Hardhat Tour of Benedict Court, Six-Story Building to Rise with 40% Affordable Rentals

Recently about a dozen old houses and carriage houses were demolished to make way for a housing development in downtown Greenwich.

Work has begun on the site, located behind St. Mary Church on Greenwich Ave. The six-story “Benedict Court” will feature two buildings with a total of 120 apartments including 1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom rental apartments.

Forty percent (48 units) of the units will be affordable – more than typical 8-30g proposals and more than required – with reduced rental rates for people who qualify based on a formula that factors in area median income, rather than state median income.

The affordable units will remain for 40 years.

Developer Joe Tranfo said it was meaningful that the market rate and the below market rate units share the same percentage of 1-, 2-, and 3-bedrooms.

That equity was appreciated by the Planning & Zoning commission, who approved the project in 2024, after several iterations.

The developer is Phil Wharton from Nimbus Properties, who is working with Joe Tranfo and co-developers. The architect is David Kubik, of BKSK Architects, LLP. The team includes Redniss & Mead, Ashforth’s A.P. Construction, and land use lawyer, Chip Haslun.

“We have to make it work for the Town,” Mr. Wharton said. “If you make them an adversary, you’re going to have a long and difficult ask.”

Back in 2024, Greenwich P&Z commission chair Margarita Alban pointed out that while 8-30g had been on the books for 35 years, Greenwich had not moved the needle on adding affordable housing.

Greenwich ‘s affordable housing stock remains below the state’s 10% mandate.

In 2025, Alban said the commission had approved 1,000 units but almost none had yeet to be built.

In December 2024 P&Z approved an 8-30g development on Mason Street featuring condo buildings on both sides of Mason Street where the Honda dealership operated. However the developers sued P&Z over modifications required in the approval, including the elimination of accessory retail on the ground floor and rules regarding comparable unit sizes.  The applicant’s appeal to superior court has yet to be resolved.

Benedict Court is the first significant affordable housing project to get started.

The building is actually two structures that will be separated by a driveway.

This week, workers are excavating to make way for two underground levels of parking. They are driving piles, welding supports to the piles and sliding steel plates into place for support of excavation. Residents will enter from a driveway behind Winthrop House (40 East Elm Street). There will be no surface parking.

Once the parking levels are done, there will be many more workers on site and the building will begin to take shape. The project is anticipated to be complete somewhere in the second half of 2028.

Tranfo and Wharton said whey were expect many residents walk to work at one of the surrounding office buildings or town buildings. Across from Benedict Court is the former  U.S. Tobacco building that fronts onto West Putnam Avenue. To the north is the former Chesebrough-Pond’s building at 33 Benedict Place. Of course the police and fire headquarters and town hall are each nearbyl

They said they anticipate interest in renting the market rate units to come from empty-nesters who today have limited options once they sell the family home, as well as snowbirds who return to Greenwich after the winter.  They said there is also interest from young families who have interest in the two and three bedroom units.

“We’ve designed a lot of large apartments, so there are some one bedrooms but mostly 2 bedrooms and 3 bedrooms. They’re spacious and have 10 ft ceilings,” Wharton said.

The building will be professionally managed and feature many amenities, including a dining room, fitness center and game room.

“I you want to have six couples over for dinner, you don’t necessarily want to have them in your place – you might not have room for 10 or 12 people. You can have a chef come in from outside or cook yourself,” Tranfo said. “You could even have a local restaurant cater the meal.”

Wharton said they plan to make good use of the rooftop, which will have views of Long Island Sound, as will apartments from the fourth floor through the sixth floors.

As for the look of the building, Wharton said the facade will be red brick.

“In terms of the design we wanted to make it look like a Greenwich building, with a lot of texture and detail,” Wharton said.

“It fits in among these buildings,” Wharton explained. “It’s an infill location, literally sitting in between other buildings. There’s already infrastructure here. It’s where the density already is.”

Tranfo and Wharton were especially excited about Benedict Court’s walkability. The development is a short walk to the Greenwich train station, elementary school, library, supermarkets, and the array of restaurants and shopping on Greenwich Avenue.

“It’s about getting people off the road, people on the sidewalks and making a place that’s active 18 hours a day, with a doorman and constant activity,” Tranfo said.

See also:

Next for the Wrecking Ball in Greenwich: 11 Old Houses to Make Way for 120-Unit, 40% Affordable Housing Development

June 2025

Six Story, 120-Unit 8-30g approved behind St Mary Church in Downtown

May 20, 2024

Six-Story, 110 Unit Affordable Housing Development Would Be a Stone’s Throw from Greenwich Ave

January 2022

Proposed Downtown Tranfo Development Gets a Grilling from P&Z

Feb 1, 2018

P&Z: Proposed Text Amendment to CGIO Zone Could Signal Major Downtown Redevelopment

Dec 4, 2017