A proposed 150-seat restaurant at 34 Railroad Ave. hit a wall Wednesday night when Greenwich's Planning and Zoning Commission chair said elderly and disabled diners should not have to walk 465 feet from a valet lot to the front door.

P&Z Chair Margarita Alban left the application open at the commission's Aug. 5 hearing, directing the applicant to work with Greenwich Police and the Department of Public Works on a closer drop-off point before the commission will act.

"I've got to have a plan in place," Alban said. "If the town and DPW and GPD don't help… I just want to know we've tried, and made a genuine effort to accommodate."

GP Holding Company Inc. sought to modify its Final Coastal Site Plan and Special Permit for the still-vacant restaurant space, part of the Greenwich Crossing redevelopment near the train station. The company wants to increase seating from the 112 seats approved in 2022 to 130, plus a 20-seat bar, for 150 total.

Why 150 seats?

The space has no tenant. Restaurant leasing expert Joyce Storm testified at the hearing that restaurateurs have told the developer a "critical mass" of 150 seats is needed during prime dining hours, from 6 p.m. onward and on weekends, to make the location viable for a national brand.

Attorney Michele Cronin, representing GP Holding, told the commission the restaurant is key to connecting Greenwich Avenue to the Bruce Museum and the harbor, replacing a windowless wall from the former movie theater with outdoor dining and a pedestrian plaza.

The parking plan and its problems

The applicant proposed a managed valet program using the former Hopscotch parking lot, re-striped to hold up to 55 attended spaces, up from 36 self-park spots. Two or three valet staff would handle up to 57 cars during peak hours. Employee parking would go to the Greenwich Plaza garage, which Cronin said has had at least 71 open spaces over the past six months.

But under that plan, patrons would leave their cars at the Hopscotch lot and walk roughly 465 feet to the restaurant entrance. Alban said Greenwich Police do not currently allow drop-offs in front of the building, and the strip of parking on Railroad Avenue belongs to the town, not Greenwich Plaza.

Commissioner Dennis Yeskey raised a separate concern at the hearing: drivers hunting for closer spots would circle the bottom of Greenwich Avenue, adding congestion to an area he called "super, super crowded."

Delivery traffic and post-COVID demand

Alban also pushed for data on pickup and delivery vehicle demand, as reported by Greenwich Free Press. She told the commission that post-COVID dining habits have permanently shifted, and that the 2022 approval assumed delivery demand would fade. The opposite happened, she said, meaning a 150-seat restaurant could generate even more pickup and delivery traffic than the applicant projected.

Broader accessibility push

The dispute lands as the town invests in ADA improvements at the same intersection. In June, Greenwich received a $657,653 state grant through the Connecticut DOT's Community Connectivity Grant Program for ADA-compliant pedestrian signals and accessible pushbuttons at all four corners of Railroad Avenue and Greenwich Avenue.

First Selectman Fred Camillo said in June that the signal work "will go hand in hand with the many improvements downtown from both Greenwich's Department of Public Works and the Greenwich Crossing project."

What happens next

The application remains open. Alban said town staff would need to ask Police Chief Heavey and possibly First Selectman Camillo to help facilitate a drop-off solution. No return hearing date has been set.