A pre application has been filed with Greenwich Planning & Zoning Dept to develop 1141 King Street as cluster housing with 6 detached dwellings, a community barn and a solar array of 1084 panels on an acre of the 19 acre parcel “to create a carbon neutral development.”
Per the pre-application, the existing single family house and the horse barn on the property would both be demolished.
The applicant is proposing amendments to the building code in Section 6-46 and 6-47 to make the cluster development possible. To apply under the “Planned Residential Zone,” Section 6-46 would need to be revised to reflect a parcel of at least 10 contiguous acres and section 6-47 regarding location would need to be either modified or removed.
The property is owned by King Street Holdings LLC. The principals are Mark, Scott and Brian Polatsek. The applicant is Plaza 200, LLC, for which the principal member is Barbican Residential Services, LLC in Jackson Wyoming. According to Dun & Bradstreet, the principal of Barbican is David Solarz.
The property is in the RA-4 single family zone. The 19 acre parcel features mature groves of spruce, pine, and oak trees. It is listed for sale at $3,600,000.
The existing single family house, built in 1890, has 5 bedrooms. With six units in the cluster housing, there would be a total of 36 bedrooms.
According to the site plan application, total square footage would increase from 5,885 to 64,000.
According to online advertising, the parcel was originally part of the 200 acre Gimbel Estate purchased in 1925, and is the last remaining parcel. “An historic horse track in the 1930’s, this open meadow has a vacant, 2 story single family residence, barn with 8 stalls, a 2 bedroom apartment, and a 2 car garage….Currently RA-4 acre zoning can be changed to conservation subdivision with 2-acre zoning.”
The parcel is bordered to the east by Audubon Society property and steep slopes adjacent to the Audubon would be preserved in a conservation zone.
It is bordered to the north by Convent of the Sacred Heart.
It is bordered to the west by Greenwich Woods nursing home and 2 single-family homes.
A significant wetland pocket on the west side of the property would be enhanced and preserved. Per the Assessor’s office, the property qualifies for influence factor J, which reduces the land assessment by 10% due to presence of wetlands.
It is bordered to the south by Chieftains.
The existing road from the site to King Street would be retained as the sole access to the development.
Proposed dwellings would make the 100-foot minimum setback from the property line either under RA-CC4 Conservation Zone or under a modified Planned Residential Zone.
Note to readers: This is a pre-application, and has yet to be scheduled for a meeting agenda, so P&Z commission and town planner are unable to answer questions at this time.
The time to comment or ask questions is if and when the application is scheduled for a public P&Z meeting. The idea of a pre-application is to dedicate about 20 minutes to the item during a P&Z meeting so the applicant gets enough feedback to determine whether to pursue an application.
Per CT Gen Stat § 7-159b (2013) pre-applications are non binding.They may not be appealed under any provision of the general statutes, and shall not be binding on the applicant or any authority, commission, department, agency or other official having jurisdiction to review the proposed project.