Greenwich To Plant 100 Trees Along Post Road Corridor

GREENWICH, CT — At long last, Greenwich will plant 100 trees along the Post Road corridor from Port Chester, N.Y., to Stamford in an effort to create a tree-lined gateway into New England.

An inaugural planting event will take place at 11:30 a.m. at 600 East Putnam Ave. in Cos Cob on Nov. 1. Up to 90 of the approved trees will go in the ground, and the remaining trees will be planted in the spring.

"This effort was one of the things I pledged to work on back in 2019 and found very willing partners in Planning & Zoning, DPW, the Tree Conservancy and others who led the way," First Selectman Fred Camilo told Patch. "Having a tree-lined boulevard running through the middle of our town will be the first thing that many visitors see when they pass through Greenwich and what a beautiful sight it will be. It is something that will live beyond our lives and enrich the lives of those who come after us."

The road to putting trees in the ground was long.

In October 2018, Greenwich Planning & Zoning invited the town to attend a visioning workshop for the Post Road corridor, and a key goal that emerged was to make the Post Road a tree-lined boulevard.

In December 2019, the Representative Town Meeting approved this goal as part of the Greenwich's 10-year Plan of Conservation and Development.

Over the next two years, town employees, officials and non-profit volunteers helped to develop a plan for the corridor. The Greenscape Committee was formed, which mapped and walked the full length of the Greenwich Post Road to label 370 sites for trees. Then Planning & Zoning, Parks and Recreation and the Department of Public Works reviewed and verified each planting site.

The proposal was then approved by the Greenwich Planning & Zoning Commission, the Board of Selectmen, and the RTM. Connecticut and town then worked together to meet state standards, and last week, the CT Department of Transportation granted an encroachment permit to proceed with planting.

The Greenwich Tree Conservancy will be paying for the trees and planting costs.

"We thank the Town Planner, the Greenscape Committee, the Town Tree Warden, Parks and Recreation staff, the assistant Environmental Affairs Director, the Department of Public Works, the Architectural Review Committee, the Town Law Department and Risk Management personnel, the Greenwich Tree Conservancy, the First Selectman, the Representative Town Meeting members, our delegation to the CT General Assembly, and the CT Department of Transportation for their efforts," said Greenwich Director of Planning & Zoning Patrick LaRow in an announcement.

The community is invited to attend the inaugural planting event on Nov. 1.