Sign in Subscribe
The What

The What: From Office Parks to Housing; Stamford Superintendent Search; and more

The What is your look around southwest Connecticut for the week of January 12.

The What: From Office Parks to Housing; Stamford Superintendent Search; and more
Hope your 2026 is off to a good start! (Photo by Kelly Prinz)

Monday, January 12

Happy Monday! Note that next week, The What will be out on Tuesday due to the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

Highlights 

This section gives a brief overview of the key items in the newsletter.

Spotlight

This section features our main reporting each week.

Across southwest Connecticut, former offices are becoming housing, as the need for commercial space dwindles, while the housing market remains tight. Some buildings are literally being converted from offices to housing, while other new projects are being developed on sites that were formerly office parks. 

Office parks that were established in the 1970s and 1980s provided “a park-like setting for corporate headquarters” looking to move out of the major cities, Stamford officials noted. But now “five decades from their conception, office parks now have a high vacancy rate due to several factors including obsolescence of the office buildings, relocation and downsizing of several corporations and an overall shift away from campus like offices towards more urban offices in downtown areas.”

We explored a few projects including 800 and 900 Long Ridge Road in Stamford and 3 Parklands Drive in Darien that are part of this trend that is transforming former office parks across the region.

Learn more about these projects or watch our video to see why offices are being converted into housing in southwest Connecticut. 

This Week at a Glance

This section aims to highlight the most important meetings and news taking place each week.

  • In Bridgeport, there will be another Board of Education Budget Forum on Monday, January 12 at 5 p.m. for residents and community members to get a look at the 2026-27 budget. Last year, Bridgeport and other districts faced multiple challenges with their budgets. 
  • In Stamford, there are multiple Superintendent Input Sessions this week to allow parents, students, and community members to weigh in on the search. Check out the website to see the full list of dates and times.
  • In Norwalk, the Economic & Community Development Committee will meet on Monday, January 12 at 6 p.m. and review requests that include: spending $849,000 to  remove an old rail spur near the new South Norwalk School to allow for the realignment of South Main Street, Meadow Street, Wilson Avenue, and the Meadow Street Extension; and allocating $437,000 for pedestrian improvements along Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Hamilton Avenue.
  • Also in Norwalk, the full City Council will meet on Tuesday, January 13 at 7:30 p.m. and review the aforementioned items from the Economic and Community Development Committee, as well as a request to transfer $150,000 of federal APRA funds. 
  • In Fairfield, there will be a Board of Education Budget Meeting on Tuesday, January 13 at 7 p.m. to review the Superintendent’s recommended budget.
  • In Greenwich, the Board of Estimate & Taxation Budget Committee will meet on Tuesday, January 13 at 1 p.m. to review a request for $6.2 million for the Old Greenwich School project and to set the budget framework for the year.
  • In Darien, the Board of Education will meet on Tuesday, January 13 at 7:30 p.m. to discuss the proposed school budget. 

Plan Your Week

This section includes a list of meetings, events, and programming happening around southwest Connecticut each week.

Bridgeport

Stamford

Norwalk

Fairfield

Greenwich

Darien

Westport

Stay in touch!

As we continue to grow and evolve, please join us! You can do that by:

Please note: All of these agendas and information here are current as of Sunday night. Meeting times and agendas may get adjusted throughout the week.

Have a great week,

Kelly Prinz

Founder, Reporter at Coastal Connecticut Times

Read next