Ritz Delayed
According the the FD Rich site, construction on the Ritz Carlton project will not commence until 2009. This is a delay from the original late 2008 start. Demo on the strip of stores was completed months ago, now waiting as an all too familiar hole. The city has given the go ahead, I wonder if the delay is due to financing or if they are waiting to see how Stamford's luxury market pans out.
I never saw this angle of the proposed buildings before. The parking garage really butts up against a significant portion of one of the St. John's Towers. I'm not sure what a good idea it is to block out the sun for half a building already known for being somewhat run down. One can't image that doing anything to help the atmosphere. The pride people take in their home has a tangible impact on the physical plant of any building and is probably even more the case in low income housing.
It'd be interesting to see what the Ritz project would look like if it included the parcel the tower sits on. They could perhaps add a third tower on that corner. The below market rate units could be replaced one for one onsite or off and the city would not have a significant chunk of it's low income housing buried by a parking garage.
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It would also be hard on the child care building in the upper right hand corner. Day care windows on the entire side of the building would be blocked and the playground on the roof would be cold and dark. Why must Stamford allow such projects with no space or sunlight for the neighbors?
I'm definitely disappointed that this has been delayed. The city needs to force the developer to clean up the site until construction begins. The lot is a mess with debris scattered everywhere, and the fencing they put up looks terrible (not to mention it narrows an already too narrow sidewalk on Atlantic). If it's going to be more than a few months, then they should be forced to put up a more permanent fence that blocks the view of the huge hole & the construction material/debris around the site.
"The below market rate units could be replaced one for one onsite or off and the city would not have a significant chunk of its low income housing buried by a parking garage."
The problem with this is that St. John's is already in negotiations to sell the tower on the NE corner of Washington and Tresser Blvds. (across from the Government Center).
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