Representative Town Meeting members met at Jesup Green yesterday afternoon. The “field trip” was a chance to inspect the area being proposed as part of a new parking plan.
RTMers were joined by 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker, Public Works director Pete Ratkiewich, tree warden Ben Sykas, other elected officials and members of the public.
RTM members and others on Jesup Green yesterday. Under a tentative plan, the trees on the far left would be removed. The pine tree in the middle of the photo would be impacted by regrading, and parking nearby. A stake (green and pink) in the center shows an area along Jesup Road where cars might park.
Wooden stakes in the ground delineated a possible plan.
Stakes and white lines show the extent to which new parking could be developed at the top of Jesup Green.
Nothing is definite, however. Next week, the RTM will discuss a request for a $630,000 appropriation rom the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) for an actual design of the redevelopment of both Jesup Green and the Imperial Avenue lot.
Funds would be used for design only. The RTM would then have the option of approving or rejecting the design.
RTM members and others stand in an area of Jesup Green that could be part of the new parking plan. (Photo/Andrew Colabella)
Another RTM field trip to Jesup Green has been scheduled for Wednesday.
This view — looking north — shows a possibility for Jesup Green redevelopment. The area to the right of the white lines and stakes, at the top of the green, would be used for parking.
DON’T,,,,
I attended this. The plan is worse than I previously thought. From a planning perspective, it’s like turning off the furnace – and burning the furniture instead.
Need leadership ‼️
The idea is to make more “green space” by taking down 2 beautiful old growth trees and ripping up a newly paved lot??
What is the master plan!!??
I’ll perplexed this is plan is still under discussion. Seems very few people outside of the administration favor it.
I can’t believe the Town is considering paving over a large swath of precious, and historic, green space in the heart of downtown for the sake of a few more parked cars.
Thank you. I’m still waiting for someone to explain how and why accommodating parking spaces for 40 vehicles became more important than keeping this historic and tiny green space intact for the entire town. Too bad there aren’t enough parking spaces at all times and you’re inconvenienced. Boo hoo. Come back another time.
Don’t do it! It’s clearly time for a change in leadership.
Westporters tell me that they’re tired of exorbitant spending on studies, and then this administration consistently makes bad decisions.
Our First Select-person appears to think her record of poor decision-making can be fixed by hundreds of photo-ops.
The time is long past due for electronic referendums.
You don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone.
The multiple bureaucratic moving parts of this supposed multiphase plan is not easily understood by anyone. Those who do know the ultimate design are being coy with egregious details— details that would further inflame those who don’t like this plan one bit.
Phase One? There is a schematic but no design? Phase two. “There is no design” and although the town committed to unenforceable land use conditions (imposed by a scant majority of Planning and Zoning commissioners), officials are reluctant to discuss it. Will it restore green space? Yes they say emphatically, but there is no guarantee and no definitive plan.
Further, there is no way to restore the four very mature trees that will be chopped down … trees deemed unworthy by the relatively new town-employed tree warden.
Tree Board member Sarah Adair so eloquently explained the importance of mature trees to the livelihood of large birds of prey, who alight on them while hunting and fishing. Here, from the Audubon: “To find their next meal, buteos watch. They use their incredible eyesight and a nice perch to watch the ground until they see movement. This is why you see Red-tailed Hawks and other buteos so often perched on a fence or a tree …. They’re not lazy—they’re just hunting and need a steady place from which to survey.”
Should an independent arborist and an ornithologist have a look? Surely the ecosystem of the riverbank is at play here?
The RTM could be the last stand. If funding for Phase Two design is not approved, the entire plan stops, according to the Public Works Director.
If the RTM approves the funds for Phase Two design, a design is created and a funding cycle is initiated to execute the Jesup Green Phase One. The Board of Finance and the RTM is empowered to either approve or deny funding the project at that stage. But will it be too late to stop the avalanche of destruction for the sake of 40 inconvenient parking spots?
And what about the Baldwin Lot? Nobody knows, or nobody will say.
It is not easy being a concerned citizen of Westport. It’s like a game of dodgeball on The Saugatuck.
A simple pragmatic suggestion; If there is truly a constraint on parking why not maximize the existing parking spots for peak shopping or other commercial active time periods. The area behind the Police building is a case in point. Why not clean that lot of junk, optimize the parking slots for the police, and then on peak days release the police spots to the east of Jessup green. Similarly with the parking lot behind town Hall. Clean it up and encourage parking at peak shopping the peak shopping times at the weekends.
Before we start eliminating precious green space, maximize the efficiency of what we have. We might be able to solve 90% of the problem with the lots we currently own and, if it doesn’t work go to plan B. Let’s be cautious, practical and simple.
Exactly. The lot behind the police station is a dump. Clean it up, make the department use it, and free up all that valuable space instead of cutting down trees in some expensive multi-phase bullshit project with an Instagram-ready ribbon cutting when it’s all done.
Perfect!!!!
No, no, no! Please do not make this a parking area.
Please join the hundreds of Westporters who have already spoken out against this destructive plan. Sign the petition to save the trees at Jesup Green and keep the Green green!
https://www.change.org/p/save-jesup-green-tell-the-rtm-to-vote-against-funding-parking-areas-on-green-spaces
I was quite taken aback to see those stakes in the ground in regard to what is planned for Jesup Green and Phase 1. It is not, as described, a “flip flop” in regard to proposed Phase 2 which would add a sliver of green at the bottom portion of Jesup Green. There are no assurances that Phase 2 or other Phases of this complicated beyond belief 12 million-dollar project would come to fruition, particularly in light of the many construction projects looming over Westport now – new schools, new town services buildings. Residents aren’t clamoring for these 40 spaces…..town merchants aren’t clamoring for these spaces……so who is driving the train to desecrate Jesup Green for 40 spaces? What might be going into that space to be vacated by the Westport Police Department? Is that where we might look for the answer? So many questions to be answered before the chainsaw comes out and the town allocates over $600,000 for site plans in regard to this multi-phase project whose funding will rest on generations to come.
Julie, I think I read your mind.
One wonders which developer(s) might have some juicy plan in mind for the police dept if it moves.
need to stay wide awake in this town.
Worse maybe the town will lease it to a private party without a bid process just like happened to the inn at longshore. For nearly 40 more years no less.
Such a bad idea on so many levels. Leaders are not listening to the voices of towns people. There is so much talent in this town, surely there’s an architect or urban designer that can draw up a better idea on the back of a napkin than this.
Such a dumb idea. Please consider the proposals to improve the parking areas we already have.
Here’s the thing !
This town has no business attempting to recapture green space at Parker Harding UNTIL, it solves the parking problem!
And to say the merchants are the cause of the parking problem is just plain ignorant.
HOW ?
Businesses cannot operate without staff and you cannot expect “even” staff to park in lots that simply are not close enough to where they work. Case in point, the imperial lot is 17 minutes from my business ! So a big fat resounding NO ! Certainly not without its total overhaul, a shuttle bus, and no more mixed use there. At least not during peak hours.
Equally you should not and no rtm’er in town should even entertain voting for this ridiculous appropriation that will further this utter and complete madness.
This plan is out of control !
Does anybody realise the merchants paid for 80% of parker Harding back when it was created!
Yep they did ! It was seen as such a “freebie” for the town.
You could say the merchants own 80% of Parker Harding.
If you want green space in places we now have parking then fix the parking problem.
Otherwise you don’t get to have green space.
It’s not about disliking green space it’s about choices that this town has made which have further eroded parking yet all along this plan has been being hatched for “40” years ?
Huh ?
Well then the town should have not closed church lane, they should not have allowed Bedford square, they should not have allowed second floor retail !
Clearly everyone supporting this plan wants to talk out of both sides of their mouth and doesn’t have a clue how a single business runs.
Talk about not including the biggest stakeholder by far. !
Yes the merchants who btw, pay all the property taxes in town – on top of their rents. That makes merchants not property owners the biggest stakeholders.
This plan is bizarre..
it’s ANTI business !
It’s anti merchant, and it’s the merchants who have brought this town back to life.
And as for Parker Harding, it is beautifully safe, albeit has been let go to absolute hell because this administration and the last do zero maintenance on ANYTHING.
This plan is without doubt going to make Parker Harding a death trap. Far far less safe.
And the only way to get this nonsense approved was to destroy our town green removing 50% of it !!!
And make no mistake here it is not 17%.
Be fully informed.
Reading this gives me a headache.
Bummer for you !
Unless of course you agreed with the horrific siege in our existing green space.
Long ago and far away, downtown Westport was a thriving hive of retail and dining activity. There were no vacant store fronts because the property owners made their living renting out the retail space, not by jacking up the rent and taking a tax write off as their business models. Traffic ran in both directions on Main Street, vehicles found parking spaces there or in PHP, the YMCA and library flourished and downtown accommodated multiple movie theaters. Somehow, both the retail community, their employees and their customers managed to get themselves in and out of town without melting down over lack of parking. How did they do it? Was it a magic trick? Why, is there suddenly a parking emergency such that one solution is to carve up Jesup green? Perhaps the current crowd’s expectations are unrealistic and simply cannot tolerate the idea of having to look for for a space, park further away or horror of horrors, come back later. Oh, the inconvenience! I demand to have a parking space available for me at all times! Where’s my trophy?
Least discussed point of this article which is lunacy – this all being funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) which was advertised as a bailout bill to save small businesses impacted by Covid!!! And yet, $630K being allocated to “study” a disaster project in the making. But hey, it’s only money!!
Spend the money and put up a parking deck in Baldwin lot- in town where the parking is needed!!
Late yesterday, I took a look at the staked out area indicating how far the new proposed parking would infringe on Jesup Green. The impacted area is close to one-third of the entire green, just shocking and totally unacceptable. Never mind the mature tree removal. How about we think of the limited green space we have downtown in an additive way rather than as some sort of tradeoff. More green is better, extend the grassy apron to the river and keep Jesup Green intact. Find flexible parking solutions elsewhere.