On Tuesday the Planning & Zoning commission unanimously approved the applications for Municipal Improvement and Final Site Plan and Special Permit for the BOE project at Julian Curtiss School.
P&Z chair Margarita Alban said the commission did not have many questions about the application and all staff comments had been addressed.
Bill Kelly, chair of the Julian Curtiss School building committee, said they had been tasked with the alterations of the school to make it ADA accessible. The school property is 15.3-acres located in the R-6 residential zone.
There are plans for two new ADA ramps and associated landscaping adjacent to the front entry door, a new front door, and a new security system inside.
There are also plans for an elevator from the basement up to the second floor so people unable to use the staircases will have access to the second floor.
Over the years, parents have shared heartbreaking stories of carrying children up and down stairs before and after school.
The elevator will be constructed within the confines of the building. It will have an overrun extending approximately 12” above the roof.
Finally there are plans for the installation of a new ADA parking space within existing impervious area.
The only feedback was on landscaping plan, and Ms Alban noted there was a request to replace Japanese species with native species.
File photo of Julian Curtiss School. The school dates back to 1946. After 75 years, there have been some improvements to the school, but the majority of the building, inside and out, remains in its original state.
During public comment Claire Kilgallen spoke in favor of the project and thanked the building committee.
“I’d like to see that this great building, with its great bones is going to be brought up to ADA standards,” she said.
Steph Cowie, who is a leader of the First Selectman’s Advisory Committee for People with Disabilities, also spoke in support of the project.
“We’re so happy that this is a jump off – thank goodness – for the school with great bones, but needs some adjustments to be ADA compliant,” Cowie said.
Ms Alban asked Ms Cowie if her committee would be willing to be involved in the next POCD in 2029.
“We need a stronger section just on accessibility for people of all ages and sizes,” Alban said. “As I looked at the POCD I thought, it could be beefier.”
Cowie said the committee had a wide array of members and it would be a great project for them to work on.
“Greenwich for all ages and abilities,” Alban said. “That’s the headline – all ages and abilities.”
The vote to approve was 5-0 with Ms Alban, Anne Noel Jones (for Macri), Mary Jenkins (for Levy), Peter Lowe, and Dennis Yeskey voting.