Greenwich P&Z approves lot merger, continues two coastal cases
Planning and Zoning · Meeting of January 6, 2026
Greenwich P&Z merges two lots 5-0, continues coastal rebuild and old-subdivision cases to January 21. The commission approved a consolidation of 9 Carlton Street and 0 Hollis Street into one roughly 13,893-square-foot conforming lot, with attorney Jane Weisbecker explaining the smaller parcel bordered an unbuildable paper road. Commissioners continued a coastal site plan for 33 Byram Shore Road Trust after late state DEEP comments urged moving a proposed pool out of a flood V-zone, and resident Loren Taylor asked the board to protect her family's access to "the ancient historic Lyon family cemetery." A five-lot subdivision confirmation for the Aznes family on Round Hill Road was also continued pending a review of decades-old nonconformities.
In a pre-application review, attorney Casey O'Donnell presented a six-unit affordable-housing building at 43 Old Post Road; homeowners association president Steve Benjamin warned "we already have more than our fair share" of drainage problems.
In the full story:
- The complete report — 1,062 words
Source: the Planning and Zoning meeting of January 6, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
The Full Article
GREENWICH — January 6, 2026 — The Greenwich Planning and Zoning Commission voted 5-0 Tuesday to approve a two-lot consolidation on Carlton Street, while granting extensions on two other pending applications: a coastal home rebuild awaiting state flood-zone comments and a decades-old subdivision confirmation complicated by unfiled property lines dating to the 1970s.
The commission, meeting virtually, also heard a non-binding pre-application presentation for a proposed six-unit residential building with one affordable housing unit at 43 Old Post Road, and postponed or withdrew three other items, including a zoning map amendment and subdivision application from Carolyn and David Han at 84 Cognewaugh Road.
The Full Story
The commission opened by withdrawing an awning application for a Fort Lafayette Court property and postponing a final subdivision application for 97 Havier Place, along with the Han family's two applications at 84 Cognewaugh Road. No new hearing dates were set for the postponed items.
The longest discussion centered on 33 Byram Shore Road Trust, which is seeking a final coastal site plan to demolish an existing structure and build a single-family home, with an existing garage converted to a gym, across two parcels totaling more than 31,000 square feet. Attorney Chip Hasslan, representing the trust, told the commission that engineer Bob Smarlack of Sound View Engineering had met with the town's Department of Public Works to resolve earlier concerns, and that a revised landscape plan removed a proposed rain garden and swapped arborvitae for eastern red cedar at the conservation department's request. The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, whose reviewer was identified as Braden Lynn, submitted late comments recommending the applicant move a proposed pool out of a V-zone flood area or structurally disconnect it from the house. The law firm Robinson and Cole submitted a letter on behalf of neighbors raising concerns about stormwater drainage through the seawall toward an existing beach.
"I'd like to confirm what my rights are with regard to maintaining access to the ancient right-of-way that pertains to the ancient historic Lyon family cemetery at Byram Shore." — Loren Taylor, resident and public commenter
Taylor asked the commission to confirm her family's access rights to what she described as an ancient right-of-way connected to the cemetery. Hasslan responded that the cemetery is not located on the subject property and that no existing access rights would be affected by the development. The commission continued the application to January 21.
Commissioners also reviewed a final subdivision application confirming five separate lots at 132 and 122 Round Hill Road, 0 Paxton Road and two parcels on Sheffield Way, all owned by the Aznes family. Rachel Orsy of SE Minor told the commission a signed copy of the original 1968 subdivision map had been located after the signature was found to have faded on file copies. Discussion focused on nonconformities created when the original developer, Oliver Grace, shifted internal lot lines before selling the properties in the 1970s, including a side-yard setback nonconformity of 31.3 feet where 35 feet is required, and a disused pump house standing alone on a lot without a primary residence. The town planner, referred to in the meeting only as Patrick, said the commission needed a full accounting of when each nonconformity was created before it could act. The application was continued to January 21.
The commission then closed the public hearing and voted 5-0 to approve a lot consolidation for 9 Carlton Street and 0 Hollis Street, combining the parcels into one conforming lot of roughly 13,893 square feet in the R-7 zone. Attorney Jane Weisbecker, representing the applicant, said the smaller parcel had been undevelopable because it borders Hollis Street, an unimproved paper road blocked on both ends by neighboring encroachments.
In the pre-application review, attorney Casey O'Donnell presented plans for a four-story, six-unit residential building with one affordable unit at 43 Old Post Road, submitted under the town's moderate-income housing regulations. Commissioners questioned three parking spaces proposed in the required front yard and urged the applicant to consider shifting amenity space to the rear instead.
"Under new state law, there's no minimum parking requirement for this property." — a Planning and Zoning Commission member identified as Wells
Steve Benjamin, president of a homeowners association at the base of the hill behind the site, raised concerns about stormwater runoff.
"Anything that has to do with water and drainage is a really big issue for us because we already have more than our fair share." — Steve Benjamin, homeowners association president
Commissioners, including one identified as Nick, told Benjamin the town's drainage manual requires every drop of rainfall on the site to be accounted for, and that Department of Public Works staff would be notified of the neighborhood's concerns before any final application is filed.
Why It Matters
The 43 Old Post Road pre-application signals a coming debate over the commission's moderate-income housing regulations, known as 6110, which staff plans to bring back for revision at the commission's February 3 meeting to potentially allow builders to shift required setbacks from front to rear yards. That change could affect how future affordable-housing projects in commercial zones site parking and open space.
The Aznes family case also raises a broader question for owners of decades-old Greenwich properties: lot lines drawn or shifted before 2000 were often never filed as maps with the land records, even though deeds were recorded, potentially leaving nonconformities that only surface when an owner seeks a formal subdivision confirmation.
Key Motions & Votes
- Action: Awning application at Fort Lafayette Court — Withdrawn - Action: Final subdivision, 97 Havier Place — Postponed - Action: Zoning map amendment and preliminary subdivision, 84 Cognewaugh Road (Carolyn and David Han) — Postponed - Vote: Approval of November 25, 2025 and December 9, 2025 meeting minutes Tally: Approved unanimously - Action: Final coastal site plan, 33 Byram Shore Road and 0 Byram Dock Street (33 Byram Shore Road Trust) — Continued to January 21, 2026 - Action: Final subdivision confirming five lots at 132 and 122 Round Hill Road, 0 Paxton Road and two Sheffield Way parcels (Aznes family) — Continued to January 21, 2026 - Vote: Lot consolidation, 9 Carlton Street and 0 Hollis Street (RE Assets Trust) Tally: For: 5, Against: 0, Abstain: 0, Total: 5
Source
Greenwich Community Television: Planning and Zoning meeting, January 6, 2026