Margarita Alban

Recent Posts

P&Z Fears Ramifications from Eliminating Parking Requirement for Taco Restaurant with Liquor Permit

Several buildings on the north side of Railroad Ave (99, 95, 91, 89-87 and 85 Railroad Ave) include some restaurant uses that are grandfathered. 91 Railroad Ave, previously home to a cigar store, has operated as a retail use. A restaurant with 20 seats would typically require 9 parking spaces, including for staff. Continue Reading →

Filed under: , , , , , , ,

P&Z Uneasy Sewer Deal with NY Would Expire before 40-Year Deed Restriction on 8-30g at Greenwich Woods 

P&Z chair Margarita Alban noted a new state law that became effective in 2024 allows conversion of nursing homes to residential with a quick review, and suggested the applicant consider that route. Continue Reading →

Filed under: , , , , , , ,

Alban: Is the attack on land use boards based on fact?

When only 43% of the towns in Fairfield County responded to the Center for Housing Opportunity survey, the “Housing Collective staff filled in survey data gaps…Resources utilized included municipal webpages and town charters, CT Secretary of State website, voter records, municipal property records, LinkedIn, Facebook, board and commission meeting recordings, and name searches.”…That’s how my gender and ethnicity were changed overnight. – Margarita Alban Continue Reading →

Filed under: , ,

P&Z Watch: Vacant Nursing Home on King Street Okayed for 17-Unit Rental Apartments

The recently enacted CGS Section 8-2r enables the adaptive reuse of vacant nursing homes as multi-family housing. Greenwich P&Z said the former RegalCare building on King Street met the criteria to become a 17-unit rental apartment facility. Continue Reading →

Filed under: , , , , ,

Next for the Wrecking Ball in Greenwich: 11 Old Houses to Make Way for 120-Unit, 40% Affordable Housing Development

After rejecting a 70-unit proposal with 12 affordable units in 2017, the Greenwich Planning & Zoning commission approved Joe Tranfo’s 120-unit 6-story building in May 2024. The development will feature two structures separated by a driveway, a total of 120 units and 180 parking spaces. Submitted under the state’s 8-30g statute, a whopping 40% of the units will be affordable, far more than required in an 8-30g. Continue Reading →

Filed under: , , , , , , ,

P&Z Watch: Two of Three Cancer Center Applications Approved; Third May Be Approved with Conditions

“If you’re successful, there may be a lot of stress in these areas. You may find that you are parking deficient and you may find that you have brought in a lot of traffic…What troubled me the most about this process is everything is based on your operating assumptions.” – Margarita Alban, P&Z chair Continue Reading →

Filed under: , , , , , , ,

Weighing Tradeoffs between Safety and Beauty: DPW Proposes Rapid Flashing Beacons with Audible Messages on Scenic Rd through Binney Park

The Town of Greenwich Department of Public Works has scheduled a virtual public hearing on June 9 at 2:00pm to present and receive feedback on the proposal, including the RRFB’s on Wesskum Wood Rd that bisects Binney Park. Continue Reading →

Filed under: , , , , , , ,