Greenwich nursery could close following zoning battle

<p>Sam Bridge Nursery has been an iconic fixture in Greenwich for 87 years. The nursery’s owners say it sells nearly 500,000 plants per year. But a zoning battle has landed the owners at Town Hall after they received a cease-and-desist order from Town of Greenwich Zoning Enforcement.</p>

News 12 Staff

•

Aug 7, 2017, 4:29 PM

•

Updated 2,738 days ago

Thousands are rallying around a Greenwich nursery that may close after a battle with town leaders.

Sam Bridge Nursery has been an iconic fixture in Greenwich for 87 years. The nursery’s owners say it sells nearly 500,000 plants per year.

But a zoning battle has landed the owners at Town Hall after they received a cease-and-desist order from Town of Greenwich Zoning Enforcement.

The order stems from Sam Bridge also running a landscaping business on their grounds, leading a neighbor to complain and the town to disallow such an operation under law.

Greenwich Town Planner Katie DeLuca is working on a solution for Sam Bridge that would expand the definition of a nursery, but she says changing the law could cause issues.

"Then what's to stop, let's say, Home Depot coming and saying, 'Look, we're selling plants and we will also offer landscaping facilities,'" says DeLuca. "What applies to one applies to all."

Sam Bridge customers think that the definition should be changed, and they have shown their support. In just three days, nearly 4,000 people have signed an online petition supporting the change.

As of now, the nursery is appealing the original zoning decision, but the appeal would not be necessary if Greenwich ends up changing the law.