Coffee shop coming to Riverside
GREENWICH — A new coffee shop is set to open in the Riverside section of town, after it received preliminary approvals by the town Planning and Zoning Commission.
The 24-seat cafe will be located at 1162 E. Putnam Ave., in a new building along the busy commercial corridor. The operation will take up about 2,000 square feet, and there will be an outdoor seating area and a walk-up window. The coffee shop will be operated CFCF Roastery, which also has an outlet on Greenwich Avenue.
The commissioners gave the approval Tuesday night. The developers of the site had originally obtained approvals for a retail operation in the first floor of the building, but they later requested a change to a restaurant use.
The new development is also home to several residences, as well as a music school and a martial arts school.
According to the planning department file, the application was made by Fareri Associates.
The commissioners asked the development team to ensure that the so-called street furniture at the outdoor section of the cafe — the seats, tables, planters and trash cans — are as attractive as possible, though the commission does not have oversight over that aspect of development.
“We will make a good faith effort,” said attorney Chris Bristol, who has handled the development before the commission.
The project needs approval from the Architectural Review Committee, which will review plans for signs and other visual elements.
During the public comments section of the meeting, Liz Peldunas of the Riverside Association said the coffee shop project was viewed favorably by the neighborhood group. “I think we have room for that in the community,” she said, and a coffee shop would likely be a positive enhancement for the area.
The building complex has about 60 parking spaces at the site.