Adaptive Reuse of Historic Richmondville Mill Approved for Condo Development

Last week, Westport’s Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) unanimously approved text amendment 774 and the site plan for 32 two- and three-bedroom condo units, 20% of them affordable, at the 1880s-built riverfront building known as the Historic Richmondville Mill.  Adaptive resuse preserves what’s best about a building, but develops it in a way that is more modern and usable while conserving resources and historic value.

Redniss & Mead’s Principal Planner, Rick Redniss, submitted the text amendment and site plan for clients Sam Gault and Joe Feinleib of Coastal Construction.  Redniss enthusiastically commented, “We are proud to have helped balance the complex issues that led to this unanimous approval with zero opposition. The keys to this result included extensive neighborhood outreach, supportive town staff, developers who listened,  a cooperative development team, a sensitive design, and a PZC who appreciated it all”.

 

Link to the WestportNow article here.

Project Completion: Elmcrest Manor, Modern Living with a Taste of Historic Charm

In 2018, clients Anthony Gaglio Jr. and Sr. of Viking Construction bought a property containing a unique house built in 1880 near the Norwalk Hospital. The original house was in significant disrepair and additions added in the 1970’s were ill-considered and detracted from its character. Their vision was to return the Victorian home to its past luster and replace the addition with sensitively designed new apartments that could help support the rehabilitation of the home.  In the beginning of the project, however, zoning regulations prohibited the best scenario for the developers. Redniss & Mead was brought on as a zoning consultant to work with regulatory authorities and find a path forward. The solution was to create a new zoning regulation in the D-Residence Zone allowing Historic Preservation Incentive Developments. The regulation provided additional residential density and alternate incentive standards for projects that resulted in the preservation of a home listed on a local historic resource inventory. This helped balance the costly renovation of the original home with the increase in revenue realized from the new apartments. The result was the beautiful transformation of a unique property with an eye-catching street presence that offers an innovative residential experience with 19 residential units and views of Long Island Sound from a common rooftop terrace.

“It was a pleasure working with Viking Construction on the adaptive reuse and renovation of this historic home”, said Craig Flaherty, P.E., President of Redniss & Mead, who was responsible for writing the zoning tax amendment and managing the zoning approval process including the text amendment, site plan, and special permit applications. Redniss & Mead’s professionalism, reputation, and relationships helped in securing approvals from the Norwalk Historical Commission, Planning Commission, and Zoning Commission.

Key collaborators on the project were Michael Weissbrod at Crosskey Architects, Tod Bryant of Heritage Resources and Jason Klein of Carmody, Torrance, Sandak and Hennessey, LLP.

For the complete news article, click here.

David Ginter Is Now Also Registered to Practice in NY State

David Ginter, P.E., is now registered to practice in New York State as a Professional Engineer in addition to the State of Connecticut, where he has been practicing for 10 years. 

During his sixteen year tenure as a civil engineer with Redniss & Mead he has been involved in hundreds of engineering design projects from the initial concept stage through to construction. 

He specializes in storm water management design, site planning, septic & sanitary sewer systems, drainage and navigating the permit process on local, state and federal levels. 

He has been committed to providing high quality services to long time clients in Greenwich, Stamford and Westport and with the addition of this NY license to his credentials, he will be able to share his expertise with clients in our neighboring state.  

For a comprehensive list of project experience, please link here to his profile page.

Congratulations, Dave!

Redniss & Mead Continues to Serve Our Clients

Update

Update

 

“Redniss & Mead continues to serve our clients.  Most of us are working remotely and can be reached by phone or email, as always.  A few of us remain in the office or are in the field practicing social distancing.  Meetings, to the extent practical, will be held virtually.  We ask that all visitors have a scheduled appointment.  Thank you for your understanding.”    – Craig J. Flaherty, P.E., President

Local Civil Engineer Takes the Lead on Resilient Infrastructure

At the recent United Nations Climate Change Conference, the American Society of Civil Engineers were encouraged to take the lead on resilient infrastructure initiatives.  Meanwhile, here in Fairfield County, Redniss & Mead’s president and senior engineer, Craig Flaherty, PE, presented coastal resiliency options for Pear Tree Beach to the town’s building committee.  The goal is to reduce nuisance flooding exacerbated by sea level rise and stronger storms while preserving and enhancing the beach and coastal resources, as Craig explained, to achieve “an optimal balance between protecting the resource which is not only ecological but our enjoyment of the beach and use of it, but planning resiliently,” For the complete news article, click here. For the ASCE article, click here.