This month the Greenwich Planning & Zoning commission reviewed a pre-application from the Goddard School to convert the old Acme supermarket to a daycare and preschool for up to 216 children, plus 40 staff at 160 West Putnam Avenue.
Attorney Tom Heagney for the applicant said there are over 600 Goddard schools across the country, including ones in Darien, Stamford, Westport and Fairfield.
The applicant proposed to add a 6,000 sq ft playground on the south side of the building, but they didn’t propose changes to the disused driveway off Brookside other than to close it off and add some planters.
Mr. Heagney said the curb-cut from Brookside was originally approved in 1976 exclusively for supermarket deliveries.
He said, “Acme did have some zoning violations and had to put the chain back up.”
A chain across the access from Brookside to the former Acme supermarket that was limited to use for deliveries. July 26, 2026 Photo: Leslie Yager
A chain across the access from Brookside to the former Acme supermarket that was limited to use for deliveries. July 26, 2026 Photo: Leslie Yager
A chain across the access from Brookside to the former Acme supermarket that was limited to use for deliveries. July 26, 2026 Photo: Leslie Yager
Proposed home for Goddard School at 160 West Putnam Ave, anticipates enrollment of up to 216 children. There would be approximately 40 staff. There would be 32+/- parking spaces on the property and an additionally approximately 50+/- parking spaces across the street at 132 West Putnam Avenue, which is also leased to the applicant by the owner. June 8, 2026 Photo: Leslie Yager
Parking lot at 132 West Putnam Avenue, across Dayton Place from the former Acme supermarket, is leased. June 8, 2026 Photo: Leslie Yager
Mr. Heagney addressed the commission’s concerns about safety and adequate drop-off and pick-up and ingress and egress.
“This school really operates with a different model than other schools we have in town,” Heagney said. “Rather than all the children arrive at the same time, they have a flexible drop off and pick up schedule.”
He said drop off lasts from 7:00am to 9:30am, rather than being confined to a 15-minute window of time.
Similarly, pick up is between 3:00pm and 6:00pm.
Thirty parking spaces would be provided for pick-up and drop-off.
“You don’t have the principal waving like a traffic cop with a whistle and bullhorn in the parking lot. Parents park. They walk their child in. In some cases they may carry their child in. And then depart,” he said. “It’s really a program run more on the parent’s schedule, rather than the school schedule.”
There would be 40 staff with 30 on site at any time, and they would park in the lot across Dayton Ave, which has 50 parking spaces.
P&Z chair Margarita Alban requested a proposal on how cars would maneuver within the site.
She said there were concerns about people exiting the site people.
“Even if you’re coming out on Dayton onto the Post Road, if you want to dare and make a left turn…” Alban said. “Also people are going to try to use the Post Road access in ways that are going to be a problem – trying to turn left.”
“How are the cars going to do the actual site circulation? That’s what we want to see. Where does the parent drive up? Where does the staff member pick up the infant? How does the infant get safely into the building. Where does the parent park if they are walking with the toddler into the building? How do the cars go around the site?”
Commissioner Nick Macri asked how would the applicant address the significant grade change between the middle of the parking lot and the front door?
Given the flexible pick-up and drop-off, Macri asked, “All of the parents could show up between 7:00 and 8:00. Or at 8:00…”There should be a serious effort to study how that’s going to work.”
Macri asked if the applicant would consider removing both the loading area and disused driveway off Brookside.
“Because it’s at the basement area and the school program is on the first floor of the building, it’s really not something usable or easily accessible for the school.”
“Technically you can rip the whole thing out and put in some lawn and landscaping?” Macri asked.
“We’ve been talking about planters and that type of thing,” Heagney said, noting his client is a tenant, not the owner.
“Let’s not forget what’s happening outside, because the rest of the population of town passes by the building and they’d love to see something good happening to the whole site, not just the inside,” Alban said.
Mary Jenkins said she was concerned about the term “flexible.”
“If you have 24 people coming with infants all at the same time, regardless of how much parking you have, you have 18 rooms and 36 staff, you’ve got to have 18 people in the rooms…I’m struggling a little with how that’ll be handled. Not from a parking point of view, but from a safety point of view.”
“The three- to five-minute drop off time – I wish it was that quick. That’s not my experience. Especially if you have infants with a lot of accessories,” Jenkins said. “If it goes wrong, it’s going to go unbelievably wrong.”
Ms Alban asked, “Where is your queuing going to be accommodated if you end up with a sudden queuing situation, how would that be handled?”
“And any left hand turns into or out of that property on Dayton and on the Post Road – how would that be handled? It’s difficult at the best of times, particularly in the morning and 3:00pm during the school year, that’s going to be a lot of fun on the Post Road and on Dayton.”
Mr. Heagney said and advantage was that there are so many Goddard Schools in the area, including one in Farifield that was formerly a supermarket.
Alban said Greenwich does have a need for daycare. “We do recognize the Greenwich does need daycare now.”
“It’s acute, actually,” Heagney said.
“We think it is good to have opportunities for daycare,” Alban said. “If this site plan works and we hope the circulation works.”
See also:
P&Z Watch: Preschool and Daycare Proposed at Former Acme Supermarket on West Putnam Ave
June 9, 2026
Modern Apartment Building Proposed at Supermarket Overflow Parking Lot
March 26, 2026