The Ritz and The Ruins: Stamford’s Main Street Deadlock

STAMFORD— The Village of Stamford Zoning Board of Appeals has denied permit appeals for 60 and 64 Main Street, citing untimely filing and failure to restore fire-damaged structures, leaving the door open for the future demolition of both buildings by the Village Board.

“While the village would be within its rights to demolish the buildings it is unclear that we could do so and expect to assign that cost to the property owner,” explained Stamford Mayor Robert Schneider. 

Schneider noted that according to Stamford Village attorney Laura M. Gulfo, the lack of an engineer's determination of "imminent collapse" or some equally urgent matter, puts the Village at risk of delivering a clean lot to the property owner at no cost to him. 

“This remains a very vexing problem,” Schneider said. “The trustees and I cannot risk putting village taxpayers in such a position.”

The history of 60 and 64 Main Street in Stamford, NY, reflects the village's evolution from a 19th-century commercial hub to a modern-day community center, marked recently by a tragic fire in December 2023.

60 Main Street (The Hager Building)

Originally constructed in 1888, this building was a centerpiece of Stamford’s "Queen of the Catskills" era. Known as The Hager Building, 60 Main Street was designed and built by George Gibbs, a prominent local judge, architect, and builder of the Rexmere Hotel, to house George H. Hager’s Drugs and Groceries. A classic example of late 19th-century commercial architecture, for decades it was known as The Ritz Restaurant. In more recent years, it housed the Half Acres Catskills restaurant and several upstairs apartments. The building survived a significant fire in the 1980s and was fully restored before the 2023 blaze.

64 Main Street

While historically part of the same commercial row, 64 Main Street has served as a versatile space for businesses and residents alike. Prior to 2023, the ground floor was the office for Windstar Realty, a local real estate firm. Like The Hager Building, its upper floors provided critical housing for the village, containing six apartments.

The 2023 Fire

On December 8, 2023, a massive fire heavily damaged both buildings. The event was a significant blow to the village, displacing thirty residents from eleven apartments. Besides closing two Main Street businesses, Half Acres Catskills and Windstar Realty, it resulted in the loss of the historic structures that helped define the character of Stamford’s downtown for over 130 years.

After the fire in December 2023, the buildings at 60 and 64 Main Street were purchased by Waled Haredy. According to earlier reports from The Mountain Eagle. Haredy purchased the buildings for a total of $2,000 ($1,000 each).

Significant tension arose between the owner and the Village of Stamford in early 2025. The Village offered to buy the buildings back for the same $2,000 purchase price to facilitate their demolition through state and county funding.

The buildings were condemned following the fire. Because they are considered unsalvageable and do not meet modern building codes for restoration in their current format, the Village Board recently resolved to secure a loan to raze the structures and attach the cost to the property's tax bill.

Waled Haredy said that he wanted to avoid leaving the sites as vacant lots, stating he had plans for the properties, though the Village maintains the structures must come down for safety reasons.

Key Details of the Appeal

Code Enforcement Officer Rich Irwin, who recently resigned as Stamford CEO, originally denied the permits on July 30, 2025, based on three independent grounds. The ZBA noted several critical issues during the hearing: Timeliness, abandonment, and restoration. The appeal was filed 96 days after the denial, significantly exceeding the 60-day statutory limit. The applicant could not provide a satisfactory explanation for this 36-day delay, and parking deficiencies.

Under local law, the right to restore nonconforming buildings ends if work is not "substantially underway" within 12 months of a fire. Since the fire occurred on December 1, 2023, and the owner had not filed permit applications until July 2025, the properties were considered abandoned under zoning code.

Haredy proposed using a separate lot (3 North Delaware Street) for parking. However, he provided no proof of ownership or lot consolidation, and the proposal did not meet the requirement for on-site parking.

A Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) meeting was again held on February 19, 2026, primarily focused on the appeal filed by 60 Main Stamford LLC and 64 Main Stamford LLC (represented by Waled Haredy) regarding the denial of zoning permits for the properties at 60 and 64 Main Street.

Board Determination

The Zoning Board of Appeals emphasized that even if the parking issue were resolved, the permits would still be denied due to the abandonment of the structures and the untimely filing of the appeal.

Stamford Mayor Robert Schneider has made several public statements regarding the properties at 60 and 64 Main Street, primarily focusing on public safety and the necessity of their demolition following the devastating fire in December 2023. Directly after the fire in December 2023, Mayor Schneider described the event as a "severe blow" to the village. He noted the loss of the buildings' historic value, particularly 60 Main Street (formerly The Ritz Restaurant), which dated back to 1888. He called it a "terrible loss" for Main Street, impacting both residential and commercial spaces, and praised the community for its "amazing" outpouring of support for those displaced.

Safety Hazards and Condemnation

As the buildings remained standing but derelict, the mayor’s tone shifted toward urgency regarding public safety: He stated that both the village’s insurance carrier and the NYS Department of Transportation (DOT) have insisted on resolving the liability risk. Schneider has also expressed concern over falling debris, noting that the building owner failed to comply with mitigation orders (such as netting the upper floors) until after the village resolved to remove the buildings. In early 2025, he explicitly stated that the buildings are not salvageable and cannot be rebuilt in their current format due to modern building code requirements.

Efforts to Acquire and Demolish

More recently, Mayor Schneider has pushed for the village to take ownership to facilitate a more cost-effective demolition. He publicly stated that the village offered to purchase the buildings for $1,000 each (the same price the current owners paid for them) to make them "whole."   He argued that if the village owned the properties, it could apply for state and county grants for demolition. Without ownership, the village has had to pass resolutions to borrow up to $300,000 for the work, a cost that would be added to the property owner's tax bill.   He has stood firm that "The Trustees have no plans to change the urgent decision to raze these two buildings."