Greenwich Academy wants to build classrooms, a squash center and faculty housing on 54 acres of former Rockefeller estate land it bought in August 2023 for $18.2 million.
The private all-girls school filed a pre-application with the Greenwich Planning and Zoning Commission to develop the vacant property at 181 Glenville Road, as Greenwich Free Press first reported. The land fronts onto Glenville Road, Pecksland Road and Riversville Road and sits in three residential zones: R-7, RA-1 and RA-2.
The school bought the parcel from Indian Spring Land Limited Partnership for $18,212,375, according to the town assessor's office.
An application narrative signed by land-use attorney Thomas J. Heagney lays out a phased plan. Phase I would include a classroom building for first and second grades serving about 120 students, a squash center, eight units of faculty housing, a play area, parking and an entrance drive off Riversville Road. A central loop driveway would handle circulation.
Phase II would add kindergarten and grades three and four classrooms, bringing total capacity to about 300 students in a K-4 program. Future phases would add athletic facilities, a nature center with an outdoor classroom and more faculty housing.
The main vehicle access would come from Riversville Road. A secondary driveway on Pecksland Road would serve buses, emergency vehicles and faculty housing residents only. No vehicular access is proposed from Glenville Road. Students from the school's North Maple Avenue campus would be bused to the Glenville Road site to use the squash center, according to the application narrative.
Traffic and enrollment history
Traffic has been a flashpoint for Greenwich Academy before. In 2023, the school asked the P&Z Commission to raise its enrollment cap at the North Maple Avenue campus from 730 to 780 students, offering an expanded busing program to offset congestion. Neighbors near the intersection of Maple Avenue, Patterson Avenue and North Maple Avenue told the commission they already struggled to exit their driveways at peak times. They described the sound of tires, engines, brakes and honking as significant.
The commission and neighbors pushed back, requesting more thorough traffic data. The proposed cap increase did not move forward.
A traffic study for the Glenville Road project is underway, based on projected enrollment after Phase II construction.
Wetlands and rezoning
The 54-acre property contains several pockets of wetlands, three with vernal pools. The application narrative states all proposed development would sit at least 100 feet outside wetland boundaries. Greenwich's Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Agency (IWWA) regulates construction within 100 feet of a mapped wetland or watercourse. No IWWA application for this project has been filed as of Oct. 7.
Existing hiking trails on the property would be maintained, with boardwalks added through selected wetland areas. All construction would follow the existing topography and concentrate on the western portion of the site.
The school proposes rezoning a 1-acre portion of the property to RA-2, excluding the section of R-7 zone along Glenville Road. The application narrative's description of the zone change is ambiguous beyond that detail.
What comes next
A pre-application review under Connecticut General Statutes Section 7-159b lets commissioners offer initial feedback before a formal application is filed. No vote is expected.
The pre-application has not yet been scheduled for a P&Z commission meeting. Residents can check the town website for agenda updates.
