CTDOT Seeks to ‘Transform’ Stamford Transportation Center as City Plans for its Future

“A world-class multimodal public transportation hub” that features housing, retail, and commercial space, as well as improved infrastructure. That’s how the Connecticut Department of Transportation is proposing to transform the Stamford Transportation Center and the area around it over the next few years. 

At the same time, the city is finalizing its 10-year master plan that aims to guide its growth, development, infrastructure investments, and more for the next decade. 

“From investing in our neighborhoods and expanding economic opportunity to improving connectivity, accessibility, and affordability, Stamford 2035 offers a practical path forward,” Mayor Caroline Simmons wrote in a letter. “I am confident that by working together, we can turn this plan into real progress and ensure Stamford continues to be an inclusive, vibrant, and innovative city.”

However, residents have been split over how they want the city’s next 10 years to look—with some advocating for more housing and businesses near transit, while others have raised some concerns that the fastest growing city in Connecticut is growing too quickly. 

Let’s explore the future plans for the Stamford Transportation Center and how it relates to the city’s master planning process.

The Future of the Stamford Transportation Center

The Stamford Transportation Center (STC) is the busiest station in the region (as we’ve previously reported), serving more than 5 million riders across MetroNorth, Amtrak, and CTtransit buses each year. CTDOT said in an informal meeting on August 4 that the station is an “important transportation asset and a gateway to Connecticut.” It’s also located in one of the “state’s largest and fastest growing cities.”

That’s part of why it embarked on a master planning process, which aimed to provide recommendations for improvements to the station. The department said it found that “after decades of service, facilities within the station area need to be replaced, relocated and repurposed.” 

In addition, CTDOT officials said there was “high demand for livable, walkable neighborhoods around the transit station,” which is why the department is seeking a “comprehensive solution to address both the station needs and the demand for housing and commercial/retail space around the station.”

Officials also said the proposal could “replace, relocate and repurpose facilities within the station area to ensure that Stamford will continue to be a key transportation hub for years to come.” 

From Master Plan to ‘Innovative Vision’ for Stamford Transportation Center

In 2022, CTDOT launched a master planning process that developed recommendations to improve the state-owned facilities and the surrounding areas. That master plan, which was finished in in 2024, focused improving three main areas, all primarily focused on the station itself and the roads around it:

• Station Place (the roadway around the station): create an “engaging public plaza” that would be an entrance to the city and improve the biking and walking environment with bike lanes and sidewalks, as well as better connections to vehicle pickup.
• Main concourse/waiting area: upgrade the circulation and connectivity of the station to enhance the customer experience
• Tunnel level/bus and shuttle area: improve the access between bus bays, waiting areas, and the rail platforms. 

However, after the plan was finished, the state went a step further and put together a “request for expressions of interest” in 2024 where it asked consultants and developers to submit ideas for “innovative and implementable approaches for the joint development of the STC and mixed-use, transit-oriented development on certain State-owned parcels at the STC.”

The department said it was looking for ideas that would: 

• Enhance the user experience at the station for rail and bus passengers
• Drive inclusive economic development by “integrating mixed-income and affordable housing options” along with “inclusive public spaces” that will help “position the STC as an economic hub that supports local and regional businesses and serves as a key asset for attracting employers to move to or expand in the city.”
• Enhance accessibility and safety both at the transportation center and on the surrounding street network 
• Create a development that allows for “future expansions and changes in transportation needs,” such as new service added by Amtrak and the completion of Metro-North’s Penn Station Access project.
• Maintain station operations as much as possible while this work was taking place

What Could the Plan for the Stamford Transportation Center Include?

The state owns the station itself as well as about 11 acres around it, all of which could be included in the plans for this site. In its request for ideas, CTDOT said it was looking for proposals that:

• Provide for “a modern, vibrant, flexible and safe station area that provides both ADA-accessible, seamless horizontal and vertical connections to the rest of the station.”
• Add “transit-oriented development that includes a mix of uses, including mixed-income multifamily rental or for-sale product, commercial office, ground floor retail, hospitality, or other uses”
• Improve traffic and station area roads such as Station Place, South State Street, North State Street, Atlantic Street, and Washington Boulevard.

As we previously reported, the city rezoned the property a few years ago as part of an effort to “encourage high-density mixed-use development, provision of amenities for commuters, residents, and employees, connectivity between Downtown and the South End and excellence in sustainable urban design.”

How Much Growth Is Too Much Growth?

At the same time as CTDOT released its plans for a new STC area, the city unveiled the draft of its 10-year master plan, called Stamford 2035.

“Shaped by the voices of Stamford’s residents, this plan is a dynamic roadmap designed to guide the city’s growth through 2035 and beyond,” the introduction to the plan states. 

While the plan addresses ideas and action items for all over the city, it specifically discusses the STC, stating that the state’s redevelopment plans for it will “cement Stamford’s role as a major transit hub.” 

The plan specifically includes the area around the STC as part of its “core” development area, which envisions it as “a vibrant, amenity-rich area that serves as a gateway to the city. This zone supports a dynamic mix of uses—including high-density residential, commercial, cultural, and civic spaces.”

One of the goals of the plan is exactly what CTDOT is doing. The plan states that the city should “work with the Connecticut Department of Transportation to integrate more housing on state-owned land around Stamford Transit Center.”

But some residents have raised concerns about the amount of high-density development in the city overall, even next to transit hubs like the STC. At the July meeting of the Land Use and Redevelopment Committee of the Board of Representatives, dozens of residents spoke out and wrote in against the ongoing master planning efforts, which they say are contributing to overdevelopment in the community.

“I lived in other parts of the U.S. but chose Stamford to pursue my happiness!” Representative Bonnie Kim Campbell said at the meeting. “This is my hometown, and may some of my constituents feel as I do. I am homesick in my own hometown.” 

Board president Nina Sherwood said that their comments would be into a report that would be sent to the mayor and Planning Board. Residents also have more chances to weigh in on the draft master plan at two public hearings in September. 

Timeline for Stamford Transportation Center Redevelopment

At the same time, CTDOT is moving forward with its plans for the STC and surrounding areas. The department’s next step is putting out a request for proposal (RFP) that interested developers can respond to and submit their plans for redeveloping the station and area around it. CTDOT said it is looking for “highly skilled, private developers with the interest and capacity to undertake the project.” It plans to post the RFP in mid-August. 

From there, the state said it would select a developer in spring 2026. It anticipates that the pre-development work would take about 12 to 18 months, while the development and construction phase could take anywhere from 36 to 48 months.