It may be hard to remember. And newcomers have no clue.
But the current look of Riverside Avenue, in the heart of Saugatuck, is less than 15 years old.
The redevelopment was not without controversy.
The block containing DeRosa’s restaurant, Westport Florists, Riverside Barber and Gault was demolished. So too was the building across the street, which housed a salon and restaurant, and a nearby former garage that was Doc’s Café.
Today, this is the block with The Whelk and an ice cream shop.
There have been changes in the past 15 years. The first butcher shop moved across the street; after various iterations, it’s now Saugatuck Provisions, part of Match Burger Lobster.
Saugatuck Sweets is gone. It will be replaced soon by an ice cream shop operated by Kneads Bakery across the street — which itself took over from Garelick & Herbs.
One kayak rental shop has come and gone. Another moved in.
Doc’s Café was a favorite coffee shop.
Westport has welcomed thousands of newcomers since the early 2010s. They have no memory of the “old” Saugatuck — which itself was only the latest incarnation of an area that was the first commercial center of Westport, in the mid-1800s, then became a thriving Italian neighborhood that gave our town so much of its character and history.
More change may come soon to Saugatuck. Meanwhile, this was the scene that Peter Barlow saw — and was surprised by — when he visited the town he grew up in, 14 long (and short) years ago:
Riverside Avenue, under construction in 2010. (Photo/Peter Barlow)
(“06880” chronicles the changes in Westport — in real time, and in this regular Friday feature. Please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
Docs was the best.
The blueberry and strawberry muffins were legendary.
And all the eclectic furniture.
It was Starbucks on steroids❤️
Loved De Rosa’s and Doc’s!
Don’t forget Gault had a waterfront fuel tank that could not comply with updated rules. Without the tank, trucks and Gault offices a critical part of the space became available
And I bet 90% of people agree this is a net positive. A good reminder since any development or change in town, including to mere parking lots, seems to spur hysterics when proposed.
With all due respect to your opinion
some development, or redevelopment,
indeed does makes sense.
As for Shifting 42 spaces from 1 lot to another
further away from Main Street in my mind and
many others does not- especially without input
from the merchants and employees not to
mention
the costs involved when we are facing unprecedented
spending to fix our schools that have been left to
severely and nonsensically deteriorate.
This is not hysteria. It is
common sense.
Over development is something
quite different(as I assume you are referring to The
Hamlet) especially in an area
that simply cannot handle the added
traffic in an already very small and congested area
of town that will severely restrict access
to and from the train as well as hinder
the access and parking to the business’s
already there. It’s not that simple…bigger, taller and
fancier is not always a good thing for every single
development in this town….there are consequences
that rightfully must be raised and seriously considered
by residents and our town Administration and
Boards as well. Rezoning has become the norm
when it should be the exception to protect
neighboring properties.
Thank you Chris, you have stood by the merchants and questioned this crazy anti business policy which makes zero sense. You are appreciated. You might be interested in the next HUGE battle coming up in short order.
In FS speech or possibly it was on the wise men, she speaks about 5 pillars of the downtown redevelopment and one was parking, another is maintenance and if you get a few minutes to spare, here is the dpic link.
https://www.downtownwestportct.com/progress-reports/latest-design-inspration-imperial
There you will see a beautifully illustrated pic of “a new park at imperial lot “ Read the right hand side of the photo, and the expensive design suggestions put on paper all revolving around the 4 hour once a week farmers market, and the remarkable theatre as well as events and fairs etc..
It doesn’t appear the plan is for this to be a utilized parking lot at all yet it is being counted as downtown parking.
Next and something which has never ever once been discussed at any of the meetings merchants have attended, tho it is often at the bottom of the agenda.
The special services district.
This is the real elephant in the room.
I presume of the FS 5 pillars, one which is maintenance comes down to the SSD.
https://www.downtownwestportct.com/special-services-district-planning-ratification
Hit view draft ordinance.
I have studied this to where I feel like I know it in my sleep.
None of the merchants are really aware of it.
Yet the statement makes it sound like it’s been out there for years.
In a nut shell, SSD exist only in large/disadvantaged cities, in fact the rules changed a while back but used to have to be a population of 90,000 people.
It is not in any towns around us. The closest city which has it is Stamford.
What would an SSD look like
https://cga.ct.gov/2011/rpt/2011-R-0325.htm
It is a “special type of taxing district”.
Sorry that link is not going to work.
Search special services districts Connecticut.
It is formed and entirely run by a board of property owners( landlords) as well as 1 merchant (😂) and FS gets a few appointees.
No surprises there.
They run it like a business, hiring a paid staff, hiring their own separate attorney( something the rtm has needed for years)
This board basically runs the downtown, it is its own seperate little kingdom, it pays for the downtowns maintenance and can take out huge loans, acquire property( hmm) and do whatever it wants carte Blanche.
How does it pay for the maintenance of the entire “village district”, likely including green areas and maintenance of parking lots( yes the same parking lots that have not seen a dollar spent on them in decades- ) ?
A “special” tax.
This special tax is paid for by the lessees, in other words merchants.
So the merchants get to pay to maintain the downtown and all the new landscaping maintenance, lighting, flowers, parking lots( all of which should be budgeted out of the tens of millions in property taxes downtown that we already pay for) and the merchants have zero say or ability to object to anything the SSD wishes to do. They can close Main Street will nilly, on a whim.
They are immune from having to follow any town ordinances or charter.
They have freedom to do whatever they please is shocking.
The idea that our FS would even entertain this SSD IS HORRIFIC. Actually I believe it’s a trade. She is giving the landlords this redo in exchange for the SSD.
No idea if they are subject to FOIA but at that point it doesn’t matter. They can do whatever they like.
Let’s take a guess at some of who will sit on that board.
In summary all the renovation the merchants are objecting vehemently to, because it promises to destroy their businesses, the merchants then, under the SSD, have to pay for its upkeep.
It’s a disgraceful anti business proposal.
And watch out Saugatuck businesses cos you know the same proposal is going to be coming your way.
Thank you again Chris for your support.
If you are referring to the parking lot catastrophes being proposed on our town to the utter detriment of all the merchants who “make” the downtown what it is, then , no. It is in those “mere” parking lots that people who frequent the businesses need to park.
So those “mere” parking lots are paramount to having a viable and profitable and lively downtown. Clearly you do not own a business in town.
If you did you would see it very clearly from the merchants side.
We do not need more money spent on frivolous trophy projects which are business destroyers based upon plans hatched 10 years ago in a different time and more deserted town.
We also, none of us except a token few want the hamlet !
Gault “got away” with what they did and we are all stuck with it.
It’s not pretty, but at least it’s not 6 floors tall.
Nevertheless the biggest winner was the Gault family and biggest losers the residents of saugatuck.
And in the case of the hamlet the biggest winners will be the investors, many of whom we all know. And many others we just have yet to prove.
Look at those setbacks…omg im melting
I dream of DeRosa’s chicken rollatini…..
I loved Riverside Barber shop, but adding The Whelk to the dining scene in Fairfield County was worth all the nostalgia.
I spent a lot of Sunday nights eating at the bar at DeRosa’s. Peter in the kitchen and Dave on the floor. How are those guys? Does anyone know send them a hello from me. I loved how Dave could pack that bar until everybody 10 minutes while we waited for our tables. That cheesy garlic bread was worth the wait. Nice people, I miss them!
The opposition to a modest parking structure on the Baldwin lot has always puzzled me. It is the logical answer to the perceived need for additional downtown parking and with the liner buildings on Elm Street it would not even be visible.