Column: Planning & Zoning: The Big Picture

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By Allan Murphy
Sentinel Business Columnist

The Greenwich Planning and Zoning department has the unenviable task of overseeing the management of Greenwich town development: residential and commercial, multi-family and single family, low, moderate, and market rate housing, retail and office space, municipal and private, downtown and in the hamlets.

To say there are many constituencies to satisfy is an understatement. Balancing the needs and desires of the town and its residents and property owners is an ongoing and evolutionary process. The needs and desires for living and working in the year 1950 are different from those of 2000 and will be different again in 2050. Ideally, we would like to retain the best of our history, meet the needs of our current world and lifestyles, and lay the groundwork for making Greenwich a terrific town for our children and grandchildren. 

What is the best way for Greenwich Avenue and downtown to evolve? More emphasis on residential space to increase the vibrancy after stores close? Or tilt toward being more office-use or retail-use friendly to attract more business and commerce, increasing sales and enhancing commercial property values? Or the Post Road/Putnam Avenue: Does zoning currently allow the right mix of uses on this primary route through our town? And uses aside, is the zoning code encouraging the right style and scale of development? Should we have bike paths or sidewalks along this road?  What about building setbacks and green space? Should parking be screened or behind the buildings? Owners will want as much freedom as possible for use and building size and location and configuration. Residents will want a town that becomes more beautiful and user-friendly over time. It’s a challenging task to reconcile disparate objectives.

The big picture process starts with the Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD), an every-ten-year review and analysis of what we like and don’t like about the evolution and development of our town, and a blueprint for where we want it to go in terms of future development for the next 10 years and beyond. The next POCD will be published in 2019, with the planning and input for that document taking place over the next two to three years.

The Planning & Zoning dept. oversees the process and creation of the POCD document, but it is a compilation of views and desires from many parties, in concept representing the views and desires of Greenwich residents and property owners—those who live here and/or pay taxes here.

There will be multiple public meetings and many departments at town hall will be contribute— parks and recreation, traffic, public works and life safety, building, police and fire—and there will be contributions and discussion by our resident representatives on the RTM, and I would think also by various town commissions: Architectural Review, Historic Preservation, Wetlands, etc. Again, a challenging process that attempts to arrive at a consensus view to provide direction for the future development of our town, with the understanding that the direction and emphasis of development will be different for different parts of our diverse geography. Parking and traffic may be a priority in downtown Greenwich, while streetscape and building setbacks may be a priority concern on the Post Road in western Greenwich, and increased use flexibility may be a priority in waterfront business zones.

Overseeing the POCD is an important big-picture role for P&Z, but it is just one role. For most of us, our interaction with P&Z is much more granular, as we seek approvals for our site plans, subdivisions, or other approvals needed for a building or lease or sign. And believe me, I’ve had my frustrations. That process is also being reviewed and streamlined; more on that in a future article. In the meantime, try to keep the big picture in mind as to what’s good for Greenwich and let your RTM or other town representatives know how you would like to see your town develop.

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Allan Murphy is a senior managing director at the commercial real estate services firm Newmark Grubb Knight Frank. He has specialized in the Greenwich and Stamford markets since 1996.

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