Residents Criticize Recommendation For Redevelopment Of Historic Greenwich Building

GREENWICH, CT — The recommended redevelopment plan for the historic Havemeyer Building, one of the town's crown jewels located in the middle of Greenwich Avenue, was met with an icy reception last week during the first public hearing in what figures to be a lengthy process.

Located at 290 Greenwich Ave., the Havemeyer Building was built in the 1890s, and currently houses the town's Board of Education.

A Request For Proposals, or RFP, was issued in July 2024 "seeking proposals from qualified firms or teams of firms for the redevelopment" of the building.

The building has deteriorated over the years, and First Selectman Fred Camillo has said that "time is of the essence" to move the school staff to a new location. There have been several attempts over the years to do so.

Six respondents submitted proposals by the RFP deadline of Dec. 20, 2024, and a proposal from Eagle Peebles Legacy Havemeyer LLC was the most favorable, the RFP Committee said in a report dated May 20.

Under the proposal, the Havemeyer Building would be fully restored and repurposed, at the developer's expense, "as a hotel, restaurant and community cultural destination, that celebrates Greenwich as a community of creative thinkers, leaders, and lifelong learners," the RFP Committee said in its report.

The building's auditorium would be fully restored and serve as a 100-seat venue for the public to rent or for private and community purposes. When not in use, the area would be used as a dining venue for the hotel's restaurant.

A skylit multi-purpose event and gallery space would also offer "a wide range of intimate events."

A rooftop cafe and bar would also be part of the project and offer views over the ballfields and vistas out to Long Island Sound.

A public/private partnership, Eagle/Peebles would wholly fund the building's redevelopment cost, which it estimates at $70.5 million, the RFP Committee said in its report.

The amount includes a proposed upfront payment of $10.5 million to the town for a 99-year ground lease for the entire Havemeyer lot, according to the committee. The developer also believes the redevelopment would contribute recurring property tax revenue up to $650,000 annually.

Additionally, the proposal offers support to Board of Education staff in the form of a new building at the southern end of the Havemeyer property.

Residents gathered at Town Hall on June 11 for a public hearing held by the Havemeyer Building Redevelopment RFP Evaluation Committee. Residents were able to speak on the redevelopment plan, but the committee did not answer questions.

The full meeting can be viewed on Greenwich Community Television YouTube Channel.

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Andy Duus, chair of the committee, gave a brief presentation on the process to date, and the recommended proposal. He stressed that this is just the beginning of the process.

"We're really just crossing the starting line for a serious public discussion and review of proposals for Havemeyer," he said. "This is the start of a process, not the end of a process."

Residents largely opposed the recommendation for a boutique hotel in the middle of Greenwich Avenue, citing a lack of desire for hospitality establishments and concerns over traffic and rental and relocation burdens to the Board of Education, among other issues.

Some residents also criticized the current process.

"You've got it backwards. You're calling us here tonight to get our opinions, to get our input... But you should have called us much sooner," said John Spang. "I'm afraid by calling us now, after it's all done, it's going to appear that the fix is in... that the decision was already made without the peoples' input."

Spang encouraged town officials to reject all bids, garner feedback from the community first, and then issue an RFP and see what comes back.

Speakers representing organizations like the Greenwich Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Players of the Greenwich Symphony, said they wanted a project that offered more of a public and educational use.

Other proposals that were submitted included ideas for an entertainment center from A-List Design LLC; a mixed-use park from Fareri Associates (runner up); a Class A office building from HB Nitkin Group; an assisted senior living facility from LCB Senior Living; and a mixed-use park from RT Havemeyer Partners.

"In my opinion, this is not checking the boxes for what we need in central Greenwich," said Adele Rota of the hotel recommendation. "Shame on us for not maintaining that building and other buildings to get us in the position we're in today. Shame on us. It's our building, and we'll never get this back if we allow this to happen."

Laura Kostin, a member of the Greenwich Board of Education, criticized the recommendation.

"Mr. Camillo has stated his desire to have the building returned to the people, but turning it into a hotel only turns it over to the people who don't actually live here," she said, calling the process of seeking what to do with the building a "colossal" waste of time.

"This plan is just another way for the town to do what it always does - let a building fall into decay and look for other ways for someone else to fix it," Kostin added.

Camillo spoke briefly toward the beginning of the public hearing. He called the redevelopment of the Havemeyer Building "transformational."

He said he was told that without a public/private partnership, it would cost the town $50 million to fix the building up.

"This is a true public/private partnership. It gets the work done by the partner, we retain ownership of the ground lease, we get in revenue from it, but there's a public access component that we don't have now," Camillo said. "It's in the heart of the district, in a building that's estimated to be between $74 million and $100 million worth."

Camillo said the redevelopment would liven up a "very dark part of the Avenue."

"It helps all the other businesses, too; it keeps things going. To me, it's a win, win, win, but we want to make sure the public is all in on this and ideas are all there," he said.

Dan Quigley, chair of the Greenwich Representative Town Meeting's Land Use Committee, praised the idea of a public/private partnership.

"This building is the jewel of Greenwich, but right now it's an albatross," he said. "The most important benefit this gives the town is the financial benefit of removing that capital project off the burden of taxpayers."

Duus said that next steps will include Camillo establishing a town "transaction committee," supported by outside professionals. After that, there would be further review from various town entities and departments where further public engagement can occur.