A developer wants to tear down the Putnam Green apartment complex near the Greenwich-Port Chester border and replace it with a 176-unit residential development that would stand twice as tall as current zoning allows, drawing early opposition including from former selectman Lin Lavery.

Putnam Green Holding LLC filed a pre-application with the Greenwich Planning & Zoning Commission to build a six-story, 80-foot-tall building at 7 and 9 Western Junior Highway. According to documents submitted to P&Z and reviewed by Patch, attorney John Tesei, representing the applicant, described the proposal as "a six-story multifamily residential building over a two-level parking garage." The project would total approximately 116,700 square feet. The proposal invokes Connecticut's 8-30g affordable housing statute, which allows developers to override local zoning when a town has less than 10% of its housing stock designated as affordable.

Both Patch and Greenwich Free Press describe a single building in their reporting on the application documents. Greenwich Time reported on Tuesday, Aug. 18 that the project would include two six-story buildings, a description that conflicts with the application language cited by the other two outlets.

Current zoning in the R-PHD-SU zone caps buildings at four stories and 40 feet. The proposal would double that height to 80 feet and more than double the permitted unit count: 85 units are allowed as-of-right, while 176 are proposed.

The development would contain studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments totaling 216 bedrooms, with roughly 200 parking spaces, about 160 in a two-level garage and 40 on the surface. Thirty percent of the units above the as-of-right threshold would be restricted as affordable under 8-30g's set-aside provisions, according to the applicant's letter to P&Z as reported by Greenwich Free Press.

Tesei and Bedford Realty Associates have not made additional public comments beyond what is stated in the submitted documents. Bedford Realty purchased the property in June 2025 for $20.7 million, described at the time as the largest multifamily transaction in Greenwich since the 2012 sale of Milbank Commons.

The four existing buildings on the 2.7-acre site were built in 1976 and house 66 units. The complex, branded as ARIUM at Greenwich Place as of August 2026, lists one-to-three-bedroom rentals starting at $3,530 per month.

"Six stories? That doesn't make any sense. … That's huge, too much," Lavery, a former Greenwich selectman who works in real estate, told Greenwich Time in its Aug. 18 report. Lavery said she expected the proposal to draw neighborhood opposition and stressed the importance of preserving the character of surrounding neighborhoods.

The application has not yet been placed on a P&Z agenda. The applicant has asked to be scheduled at the earliest opportunity.

Greenwich P&Z has dealt with similar 8-30g proposals before. A multi-story building on Benedict Court with 40% affordable rentals is already under construction, and a second project at 275 and 290 Mason Street was approved in 2024 with conditions. A Superior Court judge upheld those conditions on Monday, Aug. 10, rejecting the developer's appeal.

Separately, First Selectman Fred Camillo called in late July for a pause on state zoning mandates broadly, citing utility capacity concerns. His remarks addressed Connecticut's housing law generally and were not directed at the Western Junior Highway proposal. The town plans to host a public forum in early September with utility representatives to discuss infrastructure concerns.