Stamford’s strength has always come from its neighborhoods — places where people put down roots, where nature is part of daily life, and where thoughtful planning protects the character and integrity of our community. For those of us who live along Old North Stamford Road, this connection to the land is more than aesthetic; it is the foundation of our quality of life. That is why the proposal to rezone 27 High Ridge Road from residential to commercial, in order to build a 40-plus–car parking lot on a steep, wooded half-acre hillside, is so deeply troubling.
This is not simply a parking issue. It is an environmental, planning, and precedent-setting issue that affects our entire city.
The recently revised Stamford Comprehensive Plan 2035 makes our priorities clear:
• Preserve mature tree canopy and natural open space
• Protect residential areas from incompatible commercial encroachment
• Maintain ecological buffers and green corridors
• Reduce air, noise, and light pollution
• Strengthen climate resilience and stormwater management
The proposal for 27 High Ridge Road violates every single one of these principles.
The land behind the HomeGoods shopping center is not an unused patch of dirt — it is a functioning natural hillside with deep tree roots, slope stability, wildlife habitat, and a long-established green buffer between the commercial district and the historic homes along Old North Stamford Road. Removing dozens of mature trees, blasting into ledge, and paving over the slope for a commercial lot would not only degrade the neighborhood, it would also create long-term environmental harm that cannot be reversed.
Mature trees are our most effective natural defense against flooding, heat, and erosion. Once removed, they are gone for a generation. Stamford has already lost nearly 4,000 trees in recent years to storms, development, and disease. We cannot continue replacing natural green buffers with asphalt and expect our neighborhoods to remain livable.
The developer argues that the parking lot is necessary, yet the shopping center already has ample unused parking. Residents have documented numerous dates and times — weekdays, weekends, mornings, afternoons, evenings — when spaces are abundantly available. The idea that this hillside must be sacrificed for parking that already exists is simply not credible.
Moreover, the proposed lot would sit directly behind long-established homes on Old North Stamford Road. Noise, headlights, runoff, and commercial activity would intrude into what has always been a quiet residential corridor. Rezoning this parcel would undermine the very concept of zoning: the promise that people can rely on stable land-use categories that protect neighborhoods from incompatible development.
If approved, this project would set a precedent that any steep wooded lot bordering a commercial zone could be rezoned and paved, tree by tree, buffer by buffer. Stamford cannot afford that slippery slope — literally or figuratively.
The city has an opportunity right now to demonstrate that the Comprehensive Plan 2035 is not just a document, but a commitment. Residents are not opposed to development; we are opposed to the wrong project in the wrong place, especially when it disregards environmental stewardship and neighborhood character.
Protecting 27 High Ridge Road is not only about saving a hillside. It is about preserving the values that have shaped Stamford for generations: respect for nature, responsible planning, and safeguarding the identity of the neighborhoods that make this city home.
We urge the Planning and Zoning Boards — and the broader Stamford community — to reject this rezoning request. Let us uphold the Comprehensive Plan 2035, protect our tree canopy, and ensure that Stamford’s neighborhoods remain places where people can thrive for decades to come.
Paula Waldman
Stamford, CT 06903