Revised Affordable Housing Project Submitted To Greenwich Planning & Zoning

GREENWICH, CT — A proposal to build a large residential building with affordable housing units has been revised and submitted to the Greenwich Planning & Zoning Commission for review.

Submitted under the 8-30g statute, the proposal calls for the construction of a four-story building with 80 units, of which 24 will be classified as "affordable," above a podium garage in what is currently a parking lot the corner of Comly Avenue and Pemberwick Road in the Pemberwick neighborhood of Greenwich.

The proposal was originally submitted for pre-application review in January and included 84 units.

Residents criticized the project in written comments to the Planning & Zoning Commission ahead of a March 3 meeting.

"Proposed building not in character with neighborhood, at least two stories too high," wrote resident Wayne Kelly in an email.

Tara Orlando, a Comly Avenue resident, noted the proposal was in a neighborhood that has experienced "severe flooding for over 100 years."

"Adding additional buildings to this area raises serious concerns about worsening an already longstanding and unresolved flooding problem," she wrote. "Rather than increasing density, we should be focused on preventing additional flooding and improving stormwater management to protect existing residents and properties."

Orlando also expressed concerns with safety and cited speeding on Comly Avenue and a lack of sidewalks on Pemberwick Road.

"This neighborhood is already crowded, and infrastructure concerns including flooding, traffic congestion, pedestrian safety, and speeding should be addressed before considering additional development. The priority must be the safety and well-being of the current residents," Orlando wrote.

William "Chip" I. Haslun II, an attorney who represents the applicant, 200 Pemberwick Road REO LLC & 0 Comly Avenue LLC, said the revised proposed development will proceed as an "assisted housing development" after initial discussions with the Greenwich Affordable Housing Trust Fund.

Haslun noted in submitted documents the project "is intended to be responsive to the 2019 Plan of Conservation and Development in that it would be an 'infill' development on an underutilized land, would add diversity to the housing stock and would considerably increase the number of affordable dwelling units in Greenwich."

The proposed residential building would be 136,121 square feet, up from 127,774 square feet in January. The proposed gross floor area is 92,611 square feet, compared to 84,264 in the previous proposal.

There would be a mix of one-, two-, and three-bedroom units.

The land at 200 Pemberwick Road features office buildings totalling 43,150 square feet. The buildings are supported by 153 parking spaces in the lot at 0 Comly Ave.

"The owners propose to maintain a total of 210 parking spaces (reconfigured), 57 spaces to be designated exclusively for the residential use, and 69 of the remaining 153 spaces to be shared between the office use and the residential use," Haslun said in submitted documents.

The proposal is expected to go before the Planning & Zoning Commission in the coming weeks.