Answers to Your Questions
When does construction begin?
Ashforth’s construction team finalized the design and construction drawings with the architect, Beyer Blinder Belle, and construction began on Jan. 8, 2024. Click to view Phasing & Logistics Plan.
When is the completion date?
The anticipated completion date is Fall 2025.
What are the exciting new improvements?
Improvements include the demolition of the existing 16,349 SF theatre building located at the corner of Railroad Avenue and Steamboat Road and, in its place, the construction of a new, mixed-use space with an outdoor plaza and better pedestrian access to the train platform. The space will feature green spaces and outdoor seating for a new restaurant. This new building addition will be set back more than 20 feet from Railroad Avenue, and nearly 30 feet from Steamboat Road. In addition, a new staircase to the train platform will improve pedestrian access and egress. Adjoining the restaurant to the west will be new retail space.
The revitalization also includes the renovation and re-facing of the remaining mixed-use building and both interior and exterior improvements to the train station. All will be renovated to provide new retail storefronts and tenant spaces, connecting the active retail streetscape of Greenwich Avenue to the Greenwich Train Station.
What are the improvement inside the train station?
The use of new materials, upgraded lighting, and modern signage will refresh the station’s exterior façade, giving it a more distinguished presence on Railroad Avenue. Inside the building, at its first-floor entrance, the use of new materials and lighting will give the space a less confined and more open feel. The elevator door will be reoriented, allowing for a small retail opportunity to be added on the station’s second floor. All new flooring throughout and the use of upgraded materials, including glass, will provide a more open and sunlit space.
How will Greenwich Train Station be impacted by construction?
Construction on the station will not begin until the new Steamboat Road staircase (located at the east end) is completed and fully operational. Renovation of the station is scheduled to start in May 2025, with an anticipated completion date in November 2025. During this time, the station building will be closed with no access to the interior. However, access to the platform will remain available at all times, both before and during this construction. Stairs at both Steamboat Road and Arch Street will remain accessible, and ADA accessibility to the NYC-bound platform can be gained using the elevators at the pedestrian bridge directly across from the Greenwich Plaza office complex. Click to view Parking & Pedestrian Access Plan.
How will traffic be impacted during construction?
There will be typical traffic delays associated with construction and we will do our best to keep these at a minimum. We will keep our tenants and the Greenwich community informed throughout the project. Click to view Parking & Pedestrian Access Plan.
How will parking be impacted during construction?
Some of the metered parking spaces along the south side of Railroad Avenue have been deactivated following the Town’s established procedures and associated costs. We have temporarily relocated 12 public-use parking spaces, 2 of which are ADA spaces to the west side parking lot at the intersection of Railroad Avenue and Arch Street. Click to view Parking & Pedestrian Access Plan.
How will the stairs from the street to the train station platform be impacted?
The Steamboat Road staircase to the train station platform on the east end (access to the Inbound-To New York platform) will be closed beginning April 29, 2024 until April 2025. The train station and Arch Street staircase (at the west end) will remain open. Work on the station will not commence until the new Steamboat Road staircase (at the east end) is constructed and operational. At all times, there will always be access to the train station platform. Click to view Parking & Pedestrian Access Plan.
How will sidewalks be impacted?
All sidewalks and roads beyond the current fenced area will remain accessible. Click to view Parking & Pedestrian Access Plan.
Who is the Design and Construction Team?
Developer: The Ashforth Company
Architect: Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners LLP
MEP/FP Engineer: AKF Group LLC
Structural Engineer: DeSimone Consulting Engineers
Land Surveyor/Civil Engineer: Redniss & Mead
Landscape Architect: Eric Rains Landscape Architecture, LLC
Construction Manager: A.P. Construction, a division of The Ashforth Company
Lighting Consultant: Lightcraft
Is the site ADA-compliant?
The site’s existing ADA-compliant access routes from the street to the train platform remain unchanged. The existing elevator equipment will be fully replaced and the path from the elevator to the train platform will be more direct and more visible through the removal of the obsolete ConnDot/Metro-North ticketing and service areas.
What retail is planned?
The existing building footprint will remain a mix of commercial spaces. Aside from Citibank and Signature Cycle, which are expected to remain in their existing locations, retail uses for the remaining building area will be leased. This area also could include office opportunities.
What are the influences of the new train station architecture?
The current design for the train station involves a recladding of the existing station building structure. The design and the materials selected for the station were carefully considered to enhance the building’s civic status and to reference other historic buildings in the Greenwich downtown area, such as the original Town Hall (current Senior Center) and the former Post Office (now Restoration Hardware). The station façade is framed by limestone-clad piers, which express permanence and solidity, and provide an enclosure for the station activity within. A gray granite base breaks down the height of the piers and provides both termination and transition of the limestone cladding to the sidewalk. The design of the station façade, including its scale and symmetry, its overall height and width, and the proportions of the curtainwall window framing, have been directly influenced by the same Beaux-Arts principles and attention to detail as the historic buildings on Greenwich Avenue.
What will change and improve with the parking lot near Arch Street?
The existing 36-space surface parking lot will remain, as well as 30 parking spaces provided along Railroad Avenue. Bike parking will be added to the parking lot. The large walls associated with this parking lot are structurally connected to and a part of a retaining wall that supports the Metro-North and cannot be removed. To update the area as best as possible the large walls will be painted to match the building’s new façade and ivy will be added to help soften the walls. A small, landscaped area will also be added to the parking lot, increasing the green space in this area.
The existing landscaped area along Arch Street will be improved with new plantings and a bike rack will be installed at the foot of the pedestrian staircase along Arch Street to promote environmentally friendly transportation to and from the station. The parking lot itself will also be slightly improved by installing a new landscaped area at the entrance.
What are the landscaping enhancements?
The landscaping of this project includes a mix of native and ornamental evergreen and deciduous trees and shrubs to provide shade and a general enhancement of the property and streetscape.
The far western side of the site, along Arch Street, will be re-planted to provide an attractive landscape buffer along the street. New sidewalks and street trees are also proposed along Railroad Avenue. Silvacell technology will be used to ensure new street trees can be well established and remain healthy in the coming years.
A “green screen” will be added to the space located between the building’s south façade and the raised train platforms which will provide seasonal interest that does not exist today.
Is there space for bikes?
A new bike parking shelter at the street level along Arch Street and additional bike parking will be provided in the small parking lot on Railroad Avenue and in front of the train station.
When did the Greenwich Planning & Zoning Commission approve this project?
P&Z approved the project in April 2023. The full application documents can be viewed by the public at the Greenwich Planning and Zoning Department or on the P&Z website.