Proposed Greenwich Shake Shack Would Not Significantly Impact Traffic: Study

GREENWICH, CT — A new Shake Shack restaurant that's being proposed in Riverside at 1205 E. Putnam Ave., "is not expected to have a significant impact to traffic operations or safety," according to a traffic study that was conducted by engineering consultant firm Tighe & Bond.

The proposal came before the Greenwich Planning & Zoning Commission last fall for a pre-application review.

Commissioners and residents notably had questions and concerns about traffic impacts, and the potential for flooding in the area. Commissioners also had questions about landscaping and screening from nearby homeowners.

Applicant Verdad Real Estate, Inc., and the property owner, listed in filed documents as 1205 East Putnam Avenue, LLC, are now looking for a final site plan and special permit approval for the project.

The restaurant would be 3,047 square feet and have a 53-person dining capacity for standing and seated customers, along with 24 seats at six outdoor tables, according to documents submitted to P&Z.

Shake Shack is a fast-casual restaurant that features hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken sandwiches, crinkle-cut fries, milkshakes and frozen custards.

There are five Shake Shacks in Connecticut, with the closest to Greenwich in Darien. There are restaurants in Danbury, New Haven, West Hartford and Westport. A Shake Shack is also planned for Stamford.

The proposed property in Greenwich is a through lot between East Putnam Avenue and Neil Lane, which is currently occupied by an old two-story home that would be demolished.

John Heagney, attorney for the applicant, said the site layout has been designed to have all ingress and egress come from East Putnam Avenue to limit the impact to surrounding properties, as well as facilitate vehicle access to all parking areas.

Tighe & Bond said in their traffic study that during 2020, 19,700 cars per day on average drove along the section of East Putnam Avenue. Before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2014, the daily average was 24,400 vehicles.

Site access will be provided via a driveway at the southeast corner of the property on the north side of East Putnam Avenue, restricted to right-in/right-out operations only due to the presence of the raised median on East Putnam Avenue, Tighe & Bond said.

According to Tighe & Bond's study, the Shake Shack is expected to generate approximately 86 trips (33 entering, 53 exiting) during weekday midday peak hour, and 104 trips (45 entering, 59 exiting) during Saturday midday peak hour.

Traffic volumes were estimated using traffic data collected at the Shake Shack location on the Post Road in Darien.

Additionally, vehicle collision history data collected from the CT Crash Data Repository between Jan. 1, 2017, and June 30, 2022, "does not show a significant or notable pattern of collisions in the study area intersections."

The area encompasses the intersections at East Putnam Avenue at Neil Lane and plaza driveway; East Putnam Avenue at Neil Lane and I-95 Exit 5 ramps; and Neil Lane at Park Place, retail plaza driveway and McDonald's driveway.

There were 145 reported vehicle collisions at these intersections over the five-year-period, the study states.

East Putnam Avenue at Neil Lane (East Junction) and the I-95 Exit 5 ramps experienced the most collisions with 97 total crashes, the study said. East Putnam Avenue at Neil Lane (West Junction) experienced 37 total crashes, and less than 10 collisions occurred at each of the remaining two intersections.

The majority of the intersections will continue to operate at a "D" Level of Service (LOS). LOS is used to qualitatively describe the operating conditions of a roadway based on factors such as speed, travel time, maneuverability, delay and safety. A is the highest grade.

"Based on the analyses conducted, it is the professional opinion of Tighe & Bond that the additional traffic expected to be generated by the proposed Shake Shack is not expected to have a significant impact to traffic operations or safety within the study area," Tighe & Bond said in conclusion.

Heagney said S.E. Minor & Co., Inc., has designed a drainage system for the site that will retain stormwater on-site in the one to 25-year storm events, and treat runoff through a sand filter.

Screening plantings would be installed on the north, west and east property boundaries, Heagney noted. Dense evergreen screening would be installed along the residential zone boundary along the northern portion of the property.

The proposal has not yet been scheduled to go before the Greenwich Planning & Zoning Commission.