Many Topics for Discussion at Glenville Community Forum Set for Monday, Aug 14

Greenwich First Selectman Fred Camillo announced that on Monday, Aug. 14, he will host a community forum in Glenville to hear directly from residents about major issues going on in this part of town.

The forum will begin at 6:00 pm at the Glenville Fire Station.

Camillo said he planned to update residents on plans for a dog park, the potential future for the now vacant Stop & Shop location, ongoing improvement efforts, and other matters of concern.

Back in June, the Board of Selectmen considered a proposed $30,000 pledge from Adam Jacobson of Pet Pantry Warehouse to go toward a dog park in Glenville. With the pledge in mind, the proposal was to name the dog park the Pet Pantry Community Dog Park. Neighbors balked at the dog park proposal, noting that even one car parked along Hawthorne Street North impacted sight lines.

Instead, they said they wanted attention paid to the issues of traffic and parking in their neighborhood.

“I think the priority should be the safety of people, and putting more sidewalks in the neighborhood,” said Joanna Podewils at the June meeting. “That should be the priority, not this dog park,”

At the time the dog park idea was put on hold, Mr. Camillo promised to schedule a forum to provide a comprehensive update on longstanding projects in Glenville, including the the Glenville Street Corridor Traffic Improvement Project.

As for the future of the former Stop & Shop property, last week the property owner, Guy Sutton, submitted a pre-application to Greenwich Planning & Zoning for a zoning change that would enable him to add 53 parking spaces to the property to better attract potential new supermarket to the site.

On social media, neighbors have voiced disappointment at the departure of Stop & Shop and the loss of a convenient source of staple grocery store items like bread and milk at a reasonable price. Comments have also pointed out that stores like Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s or Citarella don’t sell mainstays like cases of soda.

Meanwhile there are mounting pressures for development in Glenville. Some are luxury housing, but some include affordable or moderate income units.

dam on the Byram River, reinforced with granite. — *Dam and waterfall on the Byram River at 200 Pemberwick Road. Photo: Leslie Yager*

At 200 Pemberwick Road an 8-30g affordable housing development is pending at the Greenwich Planning & Zoning commission. In January 160 people were in attendance via Zoom, when the proposal was discussed by the P&Z. At that time the proposal had decreased from a proposed 386 units total down to 220 after discussions with the town’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund.

At the meeting, the commission said they were concerned that the area had a history of flooding.

Of note is there is a dam just north of the property that dates back to the 1800s. Recently the state’s “infrastructure czar” Mark Boughton visited the dam with State Reps and Camillo.

Recently, the P&Z commission is overseeing the application of plans to develop the historic Queen Anne style Victorian house that dates back to 1898 at 9 Glenville Street. The area is a historic district.

Recently the applicants changed their proposal from mixed-use to all-residential, and plan to include two workforce units (moderate income) among the 13 proposed units.

An issue with the proposal are plans for the removal of up to 40 feet of ledge to make way for the development.

Yet another proposed residential development in the same neighborhood that is being reviewed by P&Z is for a 2-1/2 story residential building with 16 rental units and 18 parking spaces at 6 and 10 Glenville Street. This is the area that is currently lawn next to “the mansion” across from 9 Glenville Street.