The Riverside Tide: An Awesome Community Newsletter Just Launched
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
It's official: The Riverside Tide, a brand-new newsletter produced by the Riverside Association, has officially launched! The Summer edition is out, and it is packed with crucial updates on what's happening around the neighborhood.
Here is a quick look at the top stories making waves in Riverside right now.
St. Paul's Subdivision: Preserving Open Space
St. Paul's Episcopal Church is currently subdividing its 8.65-acre campus with plans to sell two lots. In a great effort for local conservation, the Riverside Association and the Greenwich Land Trust are hoping to purchase those lots to preserve them as permanent open space.
Riverside School Renovation Timeline
The Riverside School Building Committee is actively overseeing the upcoming renovation and expansion of Riverside School. The team is currently in the process of selecting an architect, with construction officially expected to begin in Q2 2028.
I-95 Exit 5 Improvements Under Study
The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) is studying traffic congestion, safety, and pedestrian access around Exit 5.
Concepts being explored: Roundabouts, additional turn lanes, ramp reconfigurations and potential highway "capping options.
Local concerns: Neighboring residents have raised questions regarding traffic spillover into the Riverside and Sound Beach neighborhoods, pedestrian and school route safety, noise levels, and potential impacts on local trees and properties.
Sidewalk on Summit Survey
Following the massive success of the "Sidewalks on Shore" initiative in Old Greenwich, Riverside is hoping to bring the same pedestrian-friendly connectivity to the neighborhood. The goal is to connect the Riverside train station to Old Greenwich by way of Summit Road. You can take the community survey here.
The Riverside Tide's History Lesson
Before it was the Riverside we know today, this area was called Mianus Neck—a quiet, tight-knit farming and fishing community where Riverside Avenue was known simply as the Potato Road.
Everything changed in 1869 when real estate developer Jeremiah Atwater and attorney Luke Vincent Lockwood swooped in. They renamed the area, built a dedicated train station, and marketed the neighborhood to New Yorkers looking for a beautiful summer escape.
The bet paid off. Today, Riverside proudly boasts two sites on the National Register of Historic Places:
The Riverside Avenue Bridge (1894): Connecticut's only surviving cast-iron bridge.
The Samuel Ferris House (c. 1760): A historic colonial farmhouse located at 1 Cary Road, originally owned by some of Riverside's earliest settlers.
Between the Lines: Shall we take a stroll down Potato Road into Mianus Neck across the case-iron Riverside Avenue Bridge to visit the old Samuel Ferris House? You can sign up for the newsletter here.