Demolition to begin soon for Corbin District
Minor changes approved
DARIEN — The Corbin District project is moving forward in Darien, with demolition of some of the buildings set to begin soon.
At the same time, Darien’s Planning & Zoning Commission has just approved some minor changes to the design plans of several buildings for the project.
The Corbin District will be a mixed-use redevelopment spanning from Corbin Drive to the Bank of America building on Post Road in the center of Darien.
Demolition signs were posted along the driveway through Corbin District retail stores along the Boston Post Road, Corbin District project developer David Genovese announced recently.
In a letter sent town leaders, customers of 10 Corbin Drive and the stores along the Post Road, Genovese said: “We are planning to demolish the buildings within the interior of the site, including the buildings formerly occupied by EPOD [Everything Printed or Displayed], Giovanni the Tailor, Paws & Reflect, and Darien Shoe Repair, as well as the garages behind Cold Play Cryotherapy and Darien Cleaners.”
He said he has worked with the businesses over the last few weeks to relocate them into new properties in Darien.
The plan is to “demolish the interior buildings within the next month and to create additional parking in that area, which can be used by construction workers during the construction of the first phase of The Corbin District,” Genovese said.
The Town of Darien’s Building Department stipulated that the demolition signs be visible from the Boston Post Road, as required by local building codes, according to Genovese.
“We have been working with our team of architects, construction people, and engineers to refine all of the details.”
Changes to height, garage reconfiguration
In a unanimous 6-0 vote at a special meeting Tuesday, the Planning & Zoning Commission approved minor changes that amended the previously approved plans for the height of several buildings and the garage configuration.
The changes, which pertain to the Post Road and Corbin Drive, involve relocating the drainage culvert that runs alongside the parking lot behind 1020 Boston Post Road and 36 Old Kings Highway South. Work is expected to begin this summer.
At the meeting, Genovese detailed the changes and what they would involve.
“We have been working with our team of architects, construction people and engineers to refine all of the details,” he said.
Under the changes, the culvert pipe will get moved first, and the drainage system will be installed opposite 36 Old Kings Highway South.
Also, for Building I at the corner of Corbin Drive and Boston Post Road, the height was increased by about 8 inches.
“We are asking for an 8-inch increase in the size of that building. What this has allowed us to do is to get a full height floor across the bulk of the Post Road side of the building. Unlike 1020 Post Road, we wanted to adjust this to make it more of a full third story,” Genovese said.
For Building H, the center building north of Corbin Drive, the height was increased by about 9 inches.
And for Building K, at the corner of Corbin Drive and Old Kings Highway South, the height was reduced by about 2.7 feet.
“This site slopes down relatively steeply as you go from the middle of Corbin Drive down to Old King’s Highway South,” Genovese said.
Changes in the parking would consolidate the below-grade parking garage south of Corbin Drive, allowing for a potential increase in the parking spaces. The current garage plans would create 240 parking spaces.
An alternative parking garage design would create 287 spaces, “so 47 more spaces than what we proposed in the prior version, which was part of the entitlement,” Genovese said.
This garage is also more rectangular.
According to Genovese, this would be more efficient to build. It has much less wasted space than the prior design.
“We’re not sure we won’t lose some of those spaces to mechanical rooms and garbage enclosures,” he said. However, “We don’t think we’ll end up with less than 20 spaces. We would be creating a minimum of 20 more parking spaces.”
“It will be light and bright and much more open,” he added.
Planning & Zoning Director Jeremy Ginsberg said the changes “make sense.”
“No change in height is greater than a foot. It still complies with the regulations,” he added. “There is no additional square footage.”
According to Genovese, the plan is to get the drawings finalized, “which we’re pretty close now,” he said.
Then, he said he will work on Phase 2 of the project.
Watch the Planning & Zoning Special meeting on Darien TV/79.
David Genovese