A fire-damaged building at 21 Northfield St. could be demolished and replaced with two all-residential buildings. The property owner, 21 North LLC, filed a pre-application with the Greenwich Planning & Zoning Commission (P&Z) proposing the change.

The plan would remove commercial use from the site entirely. Attorney John Tesei, representing the owner, wrote in the filing that the proposal calls for a new three-family building and a new two-family building, preserving the site's five existing dwelling units.

"The condition of the existing building coupled with the fire damage has made its restoration unfeasible," Tesei wrote in the submitted documents, as first reported by Patch.

The property sits on a 14,668-square-foot lot. The current building is roughly 10,000 square feet, with about 6,700 square feet of retail and support space on the first floor and 3,300 square feet of residential space on the second floor, according to Tesei.

The fire

Firefighters responded to 21 Northfield St. shortly after 3 a.m. on Jan. 30, 2025, after a fire alarm sounded and a 911 call reported smoke in one of the apartments. Crews declared a working fire and brought it under control about two hours later, Greenwich Fire Department Assistant Chief Charles Lubowicki told Patch at the time. Three people were displaced. No injuries were reported.

The Greenwich Fire Marshal's Office was investigating the cause of the blaze as of January 2025. No update on the cause has appeared in public records as of publication.

Lubowicki described the building at the time as having a vacant business on the ground floor with two apartments above. The pre-application documents describe five residential units on the second floor. The reason for the discrepancy is unclear.

What the plan would change

The site has multiple zoning nonconformities, including front yard, side yard, green area, floor area, parking, dwelling unit density and commercial use, according to the filing listed on the town's pending applications page.

Tesei wrote that removing the commercial use would make the property "substantially more conforming" with the surrounding neighborhood. The new development is expected to meet all yard setbacks except the front yard, which would be improved over current conditions. Floor area and green area would remain nonconforming but would not increase and may slightly improve.

The driveway, which does not meet town engineering standards, would be "substantially improved." The plan includes 38 parking spaces.

What's next

The pre-application is expected to go before the P&Z Commission in coming weeks, according to the Patch report. No hearing date had been scheduled as of Oct. 20.

A pre-application review lets commissioners offer initial feedback before a formal application is filed. Residents can track the application, listed as PLPZ202600405, on the town's pending applications page.