The former Playtex Apparel headquarters in Stamford will soon see new life with dozens of townhomes.
Stamford’s Zoning Board recently approved plans to demolish the existing office building Fairfield Avenue and construct 56 condos.
Playtex Apparel moved its headquarters from Stamford to North Carolina more than 20 years ago. Since then, the building has changed hands and is currently largely vacant.
In recent years housing development in Stamford has focused mostly on rental properties, according to Ray Mazzeo, senior planner with Redniss and Mead, who worked on the project.
“Stamford has had its fair share of rental development, multifamily rental development over the last 10 or so years, and there's been really very little townhome homeownership opportunities,” Mazzeo said. “So this was really a great fit for the neighborhood.”
The new development will have 56 townhomes all of which will have three-bedrooms, sold at market rate. The developer opted to pay a fee contributing to the city’s affordable housing trust rather than sell some of the condos at affordable rates, Mazzeo said.
“High-rise rental and home ownership typically lean towards the fee in Stamford,” Mazzeo said.
The project required an additional approval since the area was not originally zoned to allow residential buildings. From start to finish the local approval process took about a year, Mazzeo said.
The city’s Zoning Board had to approve the project before building permits could
be filed and work could begin. Construction is expected to start in the spring and last for about 18 months, Mazzeo said.
The development will help the city in more ways than one, Stamford’s Land Bureau Chief Ralph Blessing said.
“It was an empty office building, so it didn't do anything for the city. No jobs, no tax revenue, so this brings it back onto the tax rolls and helps with the housing situation,” Blessing said.
The project sparked little debate or discussion among Stamford residents and Zoning Board members, which is often a good sign, Blessing said.
Still, Blessing hopes future projects will include more affordable housing options.
“We need housing, and it's a good thing that, for a change, we get home ownership units,” Blessing said. “Obviously, I hope that in the future we get more projects that actually provide homeownership affordable opportunities.”
