P&Z Watch: Pre-Application Submitted for 10 Houses in Cluster on 28 Acres in Back Country

A new pre-application has been submitted to Greenwich Planning & Zoning for 10 new homes clustered in a portion of a 28.44 acre property in the RA-4 (4 acres minimum) zone with a proposed Conservation Zone and Historic Overlay (HO).

With a Historic Overlay, per 6-109, “When considering an application for an HO Zone, for preservation, restoration, rehabilitation or adaptive re-use, the property and its contributing structure or structures must have been existence prior to 1940, be architecturally or historically notable.”

The Tudor at 11 Sherwood dates back to 1965, according to the assessor’s office.

A conservation zone requires property 10-acres or larger to preserve at least 40% of the total land area.

The property at 11 Sherwood is located just north of the Merritt Parkway, near Seton Scout Reservation.

Today the property, which is accessed from Sherwood Ave, contains 3 existing single family dwellings: 2 Colonial style homes (dating back to 1945 and 1946 respectively) that would be torn down and the Tudor style house that would remain. There is also a cottage that dates back to 1945 and a pool house built in 1965.

The existing homes and barn are served by onsite sewage disposal systems and private water wells.

Tudor house that dates back to 1965 at 11 Sherwood
Colonial at 11 Sherwood dates back to 1945
Colonial at 11 Sherwood dates back to 1946
Pool house at 11 Sherwood
Cottage at 11 Sherwood dates back to 1945

The houses would be accessed by a meandering driveway from the existing entrance at the southwest corner of the property. Each house would be served by individual onsite sewage disposal systems and private water wells.

The property is bordered to the west by the West Branch of the Byram River.

Per the applicant’s narrative, there is ledge of bedrock along the westerly property line and toward Riversville Road, and expansive lawn through the center of the property adjacent to the river. There is an in-ground pool and pool house in the center of the lawn area.

At the northern end of the river there is a pond controlled by a stone dam with two stone pavilions and patio at the southeast corner to the dam.

There is also a maintenance barn and maintenance area to the east toward Riversville Rd.

Advertised as a family compound called “Applecrest,” according to the Assessor’s office at Greenwich Town Hall the property sold from RJ Properties to Windflower LLC on April 11, 2022 for $6,500,000.

Tudor style house at 11 Sherwood Ave. Photo courtesy Assessor’s office at Greenwich Town Hall.

The property was described in marketing materials as a hidden treasure with lush lawn along the Byram River with a waterfall, private lake and on-site trails.

Per the application narrative the site is moderately vegetated in the westerly section of the site and heavily vegetated moving north. There are some mature trees throughout the center of the site.

The proposal is to tuck the homes into the existing topography and set them among the existing mature trees.

The pre-application has yet to be scheduled on a P&Z agenda. Stay tuned.

Rendering of proposed Conservation/Historical Overlay Zone development for 10 single family dwellings (one existing Tudor style home and nine new homes) near the intersection of Sherwood Ave and Riversville Road prepared for Wildflower LLC – Fletcher Development LLC.