The town of Westport has put out 2 Requests for Proposals. Both focus on downtown.
A July 29 RFP is titled “Public Engagement/Phase 2: Westport Downtown Plan.”
The Project Objective reads:
After completing a 2015 master plan for downtown Westport, the town of Westport created the Downtown Plan Implementation Committee to oversee its realization. The committee’s strategy and current progress can be seen at downtownwestportct.com.
Over the past several years, executional work has begun, and the first phase is in the construction funding approval stage. Recently, funding was approved to start the second planning and design work phase.
A critical component of this work is public engagement, which will inform both the initial design work and the vet designs before taking them before approval bodies. For objectivity, the Committee desires to hire an outside research partner to perform this work, which will be both qualitative and quantitative.
The deadline for bids was Wednesday.
Lots to do downtown. But where to park …?
Meanwhile, officials posted an RFP yesterday for a “2015 Parking Study Update and 2024 Feasibility Analysis for Structured Parking in Downtown.”
The overview says:
The town of Westport seeks a qualified professional to investigate the feasibility of creating a multi-level parking structure in one of 3 alternative locations in the downtown area, replacing existing surface parking and adding additional spaces to accommodate new and evolving re-development.
The study will include conceptual drawings, schematic plans, and illustrative renderings of possible solutions.
Where are those 3 areas?
One is the Baldwin parking lot off Elm Street, between Main Street and Church Lane.
The RFP notes: “The 2015 plan suggests that the town utilize a portion of the privately owned Avery Street [behind Cold Fusion] lot as part of the potential area available for a parking deck. The analysis should include the feasibility both with or without this private property being available.”
Baldwin lot plan.
The second proposed site is on Jesup Road, from the Gillespie Center to the area opposite the police station.
The RFP says: “The 2015 plan suggests that in addition to the town-owned lot … a portion of the private lots behind #100 and #126 Post Road East [behind Bank of America and environs], and #10 Bay St. be considered for a parking deck as well. The analysis should include the feasibility both with or without this private property being available.”
Jesup Road plan.
The third location to be considered is the lower lot behind the police station. It is accessible now from the area just before the upper Library lot, and at the foot of Jesup Road near Imperial Avenue.
An RFP note adds: “There is currently a needs analysis and feasibility study underway for creation of a combined Public Safety Center elsewhere in yown, implying that the police station may or may not be located at 20 Jesup Road in the future. The analysis should include the feasibility both with or without the Police Department being in this location.”
Police station plan.
Proposals are due September 5. Click here for the link to download the full RFP document; complete the form, then click “Submit.”
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Pedestrian safety first: I truly believe it would be a mistake to locate parking for the Main Street area employees and customers on the opposite side of the Post Road.
I’m confident people can cross safely IF they use one of the many marked crosswalks. Could even add more explicit lights and crossings. Gotta think big picture and not let personal peeves blind you from progress.
These two RFPs seem to me to be contradictory. On the one hand the DPIC is acknowledging that broad public involvement is key to acceptance of any plan for downtown parking and seeking help with public engagement while, on the other hand, it is asking for help in choosing a site for a parking structure at three predetermined locations – two of which are (Ill-advisedly) south of the Post Road – which it has identified without public participation and without input from the downtown residents and stakeholders.
One would think that the Committee might have understood from the Jesup Road fiasco that the time for public comment is before such choices are made and not in reaction to prior in camera determinations, but apparently that lesson has not been learned, with the result that we will now be spending money for yet more studies and schemes to accomplish what can and should be done by the DPIC itself with the help of the public.
When will we ever learn?
Larry Weisman
Baldwin and Jesup continue to be the
most ideal locations. The Police Station lot should be given back to the residents and be converted to more green space/water front along Deadman Brook (inlet entering the Saugatuck).
It’s interesting to ponder history. Fifty years ago, my mother and most Westporters like her, would drive downtown–and park–constantly because it served her daily purposes: drug stores, cheese store, bakery, three groceries, liquor store, hardware store, etc. By the ’90s, however, she had few reasons to go downtown. Tiffany & Co. was not on her daily rounds. So I wonder: who are the parkers of today contrasted with the parkers of 50 years ago?
Capital expenditures for downtown parking projects should be benefit assessed to the downtown property owners.
If you want to park at Town Hall, the Library or the Westport Police Station, there’s always a space available. There is plenty of parking for the town’s civic engagement.
The residents of Westport should not be required to subsidize the costly parking garage dreams of wealthy commercial real estate interests.
The parking problem has been solved via the 3-hour time limit. I would say success and move off of this project and do the long overdue maintenance on Parker Harding. New lights, trees and repaving. There is no need to eliminate spots. Maintenance only is the key word.
I would also say thank you to the DPIC members and disband it and replace with the traditional Plan Implementation Committee (PIC).
The PIC was chaired by the first selectperson and P&Z director who met monthly with department heads, and representatives of all the duly elected boards and commissions. The function of this committee oversaw the entire planning of the town and met to make sure the needs of the entire town were being met.
Let’s get off the hamster wheel and get back to what worked.
Cathy I am in agreement with you though
do have some concerns that perhaps you are not
factoring in.
1) With all the apartment, condos,cluster housing, hotels
Etc that have been given the green light already in not only
Westport but close surrounding towns the volume of
cars seeking parking is sure to increase astronomically in the near future. Hundreds and hundreds in Westport alone.
2) 3 hr parking started only at the beginning of summer- this
could be jading the increased availability as I notice less consumer
traffic and more of a quiet feel to Downtown- much like Feb
Vacation week so perhaps not a true barometer.
Also employees
parking much further away will have different adherence and safety requirements once
the darkness, freezing rain and snow set in again
3) A parking garage on the Main Street side should
be the only option. Increased crossing of the post road
in this day and age is fraught with peril-outright dangerous
without enough traffic enforcement even now. Too many
cars speeding up thru yellow and red lights and crosswalks.
Many don’t stop at all. Also to keep Post Road traffic moving
the walk signals seem far and few between. Lots of crossers are gaming that now- all ripe for accidents waiting to happen.
And finally do we know what caused the car to jump the sidewalk on imperial a few weeks ago
and severely injure 2 pedestrians and if not why?
Surely the investigation must be completed yet
no information offered regarding cause has been
released. A lot of people scratching their heads
on that. Without information difficult for pedestrians to
know how to better protect themselves in that heavily trafficked area which will only get worse If a garage is built
on the Jesup side.
But Cathy putting the planning back in put from Westport residents, merchants,
and accountable Admin rather than extremely expensive
consultants with no real feel for the fabric of Westport
is the best idea I have heard in a long time. I for one am getting tired of consultants druming up plans for this new “Westport
Lifestyle” that has been annoyingly coined and overutilized. What estate we promoting here and why?Everything doesn’t has to be brand new, expensive and slick. Westport was never that way before. It’s ludicrous and offensive and one has to
question whose pockets are being lined?
Put more energy, I agree into maintenance and traffic enforcement or we will have even bigger problems in the years to come.
At this point I’m with Cathy Walsh and Mike Stuttman. Spiff up PHP and repave. Open up Church Ln. year round and revisit the issue in a couple of years.
Let’s give the reinstitution of a time limit on downtown parking a chance to bear fruit. After that, and if necessary, I would be supportive of a decked parking proposal for the Baldwin lot, which is well screened and centrally located. (Much RESPECTFUL debate ensues . . . )