97 Havemeyer Place Subdivision Approved for Two Lots and 15% Open Space

An application for final subdivision at 97 Havemeyer Place was approved at the last Greenwich Planning & Zoning commission meeting.

Many are following the transformation of downtown residential neighborhoods in the R6 zone near the train station and Greenwich Avenue, where original houses are being demolished and replaced with larger new ones.

In the case of 97 Havemeyer Place, the lot is larger than others, with more than a third of an acre.

The property featured a house that was used as a rental for many years. It dated back to 1907. 

The property sold on March 2025 or $3,500,000.

The house and detached garage were posted for demolition a year ago in April. As with houses built before 1940, a 45-day waiting period was required before demolition.

Next door at 63 and 75 Havemeyer Place, houses were recently demolished. New residences at #75 are nearing completion.

The P&Z commission noted the subdivision at 97 Havemeyer will result in a high degree of site disturbance, including the removal of 500 cubic yards of ledge.

The final subdivision will result in two rear lots of approximately 9600 and 7500 sq ft respectively, plus 3600 sq ft of open space – approximately 15%.

In Greenwich, new subdivisions require 15% of land be set aside as open space. Lot 1 will be developed with a 2-family residence, and Lot 2 will be developed with a single family residence.

During discussions the commission focused on drainage and where the open space of the subdivision would go.

At 97 Havemeyer Place the required open space will be at the front of the property. The site has shallow and rocky soil and the applicant said noted the front part of the property would better suited for the open space; and that locating the open space to the rear would have pushed the development closer to the street.

The new properties, with some shared driveway area, will have multiple owners and a Home Owners Association.

Eric Brower, representing the applicant said concerns from the Conservation Dept about disturbance and landscaping plan inadequacies had been addressed. He said the revised planting plan changed to feature native species and increase amount of trees and open space.

P&Z commission chair Margarita Alban said the Conservation Dept had commented they would prefer the driveway to be entirely porous or entirely conventional asphalt – preferably porous – rather than a mix of both.

Their comment was that it would be confusing to have a mix of porous and conventional, especially when ownership changes and new owners don’t know that different parts of the driveway need to be treated differently.

“We’ve experienced, with ownership changes and people move, folks don’t know what they have – and (for example) trees come down that are supposed to protected,” Alban said.

Engineer for the applicant Bryan Muller explained that pervious asphalt tends to degrade, weather and tear – breaking apart over time in portions of a driveway where there is turning and maneuvering. From there, someone seals the driveways and then it’s no longer porous.

“We can’t take away the porous we have. We’re decreasing peak flows for 100 years,” he said, adding the mix was needed for LID requirements. LID stands for Low Impact Development, which focuses on managing stormwater runoff by prioritizing natural, site level controls to reduce flooding, erosion and pollution.

“What happens is people see (the porous pavement) break up in front of the garage, and some people come in and they seal their driveways so it’s not porous any more,” Muller said.

Alban agreed.

Also, Muller said without the proposed porous asphalt they would lose the LID aspect of the project, resulting in increasing peak flows.

Mr. Brower said there will be a single HOA, so there will be one owner responsible for maintenance.

“I don’t think that will be a concern,” Brower said.

The commission ultimately compromised on the mix of porous and conventional asphalt, but required documentation about the maintenance agreement.

“That way as it transfers from one owner to the next in history, this will always come to the front as part of the deeds and agreements,” said commissioner Nick Macri.

“I’m okay with keeping it partial and hoping there is correct maintenance,” Alban said.

There was no public comment on the application.

The motion to approve was for a final subdivision creating two rear lots of 9600 and 7500 sq ft which is the minimum, with 3600 sq ft of open space – approximately 15%, as required by the Town.

The vote in favor was unanimous 5-0.

See also:

Next for the Wrecking Ball in Greenwich: 75 Havemeyer

May 22, 2024