Longtime Westporter “06880” reader Scott Smith writes:
I’ve sat on the sidelines for most of the endless debate about downtown parking, but the recent 06880 post about the “field trip” to Jesup Green by RTM members and town leaders really gets my goat.
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.
I googled the Jesup Green area to get a bird’s-eye view. I wanted to explore an idea: If the merchants or town muckety-mucks really want more convenient parking downtown, they should buy 100 and/or 126 Post Road East — the current homes of Paper Source/Bankwell and Bank of America, respectively — and turn those sites into public parking.
Aerial view of downtown shows many empty parking spaces behind the Bank of America building (top center, red circle), and Paper Source (to its immediate left). Jesup Road is the street in the middle. Jesup Green, and the Taylor parking lot, are at lower left.
Each entity could be easily relocated, as there’s already a glut of empty retail space in the area (and certainly no shortage of banks). Hey, knock yourself out and amortize both properties. Presto: There’s your 40 new spaces, close by anywhere downtown.
But do we really want to pave over all of downtown? Looking at the satellite view makes me think there is absolutely no shortage of parking in the area surrounding Jesup Green.
Toni Simonetti outlined current police parking near Jesup Green (center) and behind police headquarters (lower right) in yellow. The purple area shows where new parking could be created at the top of Jesup Green (outline), and along Jesup Road (hash marks).
The problem is access and zoning. No way BofA, with its drive-thru, needs all those parking spaces, for instance. Or perhaps the bank could be persuaded to open up its empty parking spaces to employees of local retailers who bank with them? Has anybody asked?
Not shown in the bird’s-eye view is another overlooked parking option: All the unused spaces behind the Police Department.
Lower parking lot, near police headquarters. The entrance is at the bottom of Jesup Road, near Imperial Avenue. This view is looking west, toward the Levitt Pavilion and Library.
I parked there a dozen years ago while working at the Westport YMCA when it was still downtown, and the Jesup Road municipal lot was closed for renovation and construction of the Paper Source building.
It’s an easy walk, especially for those working and shopping on the southeast side of downtown. Presto: There’s 40 more spaces!
So c’mon, RTM members, First Selectwoman Tooker and Public Works director Ratkiewich: If you’re dead set on adding downtown parking, get off the dime and build a deck on the Baldwin lot.
Or repurpose the police lot for safe, secure parking for retail employees.
Or make a deal to open up or convert existing underutilized retail space to additional parking.
But keep your hands off the town’s unique and under-appreciated riverfront walkways and vistas — especially Jesup Green.
Scott’s suggestion to utilize the parking lot behind police headquarters, near Deadman Brook, has been made by other “06880” readers.
One idea: Use that entire lot behind the headquarters building for police vehicle parking. That would free up the spaces currently used to the west of the building — near Jesup Green — for parking by downtown shoppers, restaurant-goers and employees.
The RTM will discuss a $630,000 appropriation for a study on Jesup Green and Imperial Avenue parking at its meeting on Tuesday, May 7 (Town Hall auditorium), following its vote on the Board of Education budget. Discussion on the parking issue is expected to begin around 8:30 p.m.
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The town is considering spending $630,000 to have someone tell them their solution to this problem? OMG ! With all the good suggestions from town residents ( such as this one) the town can’t seem to get over throwing our money away. It makes me wonder if some collusion is a foot.
Agree a “study” costing $630,000 is a bit ridiculous!
Problem sloved.
No more cement.
Here’s another idea: stop closing Church Lane. The pandemic is over. Never mind the unbelievable congestion problems this causes on Myrtle Avenue, that’s 20 odd parking spaces lost.
I totally agree with Scott. I can’t believe anyone would consider paving over even one inch of our precious town green space.
Here here! There are plenty of public lots to explore a parking garage too. Please don’t destroy our beautiful green slope. My kids love running down it on nice days.
I’ll say it again….you need to read this book
you can get it in a Library
https://www.amazon.com/Paved-Paradise-Parking…
Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World
WEBMay 9, 2023 · Paved Paradise is must reading for mayors, urbanists, and everyone who wants to understand America’s parking obsession and what it costs our cities, …
4.5/5(144)
Mark, with all due respect I have read the book.
At the end of the day, Towns residents want and enjoy a downtown, with shops and restaurants. Shops and restaurants are the economic vitality of all downtown centers.
Shops and restaurants need parking for their patrons, and employees.
In fact shops and restaurants are a guiding light for the economic vitality of the entire town.
Instead of recommending reading the book do please enlighten us on what you see as the solution.
I’d be very receptive and interested in hearing it.
I am a 22 year resident and owner of 4 businesses in Westports downtown.
The idea that a lot of Westporters have now voiced an obvious meessage. ” Do not hack up and destroy Jesup Green!”.
Having done this is great but now the real important action must be taken. There are three important actions that will make a difference.
1. Send an email from you to your RTM representative now as soon as possible and let them know you do not support this plan.
2. Contact other Westpprters, merchants and stakeholders and that feel the same and have them make the same email response!
3 Come to the RTM meeting on the 7th and possibly a sneaky attempt with last agenda item movement by the moderator be prepared to attend a possible spill over date and SPEAK OUT AND LET THE RTM KNOW THIS IS NOT THE RIGHT COURSE OF ACTION!
Let them also know the parking deck at The Baldwin lot is the best solution and not $630,000 of planning and permits that is a overpriced rediculous means to a bad end!
I agree with Scott. The tearing up of Jesup Green must be a last resort and we are no where near the last resort stage. Please implement some less expensive and greener alternatives before we launch another expensive study into something the Town does not want.
Almost. The tearing up of Jesup Green must be OFF LIMITS. Not an option. No. Do not touch. Park elsewhere or at another time. Your so-called parking “problem” will NOT be resovled by hacking up Jesup Green. Too bad you have difficulty parking. Your “inconvenience” is not more important than perserving this precious green space.
Thanks for your thoughts, Scott. They echo what many of us feel and have expressed regarding the need to preserve Jesup Green at all costs. I made this point in an earlier post (apologies for repeating), but how about we adopt a more enlightened mindset as a town where we cherish and expand green space (e.g. Jesup Green to the river edge) rather than a quid pro quo mentality where we trade off one-third of the green for the hazy possibility of a green extension to the river at some date TBD.
Great opinion piece Scott,
You were definitely not the only one irritated by the 2 “shows” put on by the administration this week on jesup green, and the rehearsed “theatrics “ of the rtm moderator and Pete Ratkiewich, which was added onto last night at the rtm rules committee meeting, reiterating total lies about what the appropriation of 630 k of ARPA funds is actually to be used for. All I can say is how convenient, and “promises, promises”, comes to mind.
Of course that “show” is to give RTM’ers who might vote for this insanity an excuse to go back to their very upset electorate.
But that’s nothing new. In fact it’s the new or not so new norm around here especially as it pertains to far too many of rtm who refuse to listen to those who elected them, ( think shall vs may in petitions and the hamlet disaster)
Meanwhile we are hearing this use of ARPA funds may well be against the law, in fact is more likely than not against the law. High time that gets examined.
As for the merchants.
We have never ever suggested the destruction of Jesus green for parking spaces. IN FACT.
A recent DPIC meeting when this disaster was being discussed I was very promptly and smugly told by Randy Herbertson in a venomous manner ( while Crowley and Briggs looked on eyes raised to the sky) that this jesup green added parking was absolutely NOT for the merchants and it was for residents and visitors and more importantly for the library, levitt, women’s club and farmers market.
We were told it was important additional parking for all those groups and NOT the merchants.
Suited us merchants fine. No dirt on our hands thank you ! We didn’t want spots over there anyway, not to mention destroying a town treasure.
We are NOT on board for this ruination of Westports beloved by all / or most, I suppose, town green.
The merchants built Parker Harding in the 1950’s, the merchants paid for 80% of the project. It was hailed by Emerson Parker first selectman at the time as a “freebie” for the town, because the merchants paid for it.
It was built for parking, because back in 1950 with a population of 11k people Westport had a parking problem.
Westports population is now 28,000 with far more cars than in 1950 and far more businesses thanks to developers the likes of whom incredulously supported this plan at the P&Z hearing. Of course most of us know exactly why !
The same developers whose over development has CAUSED the ever deteriorating parking problem to begin with.
So now the land the merchants created and the parking they created and they paid for because their businesses needed parking, should pay to build parking elsewhere while the town Creates non parking in Parker Harding.
I suggest absolutely not.
The town if they want to pillage the parking lot merchants created on land merchants paid for needs to replace it on their nickel, somewhere, along with the 35 spots on Baldwin lost, the 22 on church lane lost, the 6 on elm lost and the countless other parking spots being eroded every year mostly by developers who want to keep developing.
But providing no parking !
This is not something merchants should be on the hook for !
We are NOT asking for extra green space, it is not practical/possible hence 40 years of failed attempts, until this skullduggery.
May I remind the town of Westport, that the land Parker Harding sits on and the parking lot gloriously designed by the acclaimed “Evan Harding” only exists because of those same merchants. The same merchants who pay the downtown buildings property taxes just like you and I do on our houses.
I hardly think we should have to pay twice !
Ciara, We’d all be much better off if you and others like you were running the show in this town. So many people are too busy to keep up with all that’s happening and to push back against the nonsense. Meanwhile, a lot of glib group-think and crony-based decision making keeps leading us into one bad place after the next. And it sucks.
Big Yellow Taxi
Song by Joni Mitchell
Lyrics
They paved paradise, put up a parking lot
With a pink hotel, a boutique, and a swingin’ hot spot
Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone… Full lyrics
The “Big Yellow Taxi” was an unofficial addendum to the April 5 report of the RTM Transit committee, which voted 7 to 2 to recommend that the full RTM not approve the $630K appropriation. Here is the music with lyrics:
https://www.google.com/search?q=joni+mitchell+big+yellow+taxi+videos&rlz=1CDGOYI_enUS716US716&oq=joni+mitchell+big+yellow+taxi+videos&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyCQgAEEUYORiABDINCAEQABiGAxiABBiKBTINCAIQABiGAxiABBiKBTINCAMQABiGAxiABBiKBTIHCAQQIRigATIHCAUQIRigATIHCAYQIRigAdIBCDE4NDFqMGo3qAIasAIB4gMEGAEgXw&hl=en-US&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8
Dick Lowenstein, RTM Transit chair
A comprehensive parking study based on available parking in the surrounding vicinity a new parking garage option should all be considered before eliminating green space that is in a very short supply.
At the risk of invoking the “everything’s been said, but not everyone has said it” rule, here goes. Lots (and lots) of passionate copy dedicated to the needs and wishes of the merchant and the merchant economy – and many important considerations to note. But residents must also be heard. We move here, pay our taxes, volunteer with local organizations, take our children to the local library, and hope to retire where we have planted our roots. The options being discussed will all have a longstanding impact on the look and feel of our downtown.
Let’s move ahead with the long overdue update of Parking Harding Plaza. Leave Jesup Green alone. Then let’s pause and take a moment to consider what our real needs are regarding parking and balance those needs with a downtown that supports safety, green space, and appreciation of the natural beauty of our town.
Faith, with all due respect, I am one of many many residents who are also merchants. So by your insinuation that it’s all about the merchants, it’s not.. though the town LOVES to pit us all against each other. It’s their literal MO
And everybody supports safety, of course. Except maybe the selectwoman whose new PH plan leaves it a death trap.
The Parker Harding lot is 50x safer left as it is than with this lunatic plan of 2 directional and perpendicular disaster.
Oh it needs to be resurfaced only since 15 years ago. Bare in mind please that the Marpe and tooker administration over 10 years have let every town asset go to hell in a handbasket.
But it can be resurfaced and left EXACTLY, the same.of course add ADA.
I’m sure if you reached out to commissioner Cohen on P&Z he can explain to you that Parker Harding can be left EXACTLY, as it is. But resurfaced.
I certainly spoke at length with 2 previous chairs of P&Z who told me this over a year ago.
So let’s get real here.
Next.
The merchants paid to build not only Parker Harding, BUT THE PARKING LOT.
It did not exist before.. it was the river !!!! Lapping up on the back of the stores doors.
So Parker Harding only exists thanks to the merchants.
We are not interested in now adding green space and losing parking spots we paid for. That we needed back in 1950 with a population of 11k people.
So by all means, add green space and replace the parking spots. But NOT at our cost, either financially thru lost business or asking us to pay !
If you want green space in the space we created and paid for then the town must pay for it ! And must replace our parking.
This is our livelihood, and most westporters value a downtown retail area far far far more than they do destroying that by adding green space where it is simply not practical.
I wish people would research the facts before just spewing untruths.
Nobody will use any of this hankered after green space.
Just like nobody uses it now.
It’s all so pathetic.
And I have NO interest in paying a second time !
What’s next from Tooker and her “executive team”? A helipad on top of the Senior Center?
excellent ideas.
I’m walking by Jesup green right now and the four gorgeous trees have yellow caution tape wrapped around them!! have they’ve made a decision already??
An idea which was floated around several years ago was to build a multi-layer parking garage next to the Episcopal Church and have downtown a “walking town” with no cars allowed north of the Post Road and put some waterfront stores in parts of Parker Harding Plaza. Since I do not go downtown for any reason since the YMCA moved, WTF?
Thank u Scott. Many good suggestions. Note to rtm; DO NOT PAVE JESSUP. DO NOT WASTE MONEY STUDYING. AND BRING BACK COMMUNITY GARDENS BEFORE THEY ARE DESTROYED!
#KeepJessupGreen