City Gives CVS Go-Ahead to Build Wall
Zoning Board approves redesigned retaining wall
By Elizabeth Kim
Staff Writer
Posted: 01/23/2009 07:57:18 PM EST
STAMFORD -- A protracted zoning battle has given new meaning to the folk expression "Good fences make good neighbors."
After more than six months of wrangling among neighbors and city officials, the design of a retaining wall at a CVS store site in Bull's Head has been put to rest.
Zoning Board members Thursday night unanimously approved a two-tiered, stone-like wall that will run between CVS and Lord & Taylor at High Ridge Road. Because the structure will be built on both properties, the site plan involves an undisclosed agreement with Lord & Taylor.
"In the spirit of the new president, two divergent parties came together," said Mike Cacace, lawyer for National Realty Corp., which owns Lord & Taylor. "Aesthetically, we think this is worlds better. Everyone wins."
The endorsement was a far cry from statements last fall, when talks between the two companies stalled after they failed to reach consensus on cost and design. At a public hearing in October, an engineering consultant hired by Lord & Taylor testified about structural flaws in CVS's design.
The barrier, which at one point CVS estimated would cost $1.2 million, had been considered necessary because of a steep grade between the two properties.
Initial submissions of a flat concrete-type wall drew angry objections from neighbors who questioned its safety and appearance. It will be in a highly visible location.
Zoning Board members, who wanted a more natural-looking wall, rejected the proposal and sent CVS back to the drawing board.
"This is a very, very important site in this city," Chairwoman Phyllis Kapiloff said. "Everyone says to me, 'What has CVS done to Bull's Head?' "
The newly approved plan calls for a two-tier, two-wall design that resembles a stone wall. Much to the board's pleasure, CVS has agreed to incorporate significantly more landscaping, including a row of trees to serve as a screen.
"It kind of reinforces what the Zoning Board has felt for many years," board member Audrey Cosentini said. "If you push back, you get something a lot closer to what you want for the city."
But during the public hearing, which lasted more than an hour, not every aspect of the plan was well-received. For instance, a proposed chain link fence to prevent pedestrians from walking into the opening between the two walls, left some people cold.
"I think a chain-linked fence is kind of tacky," Bull's Head resident Cynthia Reeder said.
But by the end of the evening, compromises had been reached, including a substitute for the chainlink fence. At about 10 p.m., Kapiloff informed two slumping CVS representatives their site plan had been approved, more than a year after they first received approval to build a store at the location.
"Now go and build a beautiful wall," she said.
-- Staff Writer Elizabeth Kim can be reached at elizabeth.kim@scni.com or 964-2265.
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