Last week the Greenwich Planning & Zoning commission approved an application from JED Martial Arts LLC for a final coastal site plan and special permit to run a martial arts studio at 30 South Water Street in Byram.
JED Martial Arts is the lessee.
The property owners, Enrico and Nicholas DiFilippo and Livia Farina, also own the property next door at 2 South Water Street, which is home to George Italian Seafood & Steakhouse.
Enrico DiFilippo’s family purchased 2 South Water Street property in the 1960s, and Amerigo’s operated there for 30 years.
They purchased 30 South Water Street in September 2021.
The owners of 30 South Water Street also owns 2 south Water Street, home to George Steakhouse. July 5, 2025 Photo: Leslie Yager
30 South Water Street. July 5, 2025 Photo: Leslie Yager
View from the Connecticut side of Mill Street bridge of new residential development in Port Chester, NY. July 5, 2025
Rear of 30 South Water Street. July 5, 2025 Photo: Leslie Yager
Rear of 30 South Water Street. July 5, 2025 Photo: Leslie Yager
30 South Water Street. July 5, 2025 Photo: Leslie Yager
The site is a direct waterfront property on the Byram River, within the Coastal Overlay Zone and Waterfront Business (WB) Zones at the border of Port Chester, NY on .356 acres.
Previously the building was home to Bank of America, from 1967 to 2021, but it has been empty since then.
Typically the commission tries to encourage water-related uses in the WB zone along on the west side of South Water Street along the Byram River, but that has been a challenge.
WB stands for Waterfront Business, and originally did not include residential use, but the commission revised their regs a few years ago to allow the possibility of residential construction.
In 2022, the owner of the 30 South Water Street property came to the commission with a pre-application seeking a re-zoning of both 2 South Water and 30 South Water Street from the WB to the LBR-2 Zone, saying he had been unable to find tenants for the building.
That pre-application did not advance.
Last week the application for martial arts studio at 30 South Water Street represented something of a compromise. The martial arts studio, considered “group fitness use,” was considered a less non-conforming use than a bank, and therefore less detrimental to the neighborhood.
Starting in March when the proposal was a pre-application, the commission did have a concern about parking.
There are 12 parking spaces and 1 handicapped space today, but the applicant has been able to reconfigure the parking to add 5 parking spaces for a total of 17 parking spaces plus 1 handicapped space.
There will be a bicycle rack at the front of the building.
Public Waterfront Access in the WB Zone
Previously there was discussion about creating space along the sea wall for a possible connection to a walkway along the Byram River in the future.
However, the applicant’s attorney Chip Haslun noted there was no change in ownership of the property, and interior alterations are minimal.
With their approval, the commission did not require a pedestrian access way to the water.
The applicant will remove the building’s awning and make improvements to the landscaping in the parking lot.
A new window will replace the existing drive-thru window.
A refuse bin will be kept within the building to the rear and placed outside temporarily for pick-up on appropriate days.
The existing flagpole and free-standing sign will remain.
Commissioner Nick Macri said the applicant should follow up with a well thought-out signage plan and go to ARC for approval.
The awning at the former Bank of America building will be removed. The applicant will obtain ARC approval if the awnings are replaced
30 South Water Street. July 5, 2025 Photo: Leslie Yager
JED Martial Arts Studio Hours
The hours of operation and class schedule are a condition of approval and include at least 1/2 hour between classes.
Monday to Friday: 7:00am to 8:45pm. Saturday: 10:00am to 2:15pm Sunday: 1:30-2:15 pm
Class schedule
(Adult classes are 45 minutes; children’s classes are 1/2 hour)
a. Monday to Friday:
i. 7:00 am – 7:45 am
ii. 12:00 pm – 12:45 pm
iii. 3:15 pm – 3:45 pm
iv. 4:15 pm – 5:00 pm
v. 5:30 pm – 6:15pm
vi. 6:45 pm – 7:30 pm
vii. 8:00 pm – 8:45 pm
b. Saturday:
i. 10:00 am – 10:30 am
ii. 11:00 am – 11:45 am
iii. 12:15 pm – 1:00 pm
iv. 1:30 pm – 2:15 pm
c. Sunday: i. 1:30 pm – 2:15 am
Byram’s WB Zone Challenges – Finding Water Based Uses and Uses in a FEMA Flood Zone
In 2021 the owners of 84 South Water Street proposed to demolish the defunct HASCO factory to build a self-storage facility. The applicants said a portion of the storage would be for boats, but there would be no water access.
The commission noted the property was in a FEMA flood zone, and told the applicants that if they demolished the entire building, new construction would be required to be fully FEMA compliant.
Then, in 2023, a proposal for a residential development at the former Hasco factory with what former commissioner Peter Levy described as a “walled environment,” did not sit well with the commission either.
At the time, P&Z commission chair Margarita Alban noted that while P&Z had changed the regulations for the WB Zone to allow residential,
“The problem we ran into was DEEP and the dry egress. If you can get that issue resolved – I see that as your biggest issue.”
Previous applications in the WB zone along the Byram River on South Water Street:
P&Z Watch: New Proposal for Former HASCO Factory in Byram Features 10 Residential Units July 7, 2023
P&Z Balks at CNG Industrial Use in WB Zone on Byram River April 27, 2022
P&Z Watch: “George Seafood & Steakhouse” Outdoor Dining at 2 South Water Street Approved June 8, 2022
P&Z Watch: Commissioners, BNA question appropriateness of self-storage facility on waterfront Nov 11, 2021
First Selectman to Target Blighted Properties in Byram June 28, 2021
Future of 88 South Water Street Discussed: Residential? Commercial? Water-Related? Jan 13, 2016
88 South Water Street Attorney to P&Z: “See You in Court” Dec 12, 2015
