Margarita Alban

Recent Posts

Candace Garthwaite Honored for Advocacy for Preservation in Old Greenwich

At the OGA annual meeting Candace Garthwaite was honored. Recently she worked to have Old Greenwich proclaimed as a Village District to help preserve the character of its downtown business district. Also, Martin Waters from Old Greenwich Real Estate LLC, who purchased “the Nolan Estate,” comprised of 17 shops, 17 offices, 10 apartments and 5 warehouses, had no plans whatsoever to change the façades of the buildings on Sound Beach Ave or Arcadia. Continue Reading →

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After-School Tutoring Businesses: “A tough logistical challenge” for Proposed Parent Drop-Off and Pick-up on Arcadia in Old Greenwich

“Your job is to set it up so parents have a safe option.We have denied some of these in the past….That said, we recognize that these type of uses, besides being great for the young people, are also the way of the future. Goods and commodities are not going to drive people to the retail areas.” Continue Reading →

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After New York Outlaws Sales of Puppies in Retail Stores, Greenwich P&Z Comfortable Town Regs Do Likewise

A law that went into effect in New York on Dec 15, 2024, “New York State Puppy Mill Pipeline Law,” is designed to stop the flow of cruelly bred puppies to pet stores in that state. This week the Greenwich P&Z commission agreed that the town’s retail regulation prohibits pet shops selling puppies, kittens and rabbits. Continue Reading →

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P&Z Watch: 13-Unit Apartment Building with 2 Moderate Income Units Approved in Glenville

“Perfect solutions are few and far between. At the end of the day, the need for housing may supersede almost everything else. We can work with developers to create housing that is sensible and compliant with our regulation and the POCD guiding principles. Or, we can pay lip service, do nothing, and wait for exogenous forces to impose unwanted changes to our town.” – P&Z commissioner Peter Lowe Continue Reading →

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Application for 13-Unit, 3-Story Building with 2 Workforce Units in Glenville Hangs in the Balance

Attorney Heagney warned developers could bypass the town’s 6-110 regulation in favor of Connecticut’s state affordable housing statute 8-30g.
“If you are going to discourage developers from using 6-110 in this fashion, then generally the developments will become larger because there is no point of working within the local regulation when you have a state statute that deals with it differently,” Heagney said. Continue Reading →

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P&Z Watch – Mason St 8-30g Elephants in the Room: Inclusion of Retail & Comparability of Units

P&Z commission chair Alban and attorney Tim Hollister disagreed on whether 8-30g can include retail.
Ms Alban said the history of the site was car dealership.
“You have not had retail, unless you consider a car dealership retail, which we don’t.”
“Car dealerships have a retail component. You can buy your antifreeze there,” Hollister said.
“The use isn’t classified by most towns as a retail use,” Alban said. Continue Reading →

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At Memorable P&Z Meeting, Byram Neighbors Again Push Back on “The Rink Flip”

The proposal is again for “the flip,” which refers to switching the location of the existing 70’s era Hamill Rink with Strazza field, so that the new 42,000 sq ft rink (10,000 sq ft larger than the existing building) would be toward the middle of the park rather than tucked in the corner as it is now. Continue Reading →

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