Following Monday’s Planning & Zoning Commission vote approving plans to redesign the Parker Harding and Jesup Green parking lots, longtime Westport resident and civic volunteer Lawrence Weisman has launched a petition.
Its goal is to for Representative Town Meeting moderator Jeff Wieser to place on the agenda “the matter of how best to supplement and improve downtown parking.”
The Change.org petition says:
Westport is a vibrant town which owes great deal to its downtown and its merchants for whom adequate, convenient parking is a priority. The scheme which is making its way through the approvals process, involving an unnecessary complete restriping of the Parker Harding lot without loading spaces and with parallel (as opposed to angled) parking is inadequate and poorly conceived.
A parking deck on the Baldwin lot will provide additional parking in an easily accessible location at affordable cost without the need to encroach upon the town green. If you want to keep Westport vibrant, sign our petition so we can make the case to the RTM.
The petition to the RTM includes the idea of a parking deck on the Baldwin lot, off Elm Street.
Another Change.org petition — also opposing changes to Jesup Green and aimed at the RTM, though it does not seek an agenda item — was started by Tracy Porosoff. It says:
Save Jesup Green and mature, beautiful trees from being turned into parking spots!
As Dr. Seuss said, we must speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues.
Please ask the RTM to reject the funding to convert 1/3 of Jesup Green, an inviting green, open space in the heart of downtown, into parking spots that the downtown merchants do not even want.
Turning this area into paved parking spots will only exacerbate existing flooding problems near the Saugatuck River.
This proposal is not a solution to Westport’s parking issues- it is a sad attempt to destroy our precious trees and open, green spaces. The Westport Library conducts story times in this area. Children play in this area. Birds build nests and rest in the leafy branches. People walk their dogs and sit outside and relax in the shade of these magnificent trees. Jesup Green has been a community meeting space for protest groups, Westport Youth Commission events and the annual Westport Library book sale.
Tell our RTM representatives to preserve Jesup Green and vote against cutting down trees to fund a Jesup parking lot.
Use your voice to keep Jesup Green green, open and beautiful for our town! Vote against funding the destruction of Jesup Green to create inconvenient, unwanted and environmentally unsustainable parking.
We must speak for the trees, which some people are chopping as fast as you please!
Jesup Green, looking south toward the Westport Library.
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In the 6 years since the Parkland High School shooting, Fred Guttenberg has become one of America’s most prominent anti-gun violence advocates.
On May 21 (noon), he’s the guest speaker at CT Against Gun Violence’s spring benefit luncheon. He’ll discuss his — and his fellow activists’ — efforts to turn pain into purpose, as well his book “Find the Helpers: What 9/11 and Parkland Taught Me about Recovery, Purpose and Hope.”
Since its founding in 1993, CAGV has lobbied effectively for some of the strongest gun laws in the country.
They were behind Connecticut’s 1993 assault weapons ban, the 3rd in the nation. Since Sandy Hook, they’ve worked closely with the state legislature to enact universal background checks, an expanded assault weapons ban, and limits on large capacity magazines.
Click here for tickets, and more information.
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The Westport Sunrise Rotary Club is proud of its interesting guest speakers.
Next Friday (April 19, Green’s Farms Church), US Senator Richard Blumenthal takes the mic.
The public is invited. Coffee, bagels and muffins are served at 7 a.m.; the meeting begins at 7:45.
Senator Richard Blumenthal
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Speaking of politics: Congratulations to the Staples High School Class of 2024!
On Wednesday, the Westport League of Women Voters registered 112 seniors who will turn 18 by Election Day (November 5). Another 15-2 took home forms to complete there.
Last year, 57 seniors registered. So the Class of ’24 set a Staples LWV single-day voter registration record — by a landslide.
LWV registers new voters at Staples.
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Och and oy! Alan Cumming and Ari Shapiro are a powerful 1-2 punch.
The Scottish actor (“Cabaret,” “The Good Wife”) and American journalist and singer (NPR’s “All Things Considered,” Pink Martini) join forces for an evening of entertainment at the Westport Country Playhouse.
The November 22 event is called “Och & Oy.” The title pays homage to Cumming’s Scottish and Shapiro’s Jewish roots.
The show combines the best bits of public radio and a musical, with “deep, thought-provoking conversations and also entertaining, perhaps slightly bawdy, musical numbers.” It’s a mix of songs, Q&A and personal storytelling.
Click here for tickets (on sale at 1 p.m. today), and more information.
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The Westport Weston Family YMCA is all about health for all — especially youth.
So it’s a no-brainer for them to invite everyone to Healthy Kids Day (April 27, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.).
Part of a national Y program, Healthy Kids Day highlights the importance of nutritious eating, physical activity, mental resilience, and developing lifelong healthy habits.
The event includes mini-classes, food trucks with healthy options, a bounce house, water safety demonstrations, and community vendors and partners.
To register (it’s free!), click here.
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The “swirling, ethereal” voices of Lyyra Ensemble’s women’s choral comes to Christ & Holy Trinity Episcopal Church on Sunday, April 21 (5 p.m.).
The repertoire includes jazz, folk and classical pieces. Afterward, attendees can meet the singers at a special reception.
Tickets are available at the door, or by clicking here.
Lyyra
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There are garage sales.
And then there is MoCA and Designport’s “Upscale Garage Sale.” It’s set for May 4 (noon to 4 p.m.), at MoCA Westport.
Interior designers, stagers and local shops will join together to “spring clean” excess inventory at discounted prices — for example, furniture pieces like end tables, dining chairs and ottomans), tableware, vases, lamps, pillows, accessories, throws, frames, small rugs, coffee table books and more.
Upscale Garage Sale sellers include Apadana Fine Rugs, Kerri Rosenthal, House of Prim, The Post, The Rath Project, House of Huck, Maison Sheik, Smart Playrooms and Innate Studios.
A “Drop In Kids’ Art Studio” will entertain youngsters. There’s also music by LeRoy Decker.
There is a suggested $10 donation. Click here for more information.
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Molly Doe Wensberg.is Sorelle Gallery’s new featured artist. Her abstract landscapes of New England scenery — from rolling hills to coastal sunsets — are on view through May 4.
The show opens tomorrow (Saturday). Click here for more information about her work.
“Between Tides” (Molly Doe Wensberg)
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Westport resident and tennis aficionado Christian Le Brun died Saturday at home. He was 56, and had been diagnosed 22 months earlier with glioblastoma brain cancer.
Born in Buenos Aires, he grew up in Scarsdale, New York. He played tennis for Scarsdale High School and Lehigh University, and met his wife Oona on the tennis courts of Roosevelt Island.
A voracious competitor, Chris had a rich social life built around tennis. He spent many hours while ill watching the Tennis Channel, with a sprinkling of news. He also played canasta with his sister and parents.
His family says, “Chris was a stylish and elegant man, tall and slim, always impeccably groomed. On the work front he was unusual: a lawyer who loved being a lawyer.”
After working in New York for Chadbourne & Parke, Chris joined Orbcomm as general counsel in 2005. He played a key strategic role through an IPO, multiple satellite launches, 12 acquisitions and a go-private transaction.
His family says, “Chris loved family dinners with his wife and 1 boys, taking long walks with Oona and their chocolate lab Latte, and playing as much tennis as his busy schedule would allow.”
In addition to his wife and sons Nicolas and Jacque, Chris is survived by his parents Yves and Ana, brothers Lee and Paul, and sister Ceci.
A memorial service is set for on April 22 (2 p.m., Greens Farms Congregational Church). Click here to leave online condolences.
To honor Chris’s love for tennis, his family encourage donations to OTA, which supports underprivileged children in Cameroon through tennis and education.
Chris Le Brun
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As spring envelops us, scenes like this are popping up — and entrancing — folks all over town.
Today’s “Westport … Naturally” can be found on Compo Road South.
It won’t last long. But that makes it even more special.
(Photo/Bob Weingarten)
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And finally … happy birthday to Herbie Hancock! The jazz great is 84 years old today.
(And finally … every day, “06880” brings news of upcoming shows, talks, gallery openings and every other event imaginable. Please click here to support our wide-ranging blog. Thanks for your help!)
What a disgrace…having to beg and plead to have the RTM take up an issue. The RTM is no longer Representative.
I agree with you, but feel entitled to ask a rhetorical question: Last November, did you vote for one of the 6 RTMs who voted to implement positive change in this regard, or did you vote for one of the 29 others who did not? Elections have consequences.
Six of nine RTM races were uncompetitive. There aren’t choices to make! Yammering yokels are waltzing onto the RTM and making local government an authoritarian disaster.
Mr. Prince hits the nail on the head. In my District 9, we had six candidates for four positions. This level of competition was clearly the exception. In nearly all other districts, there was no competition; the lowest common denominator in democratic representation.
I still believe that if we use a carrot & stick approach to ince ntivize Main St. merchants’ employees (and maybe even their managers) to park in a refurbished Imperial lot, there would be no need to murder Jesup Green.
Ken,
The merchants never asked to “murder” jesup !
The merchants asked to add ADA TO Parker Harding and be done UNTIL there was a parking solution that worked.
So merchants are in full and total agreement. We do not want jesup green harmed.
As to the imperial parking lot.
Did you know it is not a parking lot ?
Did you know it was( until DPW- snuck in middle of the night penn station style with tarmac trucks) a town dirt lot.
Here’s the full story.
It is zoned residential !
It is not a parking lot.
It was paved to facilitate the farmers market( tookers pet project)
It remains a dirt lot disguised as an “illegal” parking lot until our planning and zoning commission deem it otherwise.
That means bringing them a plan.
But here’s the truth ! Right now it falls under tookers pervue !
Once legally re-zoned, it falls under P&Z !
Hmmmmm wonder why that hasn’t happened.
So THIS IS EXACTLY WHY merchants have said !
Zone it to be a parking lot ! A parking lot only and not a free for all !
Lay on a shuttle bus ! As we have asked for !
Keep the teenagers of this town who work at a massive host of the merchants restaurants and shops safe from harm when they park there.
And with all that in mind we will be happy to ask staff to please park there. Oh AND managers.
We do not draw a parking distinction between owners/staff/managers. And always of paramount importance is our customers. . Though you appear fixated on owners and managers. Quite incredible.
However ! Town paid shuttle bus ( out of merchant paid property taxes) AFTER a zoning change to make it a parking lot !!!!!
And a solution on Thursdays for farmers market.
The merchants the lifeblood of downtown are not willing to fight for space on a Thursday in the imperial lot..
nor walk the 17, yes SEVENTEEN, minutes to our places of work.
Ken be my guest. Please spread the word.
Merchants are NOT in favor of doing a “penn station” job on jesup green.
Relax, Ciara. It appears we’re in agreement regarding the use of a refurbished *and re-zoned* Imperial for merchant parking.
I’d like to think that “farmer’s” and (R.I.P.?) outdoor cinema could be accommodated elsewhere, absent their need to be downtown.
So we just have to get Tooker&DPW(the actual Jesup assassination planners)&P&Z&RTM to agree on such a plan, instead of the current one. That will take time. To the extent that merchants’ staffers (better appellation) can vote here, remind the above that there will be another election, after this one. I will.
In the meantime, it remains common sense that every PHP space taken by said staffers means one less potential customer visit.
I’m not particularly anti-merchant; I also think a vibrant Main St is essential. I’ll leave it at that, as I’ve reached my 3-post limit.
You’ve got 2 more, Ken — it’s a 5-comment limit!
I couldn’t agree with you more Ken. It is imperative to keep downtown vibrant and we need our customers to be able to park in order to do that.
But what we do not need is, as chairman Lebowitz stated on the call, any employees being asked to park at either the illegal imperial lot not yet even zoned a parking lot but hijacked by DPW, and this administration.
And as for the senior centre, chairman Lebowitz scoffed at the idea that it would be included in the downtown parking complement, and dismissed it out of hand.
So we will be duly ignoring those 2 lots.
The condition placed by the commission on this plan, to issue parking stickers for staff, was explicitly to insure staff do not get parking tickets.
If that is too difficult for DPW and DPIC to understand then we will happily go back to the P&Z commission for clarification.
Staff and owners are not trying to create problems here. They just have to be able to park minus tickets !!!! After all that vibrant Main Street we both refer to cannot happen without our staff.
Right now with the senior centre and the dirt ( illegally paved) imperial lot out of the equation, and gorham island out of the equation during the 8-6pm hours during the week I do not see staff finding parking at the other lots.
Those parking stickers for all downtown staff will end up being one of the most important conditions placed on the passing of this plan.
The next few months will be fun 🙂
Happy we seem to be on more or less the same page.
Hello Ciara
Totally understand the Downtown businesses, employees, managers, shoppers and patrons level of frustrations and disgust with the way the Parking Harding, Jesup parking and downtown parking problems and planning has taken place.
There are a some here in Westport who are collecting viability, costs, and renderings of what a nicely designed parking deck on the Baldwin lot on Elm will visually look like.
This deck can be easily and very economically planned and constructed at a cost that is less or equal to what the current Jesup & Imperial lots are projected to coast. It will not be a big multilevel gray concrete industrial structure. It would provide 100 additionsl parking spaces. The elevation is very minimal at a single low roof deck on a lot which is allready 6 to 7 fedt below grade on Elm street.
Prior to the RTM meeting on the Jesup Green and Imperial parking area $630,000 costs for just planning and permits is approved.we think it is critical to demonstrate the look, feel, costs and viability of a Baldwin parking deck to those downtown businesses a chance to view and comment on this plan.
We also feel it is very important to have a good quantity of Downtown business owners, representatives, managers and employees at the Msy 8th RTM scheduled meeting to follow the discussions of RTM members , town officials and voice their own feelings and concerns for a better parking solution than the one currently on the table.
Ray Broady
Good evening Ray,
Thank you for your comment and understanding all of our collective frustrations.
I do hope also that many residents, merchants, and staff attend the meeting on May 8th.
It is monumentally important to attend.
This plan has just lost the run of itself.
The proposed destruction of our town green is reprehensible.
It has morphed from the shock and awe of almost losing the through road, to a plan which will without doubt turn Parker Harding into a catastrophic mess full of impossible to park in perpendicular spots, no loading zones, making it a dangerous death trap, and now the proposed ruin of jesup green. It’s incomprehensible.
I understand the desire to create a prettier riverwalk but parking has got to be addressed first before we drive everyone away from the downtown.
Once parking is addressed then there will be opportunities to increase the green space on the river and have happy residents and merchants instead of both groups feeling like they have been utterly shafted.
See you on May 8th.
Ciara
How will you know know when you’ve achieved a parking situation that “worked”? What is the expectation? Does that mean a space will always be available no matter the time, date or season? If not that, how will the parking situation that “worked” be any different than what you have now?
And another thing Ken, we do not need the legal reasoning of the imperial lot or some sheik palace plan to delay phase 15 of this lunacy.
Find on this link “progress reports “
Scroll to the lovely watercolor pics of the “imperial” convention centre !!!!
This is not being designed as a parking lot..
It is a laundry list of wishes the farmers market has commissioned an architect to donate to us kindergarteners.
https://www.downtownwestportct.com/imperial-lot
It’s enough !
I’ve invested millions in my business in town !
I refuse to be labeled a kindergartener.
Especially when I know exactly what is going on here and have just spelled it out.
A parking deck on the Baldwin lot would be far better than destroying Jesup Green, from which there is a lovely, peaceful, serene view of the river. Preserving the beauty of the town should be a priority.
As someone who’s Compo beach neighborhood has experienced exacerbation of flooding adjacent to a lot which has been denuded of all vegetation for over 7 months by spec builders, I would certainly support any decision to preserve as much open land as possible.
Our beautiful town would be very short sighted not to prioritize such preservation of natural beauty (to pave paradise and put up a parking lot).
To all those who adore shopping at Costco, an equivalent parking garage is being promoted here!
Seriously, has anyone who is promoting a parking garage taken a look at the maintenance of the Parker Harding lot? Baron’s South? The Library Walk?
Westport doesn’t do maintenance.
Crisis maintenance, as far as I can tell, is RTM rep Andrew Colabella organizing a group of public minded citizens to give up their Saturday mornings to clean up the trash the rest of us dump into public spaces.
So could all the would be architects, lawyers for developers, commercial property owners, retirees who have lots of ideas, politicians, etc. please step back from your self interests and incorporate that facts of Westporters not funding maintenance into your pipe-dream pubic proclamations?