Greenwich Free Press (https://greenwichfreepress.com/tag/al-shehadi/)
After a group meeting, four committees went to separate rooms in town hall to discuss and vote on the appeal of the ice rink MI. Land Use Committee: 4 yes, 5 no, 1 abstain. Public Works Committee: 1 yes; 9 no. Finance Committee: 3 yes, 6 no, 1 abstain. Last week, the Budget Overview Committee also voted to reject: 2 yes, 7 no, 3 abstain. Continue Reading →
“The result is a $24 million redesign of almost the entirety of Morlot Park which includes a new 40,000 square foot rink facility, more than 30% larger than the current rink, ‘flips’ the rink location with the existing baseball field and constructs a new baseball field on the location of the current rink. The Byram Veterans Memorial Tree Grove, now surrounded on all sides by open vistas, will be ‘honored’ with a 40 foot tall windowless wall almost immediately adjacent to one end of the grove.” – Liz Eckert, Joseph Kantorski, Al Shehadi, Lucy Von Brachel Continue Reading →
On Tuesday the Planning & Zoning commission approved Municipal Improvement status for DPW’s proposed new Hamill Rink in Eugene Morlot Park in Byram. The vote was 4-1. Continue Reading →
The proposal is again for “the flip,” which refers to switching the location of the existing 70’s era Hamill Rink with Strazza field, so that the new 42,000 sq ft rink (10,000 sq ft larger than the existing building) would be toward the middle of the park rather than tucked in the corner as it is now. Continue Reading →
“To me if feels like the stepsister trying to squeeze her foot into Cinderella’s slipper. It just feels like a big thing trying to fit into a small space.” –P&Z commission chair Margarita Alban Continue Reading →
The P&Z commission chair Margarita Alban repeatedly told the applicant not to get too far along with plans until working with the Connecticut Dept of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), noting the primary issue was that the property was the flood hazard zone. Continue Reading →
“It really feels like Groundhog Day. Once again the proponents in fiscal year 2024 are requesting the exact same budget appropriation denied before.”- Lucia Jansen, RTM Budget Overview Committee Chair Continue Reading →
The application was broken into two parts so the remediation can begin. But the BOE must return with a landscaping and lighting plan. The P&Z commission chair said there was a history of them not fulfilling conditions of approval requiring trees to be replaced, especially at GHS. Continue Reading →
At RTM on Monday, housing authority director Anthony Johnson testified that a lawsuit against the town was settled. On Friday incoming P&Z director Patrick LaRow said that was inaccurate, though they have had “very positive discussions.” Continue Reading →
Get a bowl of popcorn ready. Continue Reading →