The long debate over downtown parking continues.
On Monday, the Representative Town Meeting’s Transit Committee voted 7-2 against recommending that the full RTM spend $630,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to redesign Jesup Green, and the nearby Imperial Avenue parking lot.
A week earlier the Planning & Zoning Commission put off their own vote on a plan for those 2 sites, plus Parker Harding Plaza. The P&Z discussion will continue at next Monday’s meeting (April 8, 7 p.m., Zoom).
Meanwhile, the Flood & Erosion Control Board and the Conservation Commission have both approved the Jesup Green redesign.
As downtown parking remain stalled, 2 residents offer differing views of the plans.
Downtown Plan Implementation Committee (DPIC) chair Randy Herbertson writes:
Downtown Westport master planning has been underway for more than 30 years — with consistent objectives, countless hours and investment, but little execution.
Here is a deck with pertinent excerpts.
Formed after the 2015 Master Plan exercise, DPIC was created to support town efforts to bring plans finally to fruition, after failed attempts in the 2 previous master planning exercises.
This screenshot from the Downtown Plan Implementation Committee shows the Parker Harding lot and Saugatuck River.
When I took over as chair of DPIC in 2021, I was tasked with bringing a number of our bigger project visions to life. Springboarding from the 2015 plan, we summarized the vision into 5 key pillars articulated on the website we re-vamped and launched at that time.
As identified, a careful balance must be struck between maintaining the right level of safe, accessible and up-to-code parking with green space for pedestrians, river views, and flood resiliency.
Our decrepit lots have been in need of updating for decades. Our residents (especially those who don’t attend town meetings) have consistently told us they desire better access to our unique downtown riverfront.
But we can’t invent land to perfectly serve the divergent needs of all, including the merchants who want close employee parking, exclusive loading zones and no loss of spaces for customers, as well as the many who provide opinions that are not founded on the expertise we hire professionals to give us.
Our overall master plan does not call for the loss of any parking inventory, and future prospects of a relocated Police Department and possibly a parking deck (if warranted somewhere once we assess the impact of timed parking areas and new lot configurations) will provide even more.
Currently, we just want to complete our “commerce sub-district” with Parker Harding plans, which are now complete.
Due to the heavy pushback on short-term parking inventory loss, the Department of Public Works developed a solution in the only close-in area possible: the top of Jesup. This development area has been in the master plan schematic since April of last year, and was shown in public forums and on the website.
The Jesup Green redesign plan.
The current proposed DPW plan calls for 3 phases — the first 2 to be completed with the Parker Harding work.
When done with just these 2 phases, we will have net zero loss in parking and more green space on Jesup than today, all closer to the river. It will also provide more Americans with Disabilities Act-accessible and clustered parking to serve the many library and Levitt events, which was part of the objective on this “culture sub-district” side.
This said, we had ideally hoped to assess this further with holistic planning and public feedback devoted to Jesup and Imperial (funding for which was not approved this week by the RTM Transit Committee, although it still goes to full vote next week.) However, if the cost of progress is moving in phases, we may have to do so.
The whole downtown process marks a new low in delays, many of which are quizzically politically driven and divided.
It’s been 30 years. Isn’t it time to provide a downtown experience that will support real estate values and serve all our residents?
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Toni Simonetti has lived in Westport for nearly 24 years. A retired corporate communications executive and former journalist, she has become “passionately interested in good municipal governance, as the town works through a number of high-stakes projects.”
She writes:
After reviewing the most recent to-and-fro on the town’s uncertain plans to address downtown parking, I am compelled to voice my strong objection to proposed plans for the Jesup Green and adjacent parking areas, and further to express my concern once again for a less-than-transparent process.
I strongly oppose the Jesup plan for the following reason: It will pave over 1/3 of the green space known as Jesup Green. That is a travesty. The town’s Plan of Conservation and Development puts a priority on green space. We are losing green space in Westport at an alarming rate.
I am aware of the counterargument that Phase 2 and Phase 3 will restore the green space lost. However, that is a pipe dream contingent on Westport getting $400 million in capital projects approved (so that the police station is moved out of the Jesup area). There is no guarantee Phase 2 or 3 will ever see the light of day, be approved, or be funded.
Until there is a concrete plan that includes the immediate replacement of green space, the Jesup plan should be rejected.
Second, to pre-empt the expected protestations about lack of transparency claims: The public was not made fully aware of the Jesup Green parking plan until mid-March, when a schematic was first made public for a Planning & Zoning Commission 8-24 hearing.
Trees at the top of Jesup Green. (Photo/Jennifer Johnson)
Here is the tick-tock:
In October 2023, the P&Z expressed reservations about Parker Harding parking plans, citing among other things a lack of a holistic plan for downtown parking in general, and at Jesup and Imperial lots.
On January 12, 2024 — unbeknownst to the public — 2 town agencies acted in accord to write up appropriations requests for studies:
- Fire/Emergency Medical Service to study proposals for a new joint headquarters with the Police Department and
- Public Works design appropriation to pave 1/3 of Jesup Green into 44 parking spots, and modify parking spaces at the Imperial lot.
On January 17, the public got its first cryptic glimpse that the town would pave over 1/3 of Jesup Green when the chair of the Board of Finance issued its agenda for its Feb. 7 meeting, with items #8 and #9 as follows:
Upon the request of the Fire Department Deputy Chief, to approve an appropriation of $110,000 from the Capital and Non-Recurring Fund Account 31502220-500188 for work to update and merge FD conceptual plans to include PD and EMS in a new concept analysis for a Joint Public Safety Facility.
Upon the request of the Director of Public Works, to approve an appropriation of $630,000 from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Fund 51003310-500189-13012 for design and permitting of the redevelopment of Jesup Green and the Imperial Lot.
On February 7, both agenda items were withdrawn from the Board of Finance meeting. It seems the items were a surprise to more than just myself.
On February 8, the Downtown Plan Implementation Committee, the hardworking appointed body charged with all things downtown, held an in-person-only meeting at 8:30 a.m., which I attended and at which no detailed information was given on the Jesup Green plan other than additional parking was being considered.
Members of the public, and even a member of the DPIC who is also on the RTM, expressed surprise by the sudden appropriation requests that appeared out of nowhere. We all had a lot of questions. The answers pointed to one person who was not there: the first selectwoman.
On March 6, the BOF reviewed these items and approved the appropriations. There was no specific detail or schematic posted or presented in the BOF meeting packet on where the additional parking would go. A specific plan was not shared, though some questions were answered verbally,
The Jesup schematic plan was drawn Feb. 15, but was not made public until posted in mid-March as part of Planning and Zoning’s March 24 meeting process.
On March 14, DPIC again held an in-person-only meeting, which I was not able to attend. There is no specific Jesup Green parking plan posted in conjunction with the meeting.
On March 24, the P&Z heard 8-24 requests for Jesup Green and Parker Harding. Though much has been publicized on Parker Harding Plaza, this was the first real look at what was planned for Jesup Green.
Redesign plan for Parker Harding Plaza. The Saugatuck River is at the bottom; backs of Main Street stores are at the top.
I believe once the public comprehends the paving plan for Jesup Green, they will be outraged. The P&Z did the right thing by continuing the matter to April 8 – at which time I suggest they issue a negative 8-24 report.
I live on Evergreen Parkway in RTM District 9, in what I consider a downtown neighborhood. I love the location of my home because I can – and do — walk downtown to shop, dine and recreate.
There is much ado about parking, but it’s not a problem for us (though I empathize with downtown merchants and support their stance).
This is a walkable town and one big reason why I choose to live here. I walk my dog Max nearly every day past Town Hall, along Main Street, through Parker Harding Plaza and along the river, then across the Post Road down the Riverwalk around the Library and Levitt Pavilion over to the Imperial lot and up Imperial, back over to my neighborhood. Sometimes Max detours us over to the Winslow dog park on our way home.
My Westport is a walkable Westport. Please preserve our green space.
(“06880” regularly offers a forum for residents to express their views. Please click here to support your hyper-local blog. Thank you!)
The DPIC chair is given a unique opportunity to illuminate his group’s vision. Instead he uses it to moan and groan because those annoying residents “who attend town meetings” have the nerve to pay attention. DPIC has made a pig’s breakfast of this process and is very plainly out of its depth.
By the way, the police station is unlikely to go anywhere. There’s no place for it to go and we’re facing a conga line of other capital projects.
I agree with Toni’s stance. Once again, things are hidden from Westport residents till the very late in the game. As she stated “Members of the public, and even a member of the DPIC who is also on the RTM, expressed surprise by the sudden appropriation requests that appeared out of nowhere. We all had a lot of questions. The answers pointed to one person who was not there: the first selectwoman.” This is a repeating pattern in town. The first selectwoman and all elected officials serve at the will of the people. Still waiting for transparency…
Don’t complain about flooding when we keep getting rid of green space, cutting down trees and adding more concrete.
DPIC writes it’s own epitaph with the the kind of hollow logic and excuse making expressed in the first opinion piece! The DPIC has now a history that is bemoaned by the opinion member who complains that it has taken 30 years to realize, analyse , and identify there is a parking problem downtown and now set to approve a deficient unpopular problem solving plan! The Department of Public Works developed the new parking plans ?
Baloney, Public Works has just passed the studying, planning and designing of as usual for most major public works projects to Consultant firms. These consultants produced and packaged what many find was a quick shallow and inadequate plan for Parker Harding parking and when the downtown merchants, restaurants, towns people finally were shown the so called special plan they came back with immediate disdain for the plan! The Town almost put this plan in affect until so many places decried the plan and very quickly made it obvious it would end up creating more problems and issues than it solved. This happened because the EXPENSIVE, INEFFECTIVE CONSULTANT efforts and Public Works apparently did not properly canvas the needs and problems with existing shortcomings and complete parking solutions that the Downtown businesses and patrons really want and need. Now the poor fix for the problem was to sacrifice special green open space at Jessop Green and riverside space to as Joni Mitchell decried “Pave paradise, put up a parking lot” Now Public Works needs another $630,000 to design and plan only a new parking area to supplant and cover the poor design and planning for the Parking Harding parking areas. The finish state of solutions are left to groups of Town officials, their committees, boards, volunteer groups and oversight officials who are now crying that they have not been given enough time, control, support and latitude to fund, start and complete two major cost public works projects that will be dead on arrival! Who helped this problem , a group of ineffective officials, consultants and town groups who are now crying foul as represented in the first opinion piece. Those who have created this problem need to wear a lot of blame and fix the issue properly. JMHO
Randy is correct, for 30 years the addition of green space and more walkability of the downtown has been seriously pondered.
The reason it has yet to happen is because the lack of parking has been for all those years at critical levels. And no administration has bothered to fix it including this one.
I am a resident and a merchant.
My business partner and I invested 3.2 million in a renovation of tavern on main, and though some people I am sure do not think we did it justice, we really tried to.
We kept the facade exactly the same, we kept the dining room layout, fireplaces, floors, old beams. We tried to fix it in a sympathetic way and bring it into ADA compliance. We installed an extended deck in order to be able to install an elevator, which is used multiple times a day by guests who otherwise would not be able to use our staircase.
We have an ADA up to code parking space right beside that elevator, as we should.
I loved tavern on main and regularly ate there over the last 20 years.
I was sad to hear it was going to close, it was my good friend Sal liccione( who knows everything that is happening in town) suggested we should look at it, and I will say that although the rest is history, I will be forever grateful to Helen and Jimmy who owned it for so many years, for their friendship and advice and graciousness in the face of I’m sure their literal hearts breaking that it was time to say goodbye to a business they loved, heavily invested in, and to residents they knew for 15 years. They even allowed us to put their popular “tavern salad” on our menu.
We are friends and they will always be our guests as long as they wish to make the drive down here.
What I am getting at here is we are just one example of the many many businesses and business owners who have poured their savings into their businesses and put their faith in Westport.
I’m not going to start to name them because it’s virtually everyone.
Some are residents. Some are not.
I do not see the difference.
We pay all the downtown commercial property taxes, and we all rely on and thank the Westports residents for their support. We do not take for granted that without the support of local residents we would not be here. That is a fact. We serve our community.
We support local charities, we support local events, we are part of and proud to be part of Westport. We really try and do the right thing.
We employ many local westporters.
We are the face of the downtown. All of us merchants.
And yes it would be amazing to have more green space. I do not think anybody would argue with that, but I live on .3 of an acre and it would be amazing to build a pool and a pool house but I cannot.
I believe that when a solution is found which wins approval from the P&Z and the BOF, and the RTM, and it adds maneuverable and sensible parking, then there will be a time to add green space.
In the meantime there’s not a merchant in town who asked to destroy our beautiful and deeded jesup green in order to put parking.
Not a single merchant.
The plan for all the parking lots is to perpendicular use them.
This squeezes( literally ) more spots into the lot.
I have yet to read a parking concept plan in favour of this other than for all day or overnight parking.
For frequent turnover angled parking is SAFER. BETTER, and FAVOURED, I guess everywhere in the world except in Westport
https://trashcansunlimited.com/blog/how-to-lay-out-a-parking-lot-based-on-dimensions/#:~:text=As%20an%20example%2C%20a%20lot,should%20accommodate%20about%2030%20vehicles
Parking stall angles and dimensions. That’s the one to read.
There are some basic parking needs in a town full of businesses- retail businesses.
Parking for customers, including customers who would like to eat and shop in many places and possibly bring home a sandwich, coffee or soup on the way, or pick up for their kids on the way to say pick them up from school.
Parking for staff- nobody said staff should have the prime spots in town.
Nobody who owns or works in a downtown business is stupid enough to think that hogging the best parking spots is smart.
What we have said is that -in order to run a business, we have staff, and in order to open the doors of those businesses we require parking for our staff.
We have on many occasions told DPIC that if they would like to include staff parking or overflow parking at the imperial lot, then provide a shuttle bus ( as was provided in 1987- the shopper schlepper, it was named)
https://www.nytimes.com/1987/11/22/nyregion/westports-boom-strains-parking.html
34 years ago.
Let’s look at lost parking – parking which has been removed:
Baldwin/elm:
35 spots plus 6 ( recently tagged by a landlord for his tenants)
That is 41 casualties.
Church lane
22 parking spots lost there x7 months of the year at the behest of the FSW herself.
Everyone is conveniently forgetting to start with this deficit.
63 parking spots lost before ( phase (1) )
Next on the list is loading zones which Randy refers to as if the merchants have the balls to ask for loading zones which were there, are there, are a requirement of doing business, and are actually law on main streets.
I’m so much as a human needs water to survive, a downtown needs loading zones..
it keeps trucks out of your- the peoples parking or exiting way.
This is not cheeky ! It is custom and practice.
Are we trying to ask merchants to close down ? Or have inventory ?
I’d seriously like to know where max crowley who has lied on multiple occasions and claimed that he talked to merchants who loved this whole plan.( .because he did not speak to us, and we are the biggest business on Main Street. )
We must be able to receive deliveries, often taking 30 minutes. We require the same or better loading zones that are there now.
So now if we add loading zones back into the equation the loss of parking is 20 more spots so it is 60.
That’s now
63+60
123 lost spots.
Was anybody curious that the cut through road was reinstated, at residents demand ?
The proposed green space stayed the same and the doc gained 2 spots.
How is that possible ?
They shrank almost 60 of the parking spots to do it.
So now instead of 30 small car spots on the plan before the cut through got reinstated, it is now 90.
90 small car spots.
90 small car perpendicular spots to be exact.
We don’t drive small cars in Westport.
The FSW unless she owns multiple cars drives an enormous Silverado pick up truck !
It is the size of a small airplane.
It is not fitting in a small car spot. Nor is the second selectwomans Range Rover.
My point is these small car spots do not fit the cars the majority of us drive
In conclusion,
We must be shown a true accounting of where the town doing a literal headcount would like staff to park.
( not a number Randy pulls out of his 🍑!
My last count is 1200, his is 550)
He is not even within a snowballs reach of the real number, in fact he never asked me how many staff I have. So where did he pull that number out of ?
It is not feasible for staff to receive parking tickets because the FSW arbitrarily made every spot bar a few 3 hour.
A vindictive and vengeful move.
We have anything from 800-1200 staff cars. Show us where they can park.
Imperial
150
Town hall
50( after town hall staff are parked)
Baldwin
100 all day- also for residents getting a hair cut, eating lunch and shopping
So that is 300 spots for 800-1200 staff…
Look I rest my case.
Parking needs to be worked out with REAL NUMBERS..
it needs to be created first
Not in green space like jesup green
We need a shuttle bus from imperial, and we need to figure out what happens on Thursdays to the farmers market. Where do they go when as DPIC suggests 150 staff park there.
If we want green space this all has to be figured out first.
Oh and a $500 reward, for whoever finds the jesup green deed !
You guessed it, it has mysteriously vanished.. quel surprise !