It's been 3 weeks since I started this petition, and 2 weeks since my second hip replacement surgery. In this short amount of time, I have realized how similar getting a hip replaced is to working with local town government processes, and farming... These are slow, painful systems, that most often take far more time than they appear to going into them. No matter how many simple forms and emails we have online, there are delays in our government processes. We have a brand new elevator at the Town of Greenwich MTA train station that was ready to use on May 31, 2026, but still has not been approved by the State of Connecticut. That requires someone in Hartford from OSBI (Office of State Board of Inspection) to come out and ok the elevator for public use. The elevator is for everyone to use who rides the train, but it's technically owned by Ashford Inc., the company that manages 2 Railroad Ave. They have to set up the inspection and make sure it gets done, so people with strollers, suitcases and heavy packages, babies, bikes, crutches, canes, wheelchairs, etc... Can get from Railroad Ave. up or down two flights of stairs to the Train Station platform going towards New York City. Why does it take a month or more to get a working elevator approved in Greenwich, CT? I contacted MTA, Greenwich Board of Selectmen, and Ashford and sent them all the correct online form to fill out to request the inspection, the emails to send it to, and the phone numbers of the inspector to follow up with a phone call to make sure their form is received and demand urgency as we have workers, customers and businesses on Greenwich Ave. with people who have needed this elevator for more than a year. It is an accessibility issue, yet our approval processes that involve government approvals are slow as molasses.
Which brings me back to the OG Farmers Market, its long-time organizer, Dana Evans Lee and Amy Burke, and the many complex issues with getting anything approved legally in our towns. Old Greenwich, Connecticut is a small town about 20 minutes by car from Greenwich, CT where the Saturday Farmers' Market is currently running in a parking lot, just a block South of the Greenwich MTA Train Station. When there is traffic, it can take 30 minutes or more to get to Greenwich from parts of OG by car. In the last five years since my first hip replacement surgery, I have chosen to ride my bike as much as possible for accessibility, my health, financial reasons, and the environment. I wanted to be more like the Dutch, and embrace what I love most; the great outdoors, trees, the oceans and actually seeing what's in the places I travel rather than speeding past them with fossil fuels. During that time, I was able to raise money for the priceless work of The OceanCleanup.com and I still have a fundraiser up and running here. Cutting our carbon footprint is still a good thing, even if our current administration has made it harder to do so. Government processes and getting a hip replacement often feel like "one step forward, two steps back". One day, you feel you have made great progress and are moving forward, but the next day, a painful roadblock or new pain emerges, causing you to need another person to get approval, or for the healing hip, new exercises, but also more pain medication and more rest.
So, where are we now that I have worked on a petition for 3 weeks, in hopes that our historic town of Old Greenwich could find a new home for the market locally? As you can see from our many updates, it's complicated to find the perfect location and getting approval for a large scale, ongoing event often takes several months. There is no instant way to switch to a new venue, other than possibly a private donor making a huge donation to a church, or our Parks and Recreation Department truly stepping up to help us, or some other Town fund that would magically fix this. The systems are slow, but I am going to share some information I learned that can help OG in the future.
1. Approvals go through Planning and Zoning where there is an online form for Events which require Tents. If the event is 14 days ongoing, it can be approved by Staff. If the event is longer than 14 days, it must be approved by Commission at Planning and Zoning. They have a bi-weekly meetings of the commission where the issue is decided on. Longer events take longer to get approved.
Here is the link to the Town of Greenwich Permit Form:
https://www.greenwichct.gov/DocumentCenter/View/29523/PZ-Special-Events-and-Tents-2022
2. Potential ways to bypass the Planning and Zoning requirements are hosting an event on a private property with out tents, or having boxes of organic food delivered to a church that are purchased online prior by CSA, prior to picking the items up at the Church. This makes the process not "an event", but just a distribution location on a church property. There should be no fees charged by our Town for a Farm CSA drop off. It hurts me that our Town systems make it so hard for us to make things work for our CT Farmers.
I feel the pain in this process, just as I wonder why it hurts my new hip so much when I sneeze? Well, sneezing forces a burst of pressure through the abdomen, which transfers directly to your pelvis and the newly operated joint. Yes, it is mostly true that there is no gain with out pain, in both progress towards finding a new home for our Farmer's Market in Old Greenwich, government systems, and healing from major surgery.
We lost something very Special to us, and this is currently painful.
The Old Greenwich Farmer's Market was at a really special location for 15 years. We should be grateful the Living Hope Church hosted us for as long as they did without expensive permits and insurance fees. Once the Town intervenes and requires permits and insurance for a "for profit" event (vs a non-profit event) with many tents and parking issues, it does become more expensive and more complicated. In this slow process, we lost Riverbank Farm, our long-standing, only Organic Farm at the market. They are still at the Greenwich Farmer's Market, Saturdays, from 9-1, but that is a train ride or a 20 minute car trip away for everyone in Old Greenwich. Old Greenwich is closer to Stamford, CT, but Stamford Farmer's Markets are also all only accessible for families by car. What we lost wasn't just a Farmer's Market, but a Summer and Fall traditional place for all ages to gather. Parents could teach kids about shopping, different vegetables, colors, let them try new foods, popsicles while hearing local music. Kids could see local faces of all ages, and learn to communicate with different people. There was a playground with grass and trees nearby. The church had a booth to hear your concerns and "Say a Prayer for Healing". Many people walked and biked to the market and saw it as an enjoyable part of their day. A treat. Something special that we don't have all the time.
Dana has worked to move to St. Catherine's Church in Riverside, CT, one town away, not because she really wanted it there, but because it was the only option that was able to work in time for the Summer opening. For those who actually like to bike and have moderate athletic ability, it is possible to bike up the hills to Riverside, and is an actual workout, but most people will not do this. The train is an option for bikes, but also involves a hill to get up to the OG train station. Taking the train one stop over to Riverside, and then biking or walking to the new location of the Farmer's Market for 2026 is an option for those who don't want to drive.
As a community, I believe we need a way to find a better solution that all of us want for the future, and I hope there will be continued community interest and commitment to making this happen for 2027. I personally prefer the idea of having it "in town" or at the OG School or Village end of Binney Park, near the children's playground area (which is as close as possible to the location it used to be) over the Civic Center location, as many parents have stated that it is too far and not easy to walk or bike to the Civic Center. Yet, there are local backroad routes which make that trip easily bikeable and safely walkable for kids and strollers on sidewalks. Caution of driveways and cars entering the roads always need to be taken when biking on the sidewalk. True infrastructure for cycling and bike lanes for kids and families would be the greatest gift to this town.
If you are an avid Organic Food lover and want to continue to support Riverbank Farm, here are some ways to continue doing so:
1.
Saturday Market:
Greenwich Farmers' Market 9-1 (Near the Greenwich train station)
Bikes are allowed on the train. Look for the Accessible train cars which have more space for bikes.
2.
Wednesday Market:
Darien Farmer's Market at Old KINGS MARKET, Old Kings Highway 10-4; June 10th - Thanksgiving. (train to Darien- Bikes ok on the train)
3.
Thursday Market:
Wesport Farmer's Market on Thursdays (Train to Westport- Bikes ok on train) at the Imperial Ave. parking lot, 10-2 May 7th-November 9th. Winter Market is at Gilberti's Wesport.
4.
Tuesday CSA Box Pickup: Greenwich CSA Veggie Box Pickup Only
Foodshed CSA pick-up days will be Tuesdays from 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (Noon)
606 Riversville Road, Greenwich
Purchase online a CSA Veggie Box for $25 or 50. a week (two different sizes) and Pickup in Greenwich
https://thefoodshednetwork.org/foodshed-csa-q-and-a
5. Watch a Video about Riverbank Farm, here.
WANT TO HELP RELOCATE THE MARKET IN 2027?
If you want to help out for 2027, in relocating the market to Old Greenwich and finding a space that safe, fun and accessible by all in our community, please contact the following people:
OG Organizer, Dana Evans Lee
email: danalynnelee@gmail.com
Patrick LaRow, Greenwich Planning and Zoning
email: Patrick.larow@greenwichct.gov
Greenwich Parks and Recreation
email: gnpnr@greenwichct.org
Thank you!
-Colleen M. Proppé, OG Mom & Organic Food Advocate
CPROPPE.com/shop