community. And lately, I've met younger, new residents who come because newly built apartments don't offer garden plots or big enough balconies to put a single plant on. Vergate demonstrates that the environment around the home is part of the home. And if we say people can't have both, we are asking them to choose between a house and a healthy environment. And this perpetuates inequality because we should not be forcing the people with the fewest choices to accept the most environmental disparities. Please do not pose me as anti-development. I support density. I support building up instead of sprawling out. I think a conservation commission in a growing city could influence urban design with pocket parks, courtyards, green roofs, greenways, or pollinator gardens. My friends are moving into these apartments, and where I'd like to go, it would not change my situation. On my shadeless, hot street, at least I can garden and support local wildlife in my small backyard. But I fear our urban design is keeping people stuck in the same environmental inequalities. Many of the newer buildings, which sit within environmentally disadvantaged sections, reproduce similar conditions. They have little trees, no immediate green spaces, and the bare minimum of ornamental, ecologically useless landscaping. I don't think the Conservation Commission challenges whether Stanford builds. This is all about how Stanford builds. It's about healthier design. Can we make meaningful green space part of the housing design? Farragate illustrates that development is about more than maximizing what fits on a parcel. It's about being a good neighbor. It's about leaving a place better than you found it because you have that power. Renters don't have that power. And while many developers are here short term, residents live with the changes long term. So why not utilize the opportunity of development to synergize with conservation work and improve lives? Please vote yes. Thank you.

Coach, are you muted?

Sorry. Apologies. Thank you for your remarks. And up next, we have Nikki Barat. Is Nikki on the call?

Okay.

Not seeing Nikki. Sorry, checking the attendees.

Okay.

I don't see Nikki. So I'm going to move on to Mary Ellen LeMay. Do we have Mary Ellen? I believe I see her. Mary Ellen, you have three minutes.

Yes. Good evening. Can you hear me?

Yes, we can hear you. Great.

Thank you. Thanks for the opportunity to speak this evening. My name is Mary Ellen LeMay and I'm the conservation director at the Aspatuck Land Trust. Aspatuck is the land trust for the towns of Westport, Weston, Easton, Norwalk, Fairfield, Bridgeport, and Monroe. In addition to my career with Aspatuck, I'm the former town council representative and chairwoman of the Trumbull Conservation Commission for 17 years. This evening, my comments are focused on my time in Trumbull Town Council when I proposed to create the Trumbull Conservation Commission in 2007. The intent was not to create another regulatory agency or to stop development. It was to give the town something it did not have, a permanent science-based advisory body focused on the long-term stewardship of its natural resources. I spearheaded the effort to establish the Conservation Commission while serving on Trumbull Town Council and subsequently served as its chairwoman for 17 years. That experience has allowed me to see not only what we had hoped a conservation commission might accomplish, but what actually happened over nearly two decades. Development did not stop in Trumbull. The town continued to add housing, businesses, and major redevelopment projects. What changed was our capacity to understand and protect the natural resources that remained and to incorporate environmental considerations into the decisions the town was already making. During those years, Trumbull developed its first natural resource inventory, expanded the use of GIS and environmental mapping, strengthened tree and natural resource policies, protected additional open space, expanded stewardship of our parks and municipal lands, addressed invasive species, promoted sustainable landscaping, and provided environmental expertise to our land use boards and town departments. The Conservation Commission did not replace planning and zoning, inland wetlands, parks, public works, or the town council. We advised them. We brought another set of eyes to the table. Our eyes focused on forests, wildlife habitat, water quality, soils, trees, open space, biodiversity, and the cumulative environmental consequences of decisions made over many years. That distinction is important. A conservation commission in Stanford will not have to choose between conservation and economic development. My experience in Trumbull demonstrates that the two can co-exist. In fact, as communities become more developed, the need for thoughtful conservation planning becomes greater, not smaller. 20 years later, I would make the same decision again. I strongly encourage Stanford to establish.

Thank you, Mary Ellen.

Thank you.

Thank you. Have a good evening. Up next, we have Anika Kamath. Are you able to unmute? There we go. You have three minutes.

Okay. Hi. Thanks, everyone. My name is Anika. I'm 26, and I work as an engineer in the renewable energy industry. A little disclaimer is I do not currently live in Stamford, but I will be moving in two weeks to an apartment near downtown. And I spend a lot of time in Stamford with friends and with various community organizations. I care a lot about the town and the green spaces in the neighborhood. For one, I have a dog, and I'm constantly looking out for dog parks and green areas where I can walk her and let her run around. So it's always going to be really important to me to have a green space nearby for that reason. So I fully support the Conservation Commission. Um, as someone who works in renewable energy and supports climate action, I think introducing green spaces is just generally much healthier and safer for all residents. It minimizes risk of disasters like heat stress, flash flooding, ecosystem destruction, invasive species, and it gives residents clean air and land and just generally makes the city more beautiful and healthier. Um, I also currently help in an urban garden called the giving garden that my friend that Deanna who just spoke has started. And I'm so grateful to have a beautiful preserved space like that where I can nurture the land and learn about plants and be with friends who care about the well-being of their community. I think more urban land should be utilized for things like this. Because when I was a kid, I was constantly playing outside in the neighborhoods and getting lost and climbing trees, digging in the mud, picking berries, playing with sticks. I think it made me more brave and more creative, less isolated, just in general happy and healthier. And every kid, I think every kid, including those who live in more urban areas and like more affordable communities, deserves that childhood. It's something only that urban green spaces can provide and something that the Conservation Commission can help build. So thank you.

Thank you, Anika, and welcome to Stanford and downtown Stanford. We're grateful to be having you join us and your dog as well. And thank you for your remarks. And next up, we have Paula Waldman. Is Paula on the call? Does anyone see Paula?

Up next, we have Tracy K.

Yes, I'm here. Can you hear me?

Yes. Thank you, Tracy. You have three minutes.

I'll try to be one and a half times. No. I'm Tracy Kaye, a 12-year resident of Stanford and currently the CEO of the Bartlett Arboretum and Gardens. And thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak this evening. I recently served as a technical advisor for the Stanford 2035 Comprehensive Plan and support the proposed Conservation Commission ordinance. Over my career, I have served in both the nonprofit and government sectors, and for 20 years served at the municipal level as a city naturalist for the city of Rye. Albeit in another state, I worked closely with the city's Conservation Commission Advisory Council on projects related to land use issues. recycling, tree laws, and a variety of environmentally related public education efforts. That commission accomplished much in its advisory role, working with city commissions and committees, as well as city staff. With my spouse currently serving on Stanford's Environmental Protection Board, I am keenly aware of the volume of regulatory responsibilities they are dealing with and the limits that places on the EPB to fulfill its role in undertaking advisory activities. The creation of the Conservation Commission is outlined in the proposed ordinance will address this issue. I believe the ordinance is a step in the right direction to help the city address growing environmental concerns and encourage you to support its passage. Thank you again for the opportunity to speak with you.

Coach, are you muted?

All right, keep doing that. Thank you, Tracy, for your testimony. Up next, we have Patrick White. Is Patrick on the call with us?

I think that's Patrick. Okay.

Were we able to get Patrick? Okay. I don't see Patrick. Representative Walston, you have your hand raised?

Yes, I do. Can you hear me?

Yes.

Paula Waldman, she says she's on. Okay. Okay.

Okay, well, we'll get her one moment. Christina, are you able to see? Paula, are you able to raise your hand?

I see two. One is Zoom user and one is iPhone 2. Okay.

Well, it's got to be one of them, so.

Or do you see a 1563? Zoom user, can you state your name?

Zoom user is muted. OK, can we?

Remove Zoom user then and try the iPhone one. See if the iPhone is Paula. This is Terry. Oh, okay. Hi, Terry. Terry Adams. Okay. Hi, Representative Adams.

Yeah, she need to let me back as a panelist.

I got kicked out. You should be good now. You're here as a panelist.

Hey, Ryan, Paula says I do have my hand raised the entire time. That's me.

Okay, so then she's Zoom user. So, Christina, can you please bring in the Zoom user? Representative Walston, can you tell Paula to unmute herself

Hi, can you hear me now?

Yes, we can. Thank you.

Thank you, Ryan. Sorry. I don't know what happened.

Apologies on our end. You have three minutes.

Thank you. Thank you, Ryan. Good evening. I'm here tonight to support the creation of a dedicated conservation commission for Stanford. We are a growing city and growth is important. We do need housing, including affordable housing. We need economic development. But I don't believe that protecting our environment and encouraging development are opposing goals. In fact, I believe good development should accomplish both. Stanford's already facing flooding, declining tree canopy, increasing heat, stormwater problems, habitat loss, and concerns about air and water quality. They're not abstract environmental issues. They affect our homes, our neighborhoods, our health, our property values, and our quality of life. And these problems don't stop at the boundaries of an individual development application. That's why this commission can be so valuable. Instead of addressing issues project by project after an application is already before us, a commission can look at the larger picture and plan proactively for the future. Why are we losing tree canopy? Where are our most vulnerable areas for flooding? Which natural areas should be protected? Where can green infrastructure help? And which neighborhoods have the least access to trees, shade, and green space? I believe very strongly that affordable housing should be healthy. Affordable should never mean fewer trees, less green space, hotter sidewalks, poor air quality or greater exposure to flooding. The families who need affordable housing deserve the same healthy surroundings we would want for our own families. We now have extraordinary advances in architect, engineering, environmental science and building technology. We should be raising the bar, not accepting the bare minimum. And I hope we can move away from the idea that environmental protection is somehow a weapon against development. It isn't development versus environment. Developers can be some of our greatest partners in creating a healthier city. And a beautiful, resilient tree-filled environment can be one of our development's greatest assets. Most importantly, we have to think beyond the project being discussed tonight. What will Stanford look and feel like in 20 or 30 years from now? Will our neighborhoods have mature trees? shade, clean air, green space, better flood protection. Those decisions are being made this evening here today. A conservation commission gives Stanford a dedicated body to think about those questions, not after problems occur, but before they do. We can build housing, we can encourage development, and we can protect the natural systems that make Stanford a healthy and desirable place to live. We are capable of doing all three. I urge you to support the Conservation Commission. Thank you.

Thank you, Paula. And is Patrick White here? Patrick, Patrick White, if you're on the call, please raise your hand. Otherwise, we're going to skip over you. Okay, I'm not seeing any hands raised. Gina Calabrese, are you here? Okay. Yes, I'm here. Awesome. Good to see you, Gina. You have three minutes.

Great. Good evening. I'm Gina Calabrese, and I live in the Cove, where I live in a four-story, 20-unit building. And I was able to spend the morning a few blocks away at the beach, at Cove Beach, and see herons and egrets. And I want to make sure that our city... stays that way, that we conserve the open land and open space that we have. Many others have addressed the merits many times over, especially the speaker from the Aspatuck Land Trust. Not one member of the public is opposed to the conservation commission. I don't know where the opposition is coming from. There are no strong arguments against having it. It seems to be a few newer board of representative members who believe that having a conservation commission will somehow impede the development of housing. And these same members in their short time on the board are already developing an anti-environment track record. They seem to knee-jerk oppose anything that would preserve the environment if it will impede housing. And that includes, for example, the tree ordinance. And that's what has me concerned. It's starting to raise questions about the motives of some of the opponents to this Conservation Commission, which we know will not have any authority, I mean, any ability to stop a housing development. And again, a few weeks ago when we had floods and there was a developer who spoke at a prior meeting about this, who said he'd be concerned if larger rain basin catchment was advised, that's quite scary. When we have severe flooding that stops people from getting home, Stanford has done more than its fair share to build housing. and help ease the housing crisis here. At some point, you can only add so much housing in a sustainable way where housing can be damaged. You can have too much housing in the wrong places where it can't last or the costs are so high for remediation or insuring it or not even getting it insured. I know that environmental review is a concern of yours or some people. That's probably why we have new material in the legislative record, the Federal Road to Housing Act that, you know, I'm sure some of you are going to wave it around and say, well, if we have a conservation commission, we might, you know, not get federal money because we're supposed to be streamlining environmental review.

Thank you, Ms. Gallagher.

Oh, okay. Thank you. Okay.

Thank you for your testimony. Um, do we have up next is Michelle Cordray is Michelle on the call.

You hear me?

Yes.

OK, great.

Michelle, you have three minutes.

OK. My name is Michelle Cordray and I live in Japan. I have a master's in climate society from Columbia University and 15 years of experience working in conservation. And I'm here to tonight to urge you to support the creation of this conservation commission. Visionary New York real estate developer Jonathan Rose has said, quote, cities will be denser, but their density will be matched with increased green space. The best cities will be biodiverse and form connected corridors along rivers and other natural elements, unquote. I believe this conservation commission represents a true opportunity to create a productive marriage between development and conservation and put Stanford in the same company as other Connecticut cities that already have such commissions. This commission would give sustained attention to open space, the tree canopy and climate resilience through green infrastructure, all community priorities outlined in the Stanford 2035 comprehensive plan. And I want to emphasize those are community priorities, not the priorities of a small group of environmentalists. There's an equity issue here as well. According to the American Forest Tree Equity score tool, some Stanford neighborhoods face heat disparities of over 20 degrees Fahrenheit compared to cooler parts of the city, driven largely by a lack of tree canopy. That's simply unjust. Beyond function and equity, there's also the need for beauty. New York City would not be the extraordinary place it is without Central Park, the High Line, pocket parts, community gardens. Let's be inspired by the example New York provides, as well as by examples here in Stanford, such as Mill River Park. Green and open spaces aren't a luxury. They're what makes a place worth living in. And every Stanford neighborhood deserves that. I urge you to support this commission. Thank you.

Thank you, Michelle. That is all of our pre-signed up at this time.

I did see that Jerry Silver was on. Okay.

Yep. Feel free to bring him in. We'll have Jerry give his testimony. Hey, Jerry, can you unmute?

Yes. Can you hear me?

Yes. You have three minutes.

You're great. Thank you. I've lived in Stanford for over 45 years. My two daughters went to Stanford High. And even though I worked for Citibank for the most time in New York, I have been involved as a volunteer with environmental causes my entire career. Actually, I helped plan the first Earth Day in New York City back in 1970. And I was a leader of a nonprofit organization that piloted New York City's recycling program that led to New York City actually becoming a recycling organization. And here in Stamford, about 15 years ago, I founded an organization called People Friendly Stamford. Our mission is to have Stamford have safe streets for walking and biking. And recently we've added increased housing, support for increased housing for low and middle income families. And I'm speaking today in support of the Conservation Commission. This sounds like just about everybody else on the call has been. Stanford is developing quickly. We need to ensure that we are balancing that development with open space and parks. One of the roles of the Conservation Commission, as I understand it, is to inventory our open spaces. and develop a plan to maintain open space as a balance to the town's development. Our current environmental board, which presumably has these responsibilities, has been too busy to focus on things like this. So having people who care about our city dedicated to looking at important issues like this, I believe is extremely important. And therefore, I recommend that you approve the establishment of the Conservation Commission. Thank you.

Thank you for your testimony, Jerry. At this time, I believe that is seeing was there anyone else who had signed up who had joined late?

No, not that I can see. I see a hand up. I'm not sure what was number 10.

Okay, yeah, I was gonna say at this time, members of the public who had not had the chance to sign up on a raise their hand and for their opportunity to give three minutes, you may. I believe I see. I see. Okay. Let's first start with, can you bring in Dave Adams? Mr. Adams, can you unmute?

Yes. Thank you, Chair Hughes.

Thank you, Mr. Adams. You have three minutes. Thank you.

Thank you members of the land use committee. My name is Dave Adams and I would like to speak obviously towards this conservation commission. This is obviously something that I've already mentioned in your presence. I'm sure you remember, but I would like to stress the comments, not of my own, but of all of the other speakers and all of the people that wrote into you up until this point about how much of a no-brainer creating this Conservation Commission really is. This is not something that's intended to be a threat to development as much as I'm not a fan of development. I can recognize where development is absolutely necessary. We can, as Ms. Waldman had said, we can, work hand in hand with development. But this is about making sure that when that development happens, it's done in a smart way, in a way that is not having irrevocable consequences. As we see everywhere that we put down artificial turf fields or Concrete sidewalks with, you know, or concrete, you know, platforms when we replace nature with urbanization or the the the the those. things that we would like to do in order to improve the safety of walking around Stanford. When we do that, we don't do it in a smart way. We are jeopardizing the environment as a whole. And we're not just talking about our health because our health is completely dependent upon the health of everything else. And a conservation commission will have the sole duty to steer or advise in the direction that keeps us from sabotaging our own environment. And this is important work of the EPB for sure, but as was stated by a previous speaker, EPB is overwhelmed. And so this is really absolutely a no-brainer. And it is not uncommon for towns to have a conservation commission, including in heavily urbanized towns, as has been mentioned, town cities, whatever. Anyway, those are my comments. I hope you heed the comments that you've heard this evening and pass this expeditiously and, you know, otherwise great work. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Mr. Adams, for your remarks. Christina, can you pull in the individual with their hand raised, purple icon, Mara?

Good evening. This is Mara Kravitz. I am a resident of the Waterside neighborhood in Stamford. Hi, Mara.

You have 30 minutes.

Thank you.

Hi. So I live in Stamford. I used to live downtown. Now I live in Waterside, and I'm here to speak in support of the conservation committee being created. I think that living here in the past two years, I've seen a lot of investment into parks and seen Mill River Park get more and more beautiful. And I think it makes such a big difference as a resident here. And yeah, I work in a downtown office building and The building has a roof deck that has really lovely vegetation on it. And you can see birds building habitat right there. Like it's an oasis within the really dense area. And it makes such a difference to my daily life and to the quality of my life. I work as a real estate attorney, so real estate and building is really important to my livelihood. And I just really love to see the collaboration between like holistic thinking and stewardship of our communities with continuously creating more housing and opportunities for people to live here and build life here. So I'm really thankful to everyone here for your civic duty work and I'm excited to see this initiative blossom. Thank you.

Thank you for your testimony. Christina, could we next pull in the hand raised with the last four digits? 4446. Hi there. Could you state your name for the record?

Yes. My name is Jeanette Bilicinansky. I'm a Stanford resident.

Okay. You have three minutes.

As we speak, environmental protections are being decimated. Advice from the Trump administration regarding environmental deregulation and delaying the decision of federal protection for the monarch butterfly in 2025 are as follows. Any listing must follow the Endangered Species Act statutory requirement that determinations be based on the best scientific and commercial data available. At the same time, the administration continues to emphasize voluntarily locally driven conservation as a proven tool for supporting species and reducing the need for additional federal regulations. This is why we need a standalone commission ASAP. And then what to do with the studies collecting dust in the land use office that Mr. Blessing has mentioned. Famously, there was a plan that sat on a shelf until Mayor Malloy acted upon it. That was the Mill River Plan, one of Stanford's greatest endeavors in restoring our natural resources in the making since 1929. What other ideas sit on shelves that can potentially help to change the course that we are on in terms of climate change that a conservation commission can undertake? I still have hope that we can work this out and not have competing agendas. Both housing and conservation are essential for healthy, sustainable communities with both partnering with each other. Please see Hudson Valley Alliance for Housing and Conservation Success Story for their story of success. Please support the ordinance as written for a standalone commission that Mr. Quazi brought to the Land Use Committee on September 18th of 2024 that became part of last year's comprehensive plan. I leave you with these wise words when you deliberate this evening the merits of a standalone conservation commission. Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not. By the Lorax, Dr. Seuss.

Thank you.

Thank you for your testimony. All right. I don't see any other hands. I'm just checking one last time. All right. So I am going to close the public hearing portion of our meeting. It is 7.59 p.m., At this time, I would entertain a motion to approve the item and proceed as normal. So moved. Second. Second. All in favor, say aye. Aye. Aye. The ayes have it. And so that is, sorry, let me, sorry, I have to read the agenda. Sorry. One moment. Okay, so at this time, I'm going to open the discussion for consideration of item number one on our agenda, LU 32.009, an ordinance establishing a conservation commission submitted by Representatives Camparelli, Weinberg, De La Cruz, Finkel, and Fields. And I'm going to turn it over to Representative Camparelli.

Thank you, Chair Hughes. First of all, I want to thank every single member of the public that came out to speak and also for all of the members of the public that wrote in regarding the Conservation Commission. I'd also like to thank this committee for all of its conversation and everything that it brought to the discussion, including inviting a developer to speak on it. I think that all voices are always welcome when we are having discussions and debates about things. I think that it makes for better decision-making And all of you came with your questions and your concerns. And I hope that those questions and concerns were answered. And that some of the people that opposed it have had a change of heart. I think I've seen that in the last several months as we've been hearing testimony. But again, I just wanted to thank everyone for their opposing comments and thoughts. I think it makes for much better planning and discussion and ordinances. We are a small city, but please make no mistake, what we do here matters and it has a huge impact on other cities and states. I'm actually on vacation right now visiting some of our national parks at a time when our president is looking to decimate them and take lots of protections off and put roads through places that are remote and being preserved for nature and for the rest of the globe. I've listened to rangers talk about how ice caps are melting and things that usually last in Glacier Park, huge chunks of ice that last and feed wildlife with water through the summer months are eroding and no longer there for the whole summer. The things that we do in big cities and small cities around this country matter and help to not only preserve our own communities, but help to make a better world. So don't think the things that you do here should be taken lightly or small because they do matter. I hope that someone like Michelle, I think her name was Cordray. I'm sorry that I'm butchering your name right now. would consider applying for this if this body chooses to pass it and bring up a conservation commission because she is exactly the type of person that the sponsors and Mr. Clousey see as being on a commission like this, someone who understands that they are there to balance economic development with long-term stewardship of our environment. So that's it. I just wanted to thank everyone for all of the opposition comments and all the people that they brought to speak on behalf. All voices matter. And thank you to the committee for listening.

Thank you, Representative Camparelli. Anyone else seek the floor? No? Okay. I just want to briefly thank Representative Camparelli for submitting this item, for her robust debate, but also for taking the time to meet on this and discuss it. I talked a bit with Representative Camparelli about how I, too, am someone who cares about the environment and my history over my summers of actually volunteering at a camp. I bring that up because some comments were made about my motivations regarding ensuring that this doesn't impact housing in any way. I just want to briefly comment why my initial concerns you know, relate to housing. You know, there's one sentence in the state statute, 131A, that I took issue with. You know, the rest really I have no issue with and I think are worthy causes, especially the scientific initiatives, citizen science initiatives. I think as many of the folks who testified pointed to, there is common ground on this issue. It doesn't have to be one or the other. It doesn't have to be conservation. It doesn't have to be housing. But the reason why it's a central issue for me is because it's the number one issue that my constituents continue to raise is that, you know, the rent in Stanford is too damn high. The price to be a first time home buyer is not accessible to middle class working people. And so that's why I just urge caution whenever we're going to do anything new. regarding land use. But again, I want to thank Representatives Camparelli, Representative Field, Representative Weinberg, Representative Finkel for introducing this and for the robust debate on it. But so at this time, unless there are any other hands or anyone who would like to make any remarks or further discussion, Chair McEwen, the question on the floor is to approve, correct? So we're able to do a vote?

As far as I recall, yes. The question before the committee was whether or not to approve the item. So whenever you feel there are no further recognitions.

Yeah, I see no further recognition. So I'm going to ask Christina, would you be able to call the roll? And that is to the question on the floor is to approve. LU, LU 32.009, an ordinance establishing a conservation commission. And Christina, are you able to call the roll? If not, I am able to.

Yes, I can call the roll.

Okay. Thank you.

Okay. Representative Adams?

Yes.

Representative Beckham?

Yes.

Representative Boudreaux?

Yes.

Representative Field? Do not speak on. Representative Finkel?

An emphatic yes.

Representative Gardner? Yes, we are. Representative Pelliccia?

Yes.

Co-Chair Hughes?

I'm going to abstain.

And Co-Chair Price?

Yes. Thank you.

Six yes, zero no, and one abstention.

Thank you, Christina. The motion carries. At this time, we have no other items on our agenda. I would entertain a motion to adjourn. So moved. So moved. I call this meeting is adjourned. The Land Use and Urban Redevelopment Committee at 7.59 p.m. Thank you, everyone. Have a good night.

Thank you. Good night.

Thanks. Have a good one. Thank you. Good night, everyone.