A crucial ruling blocking the controversial Stanford Crossings project was reversed today, paving the way for the project to go forward.
The Appellate Division of the state Supreme Court today ruled against preservationists hoping to delay and stop the crossings project and to protect the old Stanford Mansion in its current state.
At issue was whether the proposed site for the Stanford Crossings strip mall and the site of the new Ingersoll home, currently under construction a mile away on Consaul Road, should have been considered together for environmental impacts.
The court found that the crossings project and the new Ingersoll home being completed on Consaul Road were separate projects for environmental review, not reliant on each other.
The lower court found the opposite, setting the approval process back months.
The ruling now reinstates a special use permit that had been on hold pending the appeal. It was not immediately clear when work could begin, though a further appeal could keep it on hold.
Friends of the Stanford Home, the group dedicated to saving the old Ingersoll site from commercial development, won the September ruling when a state Supreme Court judge sided with them and froze the Stanford Crossings project until a town approval process was corrected.
Linda Champagne, who has let the group, said they plan to ask the Court of Appeals to hear the case.
“I think they’re wrong,” she said of the ruling when told by a reporter. “The law in this case that Judge (Joseph) Sise decided upon was valid. It’s worth an attempt to get it into the appeals court.”
The site at 3359 Consaul Road is to be home to a new 74-bed, $11-million facility. It is nearing completion, with the Ingersoll Home expected to take possession soon. Its construction was not affected by the ruling that stopped the Stanford project.
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