Plans For Large Restaurant Near Top Of Greenwich Avenue Approved
GREENWICH, CT — Plans for a large restaurant near the top of Greenwich Avenue were approved this week, with several conditions, by the town’s planning & zoning commission.
The eatery will occupy the ground floor of building No. 3 within Pickwick Plaza, the 280,000-square-foot, office and retail complex at 1-3 Greenwich Ave.
While the name of the restaurant has not yet been publicly named, it will feature 132 for indoor dining, 10 at the bar, eight at a seafood counter, and 60 seasonal outdoor seats.
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Commissioners spent the majority of time discussing the parking situation for the restaurant.
“The commission repeatedly expressed concern that the currently limited availability of on-street parking would be insufficient to accommodate a restaurant of this size during peak hours,” Commission Chair Margarita Alban said.
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The existing parking garage for Pickwick Plaza contains 801 spaces. The applicant provided parking counts for April, May, June and September of 2023, and there is an average of 400 spaces available during business hours, Alban said.
“The commission finds the existing garage would offer a satisfactory supply of parking for the proposed use, as long as those who drive to the site mainly utilize the below-ground parking. The commission found the availability of parking must be made highly-visible and easily accessible to restaurant customers,” Alban added. “The commission further finds that the customer garage usage can and should be encouraged with wayfinding signage, marketing communications, valet parking service and general ease of access from the garage to the restaurant.”
Therefore, the Commission gave approval with the condition that the restaurant return for a discussion on all signage before a zoning permit is issued.
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Additionally, the restaurant must alert customers about the garage parking in marketing communications and on their website. The garage parking would come at no cost for customers.
The restaurant must also provide a report after six months on garage parking utilization.
Other conditions include overall capacity limits and limits on events at the restaurant for the first year.
The plans were approved by a vote of 4-1. Commissioner Nick Macri, who voted no, said he found the application “woefully incomplete,” and he expressed concerns about the parking.
“If this doesn’t work, if the whole thing goes sideways, and they can’t get into the garage and they don’t know where they’re going at the top of Greenwich Avenue, we could wind up with a real disaster,” he said.
Pickwick Plaza was constructed in 1974 and replaced the Pickwick Arms Hotel.
The complex was the original headquarters for Xerox. Major tenants have included Deutsche Bank, Interactive Brokers, Merrill Lynch and JP Morgan Chase.
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