Shake Shack Could Be Coming To Greenwich

GREENWICH, CT — Residents could soon have a new option in town for burgers, french fries and milkshakes.

Plans to build a 3,094 square-foot Shake Shack restaurant at 1205 E. Putnam Ave. in Riverside, right next to McDonald's, have been submitted to the Greenwich Planning and Zoning Commission.

Shake Shack is a fast-casual restaurant that features hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken sandwiches, crinkle-cut fries and milkshakes and frozen custards.

There are five Shake Shacks in Connecticut, with the closest to Greenwich in Darien. There are restaurants in Danbury, New Haven, West Hartford and Westport. A Shake Shack location is also planned for Stamford.

According to documents submitted to the commission, contract purchaser East Putnam RSK LLC, applicant Shake Shack and property owner 1205 East Putnam Avenue LLC are requesting a pre-application review.

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.

A site plan approval and a special permit are being requested. The restaurant would have a 53-person dining space capacity for standing and seated customers, said John Heagney, attorney for the applicant, in project documents.

There would also be space for outdoor dining.

The property being proposed for the restaurant is a through-lot between East Putnam Avenue and Neil Lane. It's currently occupied by a two-family home with a detached garage.

The Planning & Zoning Commission last discussed the property in 2020 as part of a proposal to construct an 18-unit residential building with moderate income units. The commission moved the project through to final consideration, but ultimately it was never pursued.

Engineering consulting firm Tighe and Bond has been retained to conduct a traffic analysis for the project, Heagney said.

Heagney noted that the site layout for the proposed restaurant has been designed to have all ingress and egress come from East Putnam Avenue to limit the impact to surrounding properties, as well as to facilitate vehicle access to all parking areas.

Heagney also noted that there are no historical wetland records for the property.

The item has not yet been scheduled to go before the Planning & Zoning Commission.