STAMFORD — As developers plan to retrofit a number of properties on Pacific Street in the South End, city officials want them to consider the impact the new spaces may have on the community – particularly around noise.
The money will flow through town and go to Conor Horrigan’s ScrapWorks LLC. Horrigan is the founder of Half Full Brewery, whose Pacific Street Third Place location is part of the retrofit project.
For Republican David Watkins, who represents the Shippan neighborhood, the plans were reminiscent of residents’ complaints about beer gardens.
“When I see something about a beer garden, it reminds me of how many calls and issues I’ve had with previous beer gardens and noise and all that stuff,” Watkins said during a Sept. 12 board meeting of the Representatives Steering Committee, which sets the agendas monthly for the entire Executive Board and its committees.
In an email to The Stamford Advocate, Horrigan said he recently met with Watkins to discuss the project.
“As far as noise goes, we’ve had a beer garden/outdoor area at our site for the past three years,” Horrigan said. “As this project progresses, the goal is to make it a year-round space that would be locked in during the colder months.”
On September 8, the Finance Committee approved the city’s acceptance of the $2.5 million grant. The meeting of representatives is scheduled to vote on this on October 3rd.
This week, Stamford Grants Officer Anita Carpenter told the Board of Representatives’ Fiscal Committee that Horrigan was “very instrumental in bringing a group of developers together to really build Pacific Street and transform it into some sort of burgeoning economic development space.”
In addition to the $2.5 million grant, the developers are expected to contribute approximately $6.5 million to the project, which includes five properties in total.
MP Terry Adams, who represents the South End on the House of Representatives, said he wished Horrigan had “reached out to the community”.
Adams, a Democrat, said Horrigan was presenting at a meeting in the South End Neighborhood Revitalization Zone as he attempted to open Third Place.
After the finance committee meeting, Horrigan told the lawyer that he would present his new project at an NRZ meeting on October 11. He also said that earlier this year he “did a full tour” with State Assemblyman David Michel, a Democrat whose district includes the South End.
“This project has a very long way to go and just like our Third Place project, there will be many discussions with all local stakeholders, including the NRZ,” Horrigan said.
During the committee meeting, Adams Carpenter asked how Pacific Street businesses that are not part of the Scrap Works project could work with the city to receive grants.
She said Scrap Works has approached the city to apply for funding under the CT Communities Challenge Grant Program. To date, DECD has awarded one round of funding under the program, which aims to “improve the quality of life, vitality, convenience and equity in communities across the state.” The application deadline for the second round is October 7th.
“If you talk to companies and they’re interested in renovating their buildings, making improvements…that’s absolutely the type of funding we’d be interested in…helping them do that,” Tischler said.
