Glenville Plaza Owner Looks To Attract New Supermarket Chain: P&Z Docs

GREENWICH, CT — In an effort to expand parking and attract potential grocery store tenants to the now vacant Stop & Shop space in Glenville Plaza, Sutton Land LLC, the owner of the plaza, is seeking to rezone the site, according to documents submitted to the town's planning & zoning department.

Located at 21 Glenville Street, the plaza property is 6.2 acres, with 2.8 acres within the LBR-2 zone and 3.4 acres in the RA-1 zone.

There are eight retail stores along with the vacant grocery store space and 118 total parking spaces with five handicap spots, Thomas J. Heagney, the attorney for the applicant, said in submitted documents to Planning & Zoning.

By rezoning 1.9 acres in the RA-1 zone to the LBR-2 zone, an additional 53 parking spaces would be allowed on the site, Heagney said.

"The owner of the center is actively marketing the space to other shopping center companies. A number of those companies have expressed a concern about the adequacy of the existing parking at the center," Heagney said. "This rezoning and the addition of parking spaces will allow the owner of the center to better market the empty space to a new supermarket chain."

Past attempts to reach Sutton Land LLC have been unsuccessful.

The Glenville Stop & Shop officially closed in mid-June after making the decision to not renew its lease.

The store employed approximately 60 associates, who were given the option to transfer to other store locations.

Another Stop & Shop is in town at 161 W. Putnam Ave.

Stop & Shop employs 58,000 associates and operates more than 400 stores throughout Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York and New Jersey, the grocery giant says on its website. There are currently over 80 Stop & Shop locations in Connecticut.

First Selectman Fred Camillo said he immediately reached out to the plaza owner upon learning of the closing earlier this year, and heard back from an attorney. Camillo said additional parking at the plaza would be moved to the back of the main building, as would deliveries.

"The property owner heard the pleas of everybody. He knows what the feeling is in the community that we all feel strongly that we would love to have some type of anchor supermarket there. He's apparently working hard to get that done," said Camillo.

Camillo also said he contacted someone who has a connection with Trader Joe's, but he noted he does not know which supermarkets Sutton Land LLC is engaged with.

Whatever grocery store moves in, Camillo hopes it features healthy offerings for the community.

"I think that's the trend. I think people are focused on eating healthier, so hopefully whatever goes in there would have a healthy, organic section. That's why Trader Joe's does very well, that's why Whole Foods does very well," Camillo added.

Also located within the shopping plaza is the old post office; three businesses have rented out space in the building, Camillo said.

Green & Tonic, a plant-based eatery with roots in CT, confirmed with Patch that a new location will open at the shopping center by the end of 2023.

There have been some concerns that the curbing near the old post office building is not ADA compliant, but Camillo said that will get taken care of.