08/16/10 Work begins on "hole in the ground"

Work began last week on a West Putnam Avenue site dubbed the "hole in the ground" after a previous proposed development stalled eight years ago.

It's a move Sylvester Pecora welcomes.

"The whole community is happy to know that something is finally starting. It is a blessing," said Pecora, president of the Chickahominy Neighborhood Association.

The approximately 35,000 square foot, two-story project at 644 W. Putnam Ave., is expected to be completed by next summer, according to developer John Fareri, president of Fareri Associates, a Greenwich-based real estate development company.

"I think it will be a great addition to the community," he said.

Fareri said the $15 million project will employ up to 60 construction workers at its peak. He declined to name who the major tenant would be. However, in hearings before the Planning and Zoning Commission it was reported that CVS would be the tenant.

In March the commission granted final approval to the mixed-use office and retail building project.

The project had run into some opposition, particularly from Peter Berg, a Representative Town Meeting member from District 8/Cos Cob. He said the development would hurt the historic village retail centers in places like Byram and Glenville.

The site had been excavated in 1999 for a planned BMW car dealership. However, Competition & Sports Cars Ltd., decided to sell the 1.6-acre plot in 2002 after design, zoning and other issues held up its expansion project.

The site had lain empty since then and was an eyesore to residents, said Pecora.

While Pecora said nothing can replace the forested area that existed prior to the earlier project, he said Fareri's project will be better than leaving the site empty.

It will also be a convenient location for Chickahominy and other western Greenwich residents, he said....

Source:

http://www.greenwichtime.com/default/article/Work-begins-on-hole-in-the-ground-617984.php