Bridgewater proposal calls for helipad, recreational barge

STAMFORD -- A plan to transform a gritty, industrial stretch of South End waterfront into a glassy headquarters for the world's largest hedge fund came into sharper focus this week, following submission of zoning applications from developer Building and Land Technology.

In addition to a five-story, 850,000-square-foot office, the campus for Bridgewater Associates calls for a helipad, a floating recreational barge, a restored estuary and a marina.

The zoning applications submitted Monday include several renderings and site-plan drawings, providing the first public look at the Bridgewater plan since Gov. Dannel P. Malloy in August announced an incentive deal to keep the Westport-based hedge fund in Connecticut.

The proposed $750 million project is on a 14-acre peninsula on Bateman Way that, up until last year, had been the site of a working boatyard. BLT, which faces a city cease-and-desist order for removing the water-dependent use, is seeking to rezone the property for commercial use.

The heart of the plan is a giant office complex designed by Cutler Anderson Architects. The Washington-based firm previously designed Bill Gates' private home in Medina, Wash.

Made up of two long, curved buildings joined in the center by bridges and paths, the structure is poised to become the most striking presence on the Stamford coastline. The project's goal, according to the coastal site plan application, is "to house a corporation in an environment that fosters personal interaction and a strong connection to the living world."

The building is significantly larger than originally proposed. Prior to the zoning applications, BLT described the office as 750,000 square feet.

In another noteworthy detail, the applications state the building will be able to accommodate 3,500 people and 3,000 cars. It suggests the company will have the potential to expand well beyond 2,000 employees, one of the benchmarks Malloy officials have set for Bridgewater to receive as much as $115 million worth of state aid.

Of the amenities, at least two are expected to be open to the public, a component that BLT has touted as providing a larger benefit to the community than a working boatyard. The zoning application describes an estuary restoration on the site's northeast side. The plan envisions a tidal salt marsh in which pedestrians can walk across using a newly constructed boardwalk connecting to Kosciuszko Park.

More controversially, however, BLT is proposing to replace the boatyard with a scaled-back public marina on the site that offers slips but no maintenance or storage facilities.

The developer is in talks with the city and state environmental officials to build a boatyard at a 3.5-acre property it owns at 205 Magee Ave. in Shippan.

But the plan, which has not been formally filed by BLT, appears wrought with complications. Boaters have taken issue with the significantly smaller size of the site and a proposed dredging process they say may take years to complete. Additionally, the stretch of land fronting the water is owned by the city, meaning that BLT would have either to purchase the property or secure an easement, neither of which are guaranteed to happen.

On Monday night, Zoning Board members expressed dismay at the developer for not addressing the boatyard issue prior to submitting plans for Bridgewater. Prior to the Bridgewater announcement, the board had spent months figuring out ways to pressure the developer into reveal plans for the waterfront site, which been reserved for a boatyard used by boaters across the region.

Board member Audrey Cosentini argued the board should not even consider the Bridgewater application until BLT submitted a plan for "adequate boatyard that would fulfill our requirement the way a 14-acre boatyard did.

"To me, that would be the first step," she said.

elizabeth.kim@scni.com; 203-964-2265; http://twitter.com/lizkimtweets