A Greenwich Makeover: A Downtown Respite at the Renovated Greenwich Commons

Photos: Greenwich Commons. Contributed and staff photos by Barbara Heins.

In the midst of the wildly popular shopping destination and heart of Greenwich called Greenwich Avenue is a space that offers a verdant respite from hustle and bustle of shoppers who are angling for coveted parking spaces in the central business district.

The space, known as Greenwich Commons, has undergone a transformation that was formally unveiled Monday afternoon with a ribbon cutting ceremony, marking the completion of the project that began last spring.

Thanks to generous donations from the Malkin and Dalio families totaling $250,000, the downtown park now boasts handicapped accessible walkways from Greenwich Avenue to Town Hall, lush lawns and plantings, park benches, picnic table and game tables where visitors can enjoy a game of chess or checkers.

The children’s playground also has been upgraded.

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Gone are the heavy evergreens that had overgrown the park entrance that’s adjacent to the Board of Education headquarters at the center of Greenwich Avenue. On a fall afternoon, sun dapples through the leaves of the centuries old copper beach tree that shades a bronze water fountain and sculptures.

The project was the result of recommendations included in the 2009 Plan of Conservation and Development that identified downtown areas for improvement. The Downtown Planning Committee, organized by First Selectman Peter Tesei and chaired by Heidi Smith, was charged with developing a master plan for the downtown area by 2011.

After input from various stakeholders, the town approved a $433,000 appropriation for park improvements and with private fundraising efforts, the Department of Parks and Recreation has secured $250,000 from two donors to offset the appropriation from the Malkins and the Dalio Foundation, marking another public-private partnership to complete a public project.