Greenwich homeowners and developers must verify utility capacity before seeking town approvals, under a policy set at a Tuesday, Sept. 1 forum at Town Hall.

First Selectman Fred Camillo convened the session with representatives from Connecticut Natural Gas (CNG), Eversource and Aquarion Water Company. A large crowd of residents, officeholders and candidates attended.

The policy formalizes a directive Camillo first issued at the July 31 Board of Selectmen meeting, when he told department heads that "when applications come in, you have to check with the utilities before you grant an application," as reported by the Greenwich Sentinel. Three of Camillo's neighbors had replaced roughly 1,500-square-foot homes with 4,000- to 5,000-square-foot houses before CNG flagged a gas shortfall.

Camillo raised the issue publicly at the July 9 Board of Selectmen meeting, according to the Greenwich Republican Town Committee. In a July 23 civic alert, he called on the state to impose an immediate moratorium on zoning mandates, citing CNG's infrastructure gaps and similar concerns with Aquarion.

The Sept. 1 forum put utility officials on the record about those gaps. CNG's Tom Judge, director of capital projects and engineering, said the Greenwich gas distribution system dates to 1925 and still relies on cast-iron piping in places. CNG has been replacing smaller mains with larger, higher-pressure pipe, but constraints remain at "city gate stations" where gas enters the local network, according to the Sentinel's account of the forum.

No gas moratoriums exist in Connecticut. But Judge said new customers can strain available capacity for existing users, and CNG is working on system redesigns that could be executed in 2028 or 2029. Realtor Cynthia De Riemer asked whether CNG could deny service for oil-to-gas conversions or new construction. Judge said it depends on the load and location, and some applicants may have to wait.

CNG's Giancarlo Romero, senior director of gas operations, said towns are not currently checking with the utility on new applications. He said developers and homeowners need to contact CNG, Eversource or Aquarion directly.

Aquarion's George Logan, director of community relations, said bridge work on North Street had forced a water main shutdown, but a larger main will provide service going forward. Logan said homeowners adding irrigation systems are sharply increasing water demand. Water pressure must stay between 25 and 125 psi, and elevation changes can reduce capacity.

Aquarion has become a public authority, Logan said, with each municipality getting a governor-approved representative. Camillo said Frederick Lee would represent Greenwich.

Eversource asset manager Bruce Peart said large developers must engage the company early. "We need large developers to come to the company before anything," Peart said. "The process can be long."

State Rep. Tina Courpas asked how state affordable housing mandates could be met when backcountry homeowners already pay privately for hookups and cannot afford infrastructure upgrades. State Rep. Stephen Meskers questioned why CNG's modeling lacked a capacity buffer and suggested propane as a short-term alternative.

The forum produced three consensus points: applicants must check utility capacity before beginning any town process; utilities say current customers have adequate service but significant increases require internal review; and the tension between state housing mandates and local utility limits remains unresolved.

The check-with-utilities-first policy is a stated commitment, not yet a codified ordinance or Planning and Zoning rule. No follow-up meeting date was announced.