P&Z Commission, Residents Question Proposed Downtown Greenwich Apartments

GREENWICH, CT — The Greenwich Planning & Zoning Commission and some residents questioned a proposal that would build two residential buildings with affordable housing units across from each other on Mason Street at the site of a former Honda dealership.

The proposal, put forward by Mason Street LLC, would build a six-story building on the east side of Mason Street and a five-story building on the west side for a total of 94 residential units, of which 38 would be affordable under 8-30g.

The site is one block from the Greenwich Train Station and bus stops.

There would also be retail spaces as part of the buildings. A total of 155 parking spaces would be provided for commercial and residential use.

The Planning & Zoning Commission conducted a pre-application review during its regularly scheduled meeting this week. T

The pre-application process allows for a non-binding discussion with the commission about the pros and cons of a proposal before a substantial investment is made in developing plans, reports and studies.

Commissioners had questions about fire safety, traffic safety, and how the buildings would fit in to the historic downtown Greenwich area.

Mary Jenkins, a commision member, said she was concerned about the intersection at Mason Street and Bruce Park Avenue.

"There's a very awkward left off Bruce Park Avenue to go onto Mason Street, there's an equally difficult left off Mason Street to go up the hill on Bruce Park," Jenkins said. "People come down that hill like crazy and there's very limited visibility around the corner and down Bruce Park Avenue."

Jenkins also mentioned a concern about traffic. Thomas Heagney, attorney for the applicant, said a traffic study will be part of a future proposal submission.

Resident Greg McLaughlin, who lives behind the property, also worried about pedestrian safety as a result of the two buildings and added traffic to the area.

"It's dangerous the way it is now with wide open space," he said. "You're going to have a tremendous amount of additional pedestrian traffic."

Another resident who lives nearby, Robert Anderson, noted that he's not opposed to affordable housing options and the benefits it brings.

"But the extraordinarily rapid expansion of dense housing in downtown Greenwich cannot ignore the safety and health of residents," Anderson said.

"The dangers to pedestrians like us are very real gien the drastic increase in traffic in the downtown area in which walking is being encouraged," Anderson noted. "It creates safety issues that ultimately the town is liable for if it fails to mindfully work to minimize such hazards to all travelers, whether they are on foot, bicycles or vehicles."

Commissioner Nick Macri wanted more information on the proposal, especially how the buildings would relate to the surrounding area.

"These are two monumental buildings. They're creating a completely new environment in this section of town, and I need to understand that," he said, later adding that the building "will cast shadows on Mason Street all day long."

Fellow Commissioner Peter Levy sad a drawback of constructing two large buildings opposite each other is the "cavernous effect" the structures create, similar to New York City and the surrounding NY Metropolitan area.

"There's the echoing of traffic going through; it's going to surprise everyone because it's really not present anywhere else," Levy said.

The proposal would be an assisted housing project with the support from Greenwich's Affordable Housing Trust Fund, which was created to allocate privately raised money to private developers to develop or purchase additional affordable units, renovate existing units, and potentially enhance the affordability of existing units.

"We are very much hoping that this can be something which elevates that part of town.. in a way that is consistent with the look and feel of the Avenue and some of the development that's gone on on the Avenue that has that historic feel," said Alban.

"We're very hopeful this can be an attractive building that boosts the value of the area. We do worry of course about more traffic and all of that, but we're hoping you will work with us and we'll try not to be too complicated," she added.

Developer for the project, Joshua Caspi, spoke briefly to the commission during the pre-application review.

"I live in town. I'm extremely passionate about what this is going to look and feel like. My kids are in the town, and I don't plan to go anywhere for a long time," Caspi said. "I'm looking forward to doing something that contributes to the community in a big way."