Greenwich Avenue closure plan changes
Shift in proposal a response to parking worries among merchants
GREENWICH — As downtown business owners expressed concerns about a lack of parking, the Board of Selectmen on Thursday unanimously approved modifications for closing Greenwich Avenue to vehicular traffic.
The closure will be reduced by one block: Starting Friday, the barriers at Havemeyer Place and Arch Street will be moved down to Grigg Street. And the town will not proceed with steps to expand the closure to other parts of Greenwich Avenue.
The town said this will allow for more parking along Greenwich Avenue while still providing space for restaurants to offer expanded outdoor dining as businesses continue to reopen from the coronavirus closures.
But Margo O’Brien, from Diane’s Books on Grigg Street, told the Board of Selectmen that since part of
The Avenue was closed, the parking shortage in the area has worsened.
“The remainder of Greenwich Avenue that remains closed (to vehicles) is critical to our customers for parking,” O’Brien said. “Without full parking restored, we don’t have a hope of surviving this. That’s just how it is.”
It has been a difficult time for Diane Books, with a two-month closure due to the coronavirus, high rents and the closure of Greenwich Avenue to vehicles, O’Brien said, calling it a “triple whammy of negative things we’ve had no control over.”
First Selectman Fred Camillo offered to meet with O’Brien and take a
look at the area on Friday.
“There’s always solutions,” Camillo said.
Scott Mitchell, owner of Richards, expressed concerns, too, telling the selectmen that some drivers on Greenwich Avenue were confused by the closures, stopping while they try to determine where to turn and causing traffic backups. He also mentioned the lack of parking in the area.
The change at Grigg Street was made after some merchants contacted him, Camillo said, and he wanted the town to be responsive to their concerns.
“Even if 75 percent are doing really well there, we have to address the 25 percent that aren’t,” he said. “We don’t want to hurt anyone.”
Overall, Camillo reported he was receiving “overwhelmingly positive” feedback since the lower end of Greenwich Avenue was closed to vehicles last week. The closure will last until Sept. 2.
The town has also adjusted its strategy. Initially, it had planned to close all of The Avenue in two additional phases. But Town Administrator Ben Branyan said the town no longer plans to close the entire roadway.
Instead, Branyan said the town will install nodes — a closed-off area that extends into part of the street — in the newly reopened section to allow restaurants to offer outdoor seating while trafthen
“We think these modifications will address the concerns we received from the businesses regarding parking, customer access and delivery issues.” Greenwich Administrator Ben Branyan
fic can still flow.
Fawcett Place and Grigg Street will also have access restored for traffic to exit Greenwich Avenue but not enter.
“We think these modifications will address the concerns we received from the businesses regarding parking, customer access and delivery issues,” Branyan said.
This change meets “the needs of the businesses in the upper section of Greenwich Avenue,” he said.
“At this time, there are no additional changes anticipated for the balance of the Avenue,” Branyan said. “That being said, we continue to listen to businesses and observe both traffic and pedestrian flow. If any changes are needed, we will certainly bring it back to the Board of Selectmen.”
Camillo agreed, saying the board knew it would need to make adjustments. He also said he didn’t just want to put temporary measures in place — but wants to find more permanent changes to boost businesses with more pedestrian access.
At Thursday’s meeting Camillo again pointed to an idea that has been discussed for years, offer parking at Town Hall and run a trolley service, similar to what is done in Stamford at Harbor Point, to Greenwich Avenue. The trolley would be privately funded but have a town employee driving it.
Camillo said he is also looking at other areas where more can be done to help businesses. He toured Sound Beach Avenue with area merchants on Wednesday about possible changes, particularly with making better use of the back parking lots.
“We want there to be a visual presence on the sidewalks so when people are going to the beach, we want them to see a different look to Old Greenwich and entice them to get out of their cars and go to those merchants and restaurants,” Camillo said. “We’d like to see this be a more permanent warm weather transformation. We will take it step by step and see what people truly want there.”
Camillo also suggested taking the entire Board of Selectmen on a tour of lower Greenwich Avenue as well as downtown Glenville to see what more could be done to promote businesses there.