Old Greenwich Farmers Market uprooted by zoning board

If you were looking to find a local farmer's market in Greenwich you once had two choices. One was the Greenwich Farmer's Market on Arch Street & Horseneck Lane operating on Saturdays in a parking lot near the main Greenwich train station. The other was the popular Old Greenwich Farmer's Market operating on Wednesdays at 38 West End Ave at the Living Hope Church, but that one may be closing. Why?

Last week Greenwich Planning & Zoning (P&Z) approved an application by the Living Hope Community Church. P&Z approved the request to demolish a garage and construct two new dwellings on the church property (a single family house for the pastor and a 3-car garage with 2-bedroom apartment above for the associate pastor), in addition to the existing house built in 1900.

However, the request to expand the church parking lot from 74 spaces to 96 was denied. Neighbors testified against this project and the lot expansion due to concerns about flooding, the need for added parking and commercial activity on the property.

As with other recent church applications, the question of commercial ventures using tax exempt church properties came up. After P&Z chair Margarita Alban questioned whether the church had administrative sign-off for the seasonal farmers market, the church offered to withdraw permission to the farmers market to operate in their parking lot.

The motion noted that the Wednesday farmers market had never been approved despite running for many years. The church withdrew their request for special event approval for both the Farmers Market and Music Together of Fairfield, The church will no longer allow their use of the property.

Between the Lines: Of parking lots and produce crops. This will be missed.

Story here