Greenwich Reform Synagogue (GRS) was given unanimous approval by the Town of Greenwich Planning & Zoning Commission (P&Z) Nov. 25 for its plan to build a new Synagogue in the Cos Cob section of Greenwich. The P&Z vote paves the way for construction of only the second purpose-built synagogue in the town’s 374-year history.
“We are delighted with the approval, and excited to move on the process of creating our new home,” said Wendy Schreiber, Co-President of the Board of GRS. “The building will serve as a wonderful home for the congregation, and we believe one that will ultimately be a positive for the neighborhood.”
Approval for the planned 12,262 square foot building on 1.75 acres on Orchard Street came after a rigorous process with more than a dozen public meetings with the Inland Wetlands & Watercourses Agency, the Planning & Zoning Board of Appeals, P&Z, and the ARC. The final site plan included numerous modifications based on requests by those entities and by neighbors of the site.
Find out what's happening in Greenwichfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
“We went to great lengths to listen to everyone’s point of view and to address the concerns our neighbors had,” said Marc Abrams, Co-President of the Board of GRS. “Every reasonable request was included in the final site plan, we went above and beyond where we needed to go, and the result will be a modest and attractive building that will fit well with the neighborhood.”
The synagogue location is close to Central Middle School, Greenwich Baptist Church, the Cos Cob Community Center at Bible Street and the Montgomery Pinetum.
