William J. Hennessey Jr.

Partner

Stamford
[email protected]

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203.425.4200

Legal Services

Education

Pace University School of Law, J.D., 1981
Fairfield University, B.A., 1977

Admissions

Bar Admissions

Connecticut

Court Admissions

U.S. District Court, District of Connecticut

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Home » Our Team » William J. Hennessey Jr.

With over 40 years’ experience in planning, zoning, and related land use matters, as well as real estate transactions, including purchases, sales, leases, financings, and tax appeals, Bill is a leading figure in the southwest Connecticut business community. Bill has considerable experience on issues of municipal law primarily related to land use and real estate development and continues to guide many of the major development projects approved or currently proposed in Stamford and other lower Fairfield County communities.

Prior to Carmody, Bill was a founding partner of Sandak Hennessey & Greco LLP and from 1981 to 1984 was Assistant Corporate Counsel for the City of Stamford.

Bill is ranked in the top tier of Zoning and Land Use lawyers in Connecticut in Chambers USA Guide 2026.

Affiliations

Adjunct Professor – Land Use Law, University of Connecticut School of Law, 2024 - present
American Bar Association, Section of Real Property, Probate and Trust Law
Connecticut Bar Association, Planning & Zoning Executive Committee, Real Property Section
Fairfield County Bar Association
Real Estate Finance Association of Connecticut
Urban Land Institute
International Association of Assessing Officers
NAIOP Commercial Real Estate Development Association
International Council of Shopping Centers

Distinctions

Top tier ranking in Chambers USA Guide - Real Estate: Zoning/Land Use, 2020-2026
Best Lawyers® – Real Estate Law, 2026, Land Use and Zoning Law, 2026, Litigation: Trusts and Estates, 2026
Lawyer of the Year, Best Lawyers® in Stamford, Connecticut – Land Use and Zoning Law, 2022, 2023, 2025
Lawyer of the Year, Best Lawyers® in Stamford, Connecticut - Real Estate Law, 2020
AV Peer Review Rated, Martindale-Hubbell®, 1999-present
Connecticut Super Lawyers® - Land Use/Zoning and Real Estate, 2006-present
American Cancer Society Honoree, 2024
City of Stamford Citizen of the Year Award, Jewish War Veterans, 2023
Fairfield County Real Estate Award, March of Dimes, 2016
Boy Scouts of America Connecticut Yankee Council Good Scout Honoree, 2013
CTE, Inc. Honor for Service to the Community, 2010
Stamford Chamber of Commerce Member of the Year, 2010
Stamford Downtown Special Services District Certificate of Appreciation, 2010
State of Connecticut Office of Treasurer Public Leadership Citation, 2010

Community

Board Member, Waterside School
Advisory Board Member, Child Care Learning Centers
Board Director, Stamford Chamber of Commerce (former)
Board Chairman, CTE, Inc. (former)

Experience

Zoning counsel for Harbor Point – a conversion of Stamford’s 163-acre South End peninsula, resulting in 4,000 housing units, 300,000 sq. ft. commercial office, 72,000 sq. ft. of retail and 6.61 acres of parkland.
Led the land use entitlement process for Brookfield Properties’ Class A 750,000 sq. ft. Sono Collection mall in Norwalk, Connecticut.
Lead counsel for Charter Communications (Spectrum) 700,000 sq. ft. new headquarters in Stamford.
Involved in multiple multi-family housing developments in lower Fairfield County, which combined total more than 10,000 housing units.
Lead counsel in property acquisition and site development for North American headquarters building for RBS (now NatWest Markets).
Zoning and real estate counsel for redevelopment and expansion of Stamford Hospital’s $500,000,000 redevelopment.
Represented Target in permitting a unique multi-story vertical urban department store and a 600-space parking garage.
Zoning counsel for conversion of a portion of Stamford Town Center Mall into lifestyle center.
Led successful efforts to convert former manufacturing facility into Chelsea Piers, an indoor sports and recreational center and adjacent television network sports video production facility anchored by NBC Sports Group.
Counsel for several financial service firms in establishing and permitting trading floor operations throughout the Stamford area.
Lead zoning counsel in permitting Connecticut’s largest transit-oriented, mixed-use development adjacent to the Stamford Transportation Center.
Represented many schools, churches, non-profit organizations and social and recreational facilities throughout Fairfield County in development and redevelopment.

Carmody Ranked Among Leading Connecticut Law Firms in Chambers USA 2026

June 04, 2026

Carmody has been recognized by Chambers USA 2026 as a leading Connecticut law firm in Immigration, Labor & Employment, Commercial Litigation, Real Estate and Land Use. Chambers also ranked seven Carmody attorneys among Connecticut's leading lawyers in their respective practice areas. Chambers USA 2026 Ranked Practice Areas Energy & Natural
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Stamford Zoning Board Praises Seaview House Office-to-Residential Conversion Plans After FEMA Flood Compliance Revisions

May 21, 2026

Carmody Land Use partners Bill Hennessey and Meaghan Miles received praise from the Stamford Zoning Board regarding developer Sun Homes' revised office-to-residential conversion plans designed to meet FEMA flood compliance requirements. Read Bill's insights on the project in the Stamford Advocate - Stamford developers will cut part of Seaview House
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Good News for Developers: Stamford Cuts Building Permit Fees Effective July 2026

April 22, 2026

In an important development in Stamford, the City’s 32nd Board of Representatives approved in their meeting earlier this month a reduction in building permit fees to $25.26 per $1,000 of estimated building cost above $1.3 million for commercial projects. This reduction would go into effect on or about July 1, 2026. The
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New Haven Adopts “Downtown for All” Overlay Zone to Incentivize New and Higher Density Construction

December 12, 2025

The New Haven Board of Alders unanimously approved ordinance amendments creating the “Downtown for All Overlay District” for New Haven’s Downtown. The district’s purpose is “to address challenges associated with the housing supply shortage and affordability in New Haven by reducing regulatory barriers to development in the Downtown.” The ordinance changes
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Housing Growth Bill Brings Substantial Land Use Reform to Connecticut

December 02, 2025

Governor Lamont signed House Bill No. 8002 into law on November 26, 2025. The new law is the most substantial land use reform in decades, and includes several provisions designed to encourage development across Connecticut, such as: Permitting as-of-right development of middle and multifamily housing in certain qualifying transit-oriented districts;
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