P&Z Watch: Adaptive Reuse Proposed for Office Building on Old Post Road

A new pre-application recently submitted to the Greenwich Planning & Zoning commission proposes converting an office building at 530 Old Post Road to luxury apartments.

The property is .47 acres. The office building was constructed in 1979.

It features two stories over ground level parking.

The applicant proposes 10 apartments, of which 1 would be priced below market, per the town’s section 6-110 regulation for moderate income housing.

As an incentive to use 6-110 the regulation allows a higher FAR than the underlying zone, which in this case is GBO.

There are 32 parking spaces today. The applicant proposes 17 spaces.

The building at 530 Old Post Road is just past Castiglione Funeral Home at 544 Old Post Rd 3, which is also a former office building. P&Z allowed it to be converted to funeral home use in 2015.

The application for 530 Old Post Road features four residential units plus an indoor recreation area on the ground floor of the building. The existing parking area under the building would be repurposed for living space.

There would be 17 outdoor parking spaces, plus an outdoor recreation area for residents in the ground floor units “to promote an active lifestyle and provide residents with access to open space…”

The second floor would feature three apartments.

The third floor would be renovated to house another three apartments.

Two of the upper-level apartments would have access to private roof terraces, accessible via a staircase beneath a glass sliding skylight.

“This unique feature will offer residents stunning views and an exclusive outdoor living experience,” the applicant says in their narrative.

On the building’s exterior they propose to install modern, horizontal PVC siding and strategically placed windows to maximize natural light and create bright, airy living spaces within the apartments.

Sustainability

“To ensure the long-term comfort and sustainability of the building, an upgraded insulation system will be installed, alongside a new energy-efficient HVAC system. These updates will provide quiet consistent climate control, ensuring the highest standards of comfort for all residents,”the narrative says.

Also, all appliances and equipment will be Energy Star-related, and high-performance, double-pane glass windows will be used throughout the building to optimize energy efficiency and reduce environmental impact.

Green Space

The inclusion of a grass area for outdoor recreation for ground floor residents is notable given P&Z commission’s feedback on previous affordable housing applications that did not include many trees, green space or play areas.

For example, in 2021, when an application from Frank Currivan Jr for a 4-story, 20-unit building at 1143 East Putnam Ave was submitted under 8-30g, a roof garden was proposed and each unit was proposed to have a balcony. At the time, the P&Z chair said, “You are really jamming that building in here. It is jammed in with a shoehorn.”

That property remains undeveloped.

Last summer, a 3-story, 21-unit building on Oak Ridge Street, submitted under 8-30g, was ultimately approved, though the P&Z commission balked at the absence of of green space.

More recently, Ferris Landing, a proposal from Greenwich Communities (formerly known as the Housing Authority) was withdrawn. Among the criticisms was the loss of trees and green space.

The 530 Old Post Road application is not yet scheduled for a P&Z meeting agenda.

530 Old Post Road