Officials Break Ground On 6-Story, 120-Unit Residential Community In Greenwich

GREENWICH, CT — Elected officials and project representatives last Friday officially broke ground on a six-story, 120-unit multifamily residential building in downtown Greenwich that is expected to add to the town's affordable housing stock.

Located near Greenwich Avenue at 19 Benedict Place, the project, called Benedict Court, will feature a brick-clad, mid-rise building with a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments with 10-foot ceilings and large floor-to-ceiling windows.

The building will have a fitness center, resident dining room for events, a private library and co-working space, and a shared rooftop terrace with views of Long Island Sound.

Of the 120 total units, 48 will be targeted to moderate-income households as part of 8-30g, the controversial state statute that aims to promote affordable housing and mandates that every municipality must have at least 10 percent of its total housing stock qualify as affordable.

The building is expected to be completed in summer 2028.

The project’s developers are Lonicera Partners and Nimbus Properties. The development team also includes Invesco Ltd. and Benedict Court Development Company.

Several officials spoke during Friday's groundbreaking ceremony and mentioned the collaboration and dialogue between the town and developers throughout the review and approval process.

"It's been an amicable 8-30g project, which may be an oxymoron to some, but it really worked out well. We really appreciated the spirit of cooperation and fairness the town treated us with," said Phil Wharton, partner at Nimbus Properties.

"From the outset, we wanted the building to blend into the aesthetics of Greenwich as it is. We're going to have some modern features and amenities, of course, but we wanted to make sure when it's completed it looks like it belongs here," Wharton said.

David Kubick, the project's architect from BKSK Architects, lives in Greenwich, and said he "recognized the importance and responsibility that comes with designing this project."

"We feel like it's a building that both fits in and respects that history, but at the same time stands out. It is a contemporary building of its time, built in 2026," Kubick said. "We agree it's a bigger building for the neighborhood, but we've looked for ways to kind of mediate the scale through different brick textures and colors."

Wharton also touted the walkability and location of the building.

"There's no residential building that has better walkability to the downtown than this one," he said.

Wharton said the units will appeal to Greenwich homeowners who want to downsize but stay in town, as well as those who work in Greenwich but don't live here - a group that is made up of more than 25,000 people.

"It's a privilege to be adding a significant new building to the downtown, and it's our responsibility, I think, to make sure the building ends up as something we can be proud of," Wharton said.

Dennis Yeskey, a longtime member of the Greenwich Planning & Zoning Commission, said the project came up for review in several iterations.

"It was bumpy, but it got better. The cooperation got better and better," Yeskey said, noting that most 8-30g projects end up with 30 percent affordable units. "We're happy and looking forward to the building being built, and maybe this becomes a little more of a model of the right way to deal with P&Z."

The project is the first outside of New York for Brooklyn-based real estate investment and development company Lonicera Partners.

"The nature of coming into a town like this and trying to propose density and a building that is not otherwise there is tough. You have to come into it and be open to a dialogue, and it's a give-and-take. That is really the only way these things happen," said Jamie Anthony, partner at Lonicera Partners.

"To be involved in a project where everyone, the town, the constituency, is excited about it, is such a breath of fresh air."

The project was the first to receive assistance from the Greenwich Affordable Housing Trust Fund, which was established several years ago "to promote and facilitate the preservation of existing and creation of new rental and homeownership housing for low and moderate income households critical to our town's vitality and housing diversity," said Bill Finger, the trust fund's co-chair.

The fund issued a subordinate loan to developers for $100,000 to help with the project.

"We were able to work collaboratively with Phil [Wharton] and his partners to establish a framework by which a mutually acceptable affordability plan could be developed. We established a rental structure that has the effect of expanding the pool of individuals and families who will be eligible to qualify for the affordable housing units," Finger said, adding the pool includes both low- and moderate-income households that may include town employees, public safety employees, and teachers.

"We look forward to watching construction progress, and of course the day when 48 affordable units will no longer be referred to as units, but will be homes for the people who choose to live here," Finger said. "We hope this is the model for things moving forward with the town, planning & zoning, and the affordable housing trust."

U.S. Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn), who lives in Greenwich, said he had no part in bringing the project along, but he was in attendance to say "thank you" to those involved.

"We have a huge crisis in Greenwich and Fairfield County and Connecticut and the United States of America on housing. The only way it's going to get solved is by building more housing, including housing that is affordable," Himes said.

Himes said he couldn't believe the project involved the 8-30g statute.

"You guys have pointed the way on how you can use this somewhat blunt instrument to actually create a much, much better community," Himes said. "It doesn't have to be an all-out war. If you do it collaboratively, you end up with 120 units, 40 percent affordable, actually adding to the fabric of our communities, and it points the way for those many, many towns who have so long been caught up in the political fight over housing."

First Selectman Fred Camillo said Greenwich has increased its affordable housing stock from 5.2 percent to 6 percent in a few years.

"This really helps us a lot," Camillo said to the developers, noting how the building was designed to fit in with its surroundings.

"You've also really respected the streetscape. We're really excited for it," Camillo added. "They're units now, but they become homes. We want people to live in places that they love, and certainly downtown, they can walk to everything. We're really grateful to everyone here who played a role in this."