Take 3: Apartment Complex at 64 Danbury Rd. Returns with New Design Proposal

Third time’s the charm? The star-crossed proposal for a 93-unit multifamily complex at 64 Danbury Rd. is back with a new design and round three of pre-application hearings with the Planning & Zoning Commission and its advisory panel, the Architectural Review Board. The purpose of a pre-application hearing is to allow prospective applicants to have a candid discussion with the Commission about a project early on in the design process. These discussions are non-binding for both sides and no public comment is allowed at this stage. Developer Sam Fuller submitted the new design earlier this month, and as usual, the first stop was the ARB, which met on Wednesday, Dec. 13.

Background

Initially presented in February 2021 at a more preliminary design stage, the project was shelved for two years due to existing tenant issues at the site and the emergence of the developer’s nearby 141 Danbury Rd. site as a more immediate opportunity. However, before being withdrawn, that initial review yielded mainly critical feedback from P&Z on the architectural direction of the project.

Fuller then returned with a new design in the summer of 2023 and went through several rounds of changes with ARB before heading for round two at P&Z last fall. The reactions again were tepid.

“The other one looked like a Super 8,” said P&Z Chair Rick Tomasetti during the Commission’s Sept. 11 meeting. “This one looks like marine barracks, but it’s going in the right direction.” Commissioner Ken Hoffman said the concept had “an institutional quality to it.”

The discussion ended warmly despite the negative feedback and Fuller agreed to revisit the design once more and return with a new concept.

64 Danbury: Take 3

Fuller presented to ARB on Wednesday with a new rendering of the complex that featured a series of “modernized colonial” buildings that would be mainly anthracite (black) in color. He showed a beige rendering as well and stated that he planned on including a mix of alternative colors, but didn’t want the scheme to look “too spotted.” The possibility of an entirely anthracite complex appeared to be under consideration as well, with Fuller pointing to the residences in Darien’s new Corbin District and calling them “nearly the same building.”

[Design 3 and Corbin]

In discussion with ARB, Fuller and the board members discussed a wide range of site plan and design questions. At the suggestion of Chair Rob Sanders, Fuller agreed to add balconies along the garage side of the complex, in part to break up the visual wall of the driveways below. He also agreed to eliminate a decorative cupola on the residential buildings that Sanders likend to “the smokestack on the choo-choo train.” The group also discussed minor changes to the trash enclosure and centering the entry to the community building with a large cupola above it.

In addition to the design changes, the number of proposed units has changed at each step in the process. It is now proposed as a 93-unit complex, down from 100 last summer, and 116 in the original 2021 submission.

Looking Ahead

The next meeting of the Architectural Review Board is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 4.

Fuller agreed to return with updated designs in time for a follow-up discussion on that date. He also noted that he would be pursuing a “parallel path” with P&Z at the same time, a sign that the project could reach the Commission sometime next month as well.

In closing, he thanked the members of ARB for their time. “This was very nice and interactive and it’s honestly a pleasure getting your feedback and working with you guys,” he said. “We appreciate the candor and cooperation.”