Residents Sign Petition Opposing Proposed Apartment Building

GREENWICH, CT — An online petition on created last week that opposes a proposed seven-story, 192-unit upscale apartment building near downtown Greenwich has garnered over 350 signatures to date.

Recently, a proposal for a seven-story, 192-unit residential building just north of East Putnam Avenue between Church Street and Sherwood Place in downtown Greenwich was submitted to the Greenwich Planning & Zoning Commission.

The project, which is being proposed by New York City-based real estate developer, SJP Properties, and a local developer, Eagle Ventures, would add 288 parking spaces, with the ground floor and sub surface dedicated to parking and the six floors above to rental residences and amenities.

The site of the project is located within the Fourth Ward Historic District in downtown Greenwich, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Christopher Shields, curator of library and archives at the Greenwich Historical Society (GHS), created the petition on Change.org along with The Greenwich Preservation Network, a group convened by the GHS and made up of the leadership of local organizations committed to the preservation of historic resources.

Shields said the project would demolish seven significant historic buildings in the district:

• 39 Church St., a 19th century vernacular building, built in 1889
• 43 Church St., an Italianate residence, built in 1884
• 47 Church St., a Second Empire residence, built in 1884
• 32 Sherwood Place, built in 1908.
• While not visible from Church Street, 1, 2, and 3 Putnam Court should be preserved because they are contributory residential structures in the historic district, Shields said.

"This neighborhood was one of Greenwich’s most important 19th-century African American enclaves, as well as the nucleus of the town’s Irish population. It includes one of only two African American churches in town, and it was home to its first Roman Catholic Church," Shields said in the petition's description.

Greenwich Preservation Network Chair Diane Fox said in a news release the project would set "a dangerous precedent not only for the Fourth Ward but for other historic districts and significant structures which are part of Greenwich history."

The project was filed under 8-30g, Connecticut's affordable housing statute. The statute stipulates that each town in the state must have 10 percent of housing units be designated as affordable. Greenwich has yet to meet the mandate at around 5.3 percent.

Town officials and lawmakers in Greenwich have opposed 8-30g, because they say developers can come into towns that aren't in compliance and ignore local planning and zoning regulations and build large developments, as long as 30 percent of units are affordable.

Earlier this month, the development team said the building "features a contextual inspired architectural design intended to blend in with the various historic buildings surrounding the property, will also include a collection of lifestyle amenities and offer views of the Long Island Sound."

They also said the addition of housing options would "fulfill an urgent need among Greenwich's existing workforce, many of whom have been priced out of the market due to the lack of affordable housing and a near-absence of available rentals in the area."

Fox said the group had hoped a modified application would be submitted which would have preserved these historic structures while still building affordable housing in the rear.

Executive Director of the GHS, Debra Mecky, said that the Preservation Network supports development initiatives that increase affordable housing, but such initiatives need to be done in a "responsible manner" that doesn't endanger important historic districts.

"Our history matters. These structures contribute to a sense of place for a town deeply rooted in our nation’s past, and they provide a foundation for building a better future," Mecky said.

Shields said the project is scheduled to come before the Planning & Zoning Commission in March.