The Board of Selectmen on Thursday unanimously approved a lease amendment, allowing Neighbor to Neighbor to remain in the city-owned building through June 30.

“Everything is lining up, but it’s taking a little longer than expected,” Margaret Goldberg, executive director of Neighbor to Neighbor, said of work on the nonprofit’s new home on the campus of Christ Church Greenwich.

“We have different threads to complete the installation, whether it’s paving, connecting electricity, getting generators,” Goldberg told Greenwich Time on Thursday. “It’s across the spectrum, and it’s a bit of a press right now. As far as paving goes right now, any asphalt business is basically shut down until mid-April. stop her. “

But only the “final details” remain to be done on the building, she said, and she expects it to be completed by late spring.

Previously, the Board of Selectmen approved a lease extension to March 31 for the downtown site. Neighbor to Neighbour, which has used several different locations since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, moved its operations there last fall.

The lease change must now obtain approvals from the Planning and Zoning Commission and the representative municipal assembly. With selectors’ approval in hand, the nonprofit is due to appear before the P&Z in February and then seek approval from the RTM in March.

The Board of Selectmen usually does a first reading of an issue, then votes on it at the next meeting to allow public comment. But first coach Fred Camillo said he didn’t believe it was necessary in this case.

“We know what you’re doing here and we’ve got your back,” Camillo said of pantry operations.

New facility

Construction of the new 6,363 square foot Neighbor to Neighbor building on the Christ Church campus on East Putnam Avenue began in December 2020.

The non-profit organization previously operated out of the basement of one of the church buildings. The new building will provide better accessibility without stairs; wider aisles, allowing easier restocking; and an enlarged fridge and freezer space as well as additional storage space.

Construction was initially delayed for two years after neighbors of the Putnam Hill and Putnam Park apartment complexes filed a lawsuit challenging the Planning and Zoning Commission’s approval. The neighbors lost the case in state superior court, but their appeal was dismissed.

Demand for neighbor-to-neighbor pantry services increased dramatically when the pandemic hit. To operate safely with social distancing and to meet growing needs, the nonprofit has moved from its basement to the Arch Street Teen Center.

But after about a year, the teen center wanted to reopen with its own programming. Neighbor to Neighbor then moved to North Greenwich Congregational Church in the outback, until moving again to the Horseneck facility last fall.

The downtown building is slated for demolition. It was previously used by the Greenwich Fire Service during the construction of its new Central Station and then during the renovations to Byram Station.

Goldberg said Neighbor to Neighbor has served its customers well since establishment.

“It works so well and so well in Horseneck,” she said. “Location is so critical. It’s so accessible not just for one of our customers, but for us to distribute and receive deliveries.

Currently, Neighbor to Neighbor helps nearly 500 households per week. Goldberg said, “It’s still pretty intense.”

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