Many Westporters have weighed in on the Hamlet at Saugatuck — the retail/residential/hotel/marina complex proposed for the area near the railroad station and river.
We have not heard a lot from Saugatuck business owners and employees, however. “06880” intern Katherine Phelps reports:
The ROAN Ventures project could have a dramatic impact on our town’s original commercial center. Some restaurateurs and workers believe it will benefit them; others fear it will destroy all they have worked for.
Patrick Camaro, general manager of The Bridge at Saugatuck, is optimistic.
“It’s good for the area, it’s good for us, it’s good for business,” he says.
The Bridge at Saugatuck opened last fall.
Others fear the project could do more harm than good.
Paul Nessel, owner and butcher at Saugatuck Provisions, supports thoughtful development, but is skeptical about the project’s impact on local infrastructure.
“Traffic is already at a standstill coming through Saugatuck for several hours pretty much every day,” he says.
“If anything is wrong on 95 or the side roads, we’re really shut down. It hurts my business, and makes it hard for people to get through.”
Parking and congestion are longstanding challenges in Saugatuck — issues critics say The Hamlet may worsen. Nonetheless, proponents argue that the developer is equipped to address them.
“ROAN can help figure out the traffic situation because they can hire engineers,” Camaro said.
Charles Street traffic, at Railroad Place.
At the May 19 Planning & Zoning Commission meeting, Fiona Flynn of SLR — representing the traffic planning side — noted that the state approval for traffic volume had already been cleared.
Byron Alonso, an employee at Kneads, is passionate about the Hamlet development, specifically the long-term vision of the plan.
“I think it’s important to have better construction and the best future in Westport,” he says.
“So many people say it’s not good because we lose the natural elements and there will be traffic. But I agree with improving the future of Westport.”
Still, numerous concerns persist — particularly, for restaurant owners, about traffic.
Congestion along Charles Street and Riverside Avenue is a longstanding issue that could be worsened by new development.
Bill Rizzuto, founder and owner of the restaurant that bears his name, adds, “Saugatuck already suffers from a significant parking shortage, especially in the evenings.
“Despite this, we continue to add capacity without adequately addressing infrastructure — particularly parking.” This impacts residents as well as visitors.
Rizzuto’s’ parking lot is larger than most in the area.
When Rizzuto opened his restaurant in 2009 he struggled to secure a variance, because even his large lot did not meet required parking ratios.
In the 15 years since, Rizzuto says, while traffic is more dense, parking issues seem to have become less of an official priority.
Rizzuto notes that issues like those are crucial.
“If we want mixed-use developments in Saugatuck to thrive, we must put parking and access at the forefront of planning discussions,” the restaurant owner says.
“Ignoring these fundamentals risks undermining the long-term success of any project before it even begins.”
The debate over The Hamlet at Saugatuck — including its potential effects on parking, traffic and the impact on restaurants and businesses beyond its boundaries — continues next month.
The Flood & Erosion Control Board considers its wetlands application June 4 June 4 (7 p.m., Zoom; meeting ID 864 1571 7675; passcode 407757). The Planning & Zoning Commission is expected to again address the Hamlet at its June 9 meeting.
Kudos to Ms. Phelps … & to Dan for finding her.
Where’s the need for it all coming from? Where are all the folks who will occupy the hotel rooms staying now? Which restaurants are so constantly full that we need so many more? where are all the people who want to shop in Saugatuck and can’t get to Main Street or the Mall…this is manufactured need, the multi year construction of which will scar the current businesses for life. The Bridge restaurant, of course, will not be negatively affected since it’s located out of the Fray.
That Bridge restaurant manager is possibly unaware that his establishment is about to be damaged by an entirely different project.
The Department of Transportation just presented its plan to replace the historic Cribari Bridge with a monster, interstate highway style span which will greatly facilitate the entrance of tractor trailers and everything else that wishes to escape I95 congestion into Saugatuck.
But that’s not what’s going to harm this new business. What’s going to hurt it is DOT’s plan to erect a temporary span just UPSTREAM of the extant bridge. To judge from the agency’s proposed site plan, the temporary bridge – courtesy of a “temporary easement” – will likely encroach upon the Bridge restaurant’s parking lot and accessway. The DOT schematic shows the two lane temporary span – which would be in place for at least three years and will be capable of handling 18 wheelers – traveling right out over the eatery’s docks.
You can thank our First Selectwoman for this. Last year, she foolishly voted to authorize the money needed by DOT to design its franken bridge – without requiring updated traffic studies first. The young, low information engineers from DOT were only vaguely aware of the Hamlet and naively stated that their plan to supersize the bridge would actually reduce congestion. The audience of local residents of course knew better.
Between this and the Hamlet, it’s like someone has dropped a firehose into our collective living room.
And it’s about to be turned on.
It was public and common knowledge before they decided to open up their business and hopefully they took it seriously during the business planning. Before the restaurant opened, I posted on this blog saying hopefully they considered the bridge replacement project. IMO a bit of a risk to open business there with what could be a major construction zone and some eminent domain possibility but they decided to take that risk! The maritime’s IMAX was demolished for the Norwalk RR bridge replacement.
It’s not really an entirely different project…
Because the developer of The Hamlet indicated at the recent VFW forum that he was in favor of replacing the Cribari Bridge and the First Selectwoman granted not only $4.1 million to CTDOT to restart the bridge replacement as well as a $12 million brownfields opportunity to Roan a year and a half ago, one has to conclude that a massive urbanization project is underway.
It’s hard to see how this will help any of the present restaurants, eateries and businesses that presently thrive in Saugatuck.
Alongside I-95 from Greens Farms to Norwalk, Westport is about to be smothered in pollution and traffic for years.
Decades ago this future was predicted and forestalled.
Former First Selectwoman Marty Hauhuth, in the 1980’s effort to prevent 18 wheelers on local roads by preserving the bridge, declared “the Saugatuck community has already almost been destroyed by one monstrous highway [I-95] and we cannot accept any bridge that would again create such monstrous approaches and desecration of homes.”
I’d add businesses.
Thanks for adding that piece, Werner. And of course you are undoubtedly correct that the almost comically overscaled Hamlet and the simultaneous supersizing of the Cribari Bridge are actually parts of the selectwoman’s “Let’s make Westport a destination” plan.
C’mon Morley, I say she’s a great marketer. Maybe quietly, Dan and the FSW have joined forces to enhance the, ‘Where Westport meets the world’ mantra. :-).
Or the Hamlet/WSPT will become just another glorified rest area on I-95 in CT.
It confuses me that Rizzuto’s repeatedly expresses concerns about parking, meanwhile has decided to turn 25% of their parking lot into seating.
I picked up a friend at the train station yesterday at 4:30. I made the mistake of going down Riverside which was grid locked with traffic caused by people trying to get in and out of the rowing club. All I could think about was how these narrow little roads will handle the traffic caused by the Hamlet. To me the conversation begins and ends with traffic. The fact that these roads cannot handle existing traffic, especially when a train comes in or there are issues on 95. How in the world anyone could even consider a project of the magnitude in such a confined area with such limited capacity is mind boggling to me.
yes that is what some of us have been saying, it does not pass the sniff test. it some times takes me 20 minutes to get from one side of the train station to the other and i never even see a train stop or drop off. this will be a nightmare. i have enjoyed the saugatuck area for so many years and first-hand got to watch the gault development and all the things that have happened over the past 25+ years. it has changed tremendously and with that traffic has gotten worse and worse. no one is going to want to stay at a hotel or go to the restaurants on-site if it takes an hour to get to them or leave them. something ROAN is hopefully thinking about… if they have some secret magic way to alleviate the traffic problems they should share it now and PROVE it! (and it should still be tested and checked by independent third party). what if there is a fire? medical emergency? will emergency vehicles be able to transverse the area? will part of westport be cut-off during the gridlock and mutual aide from norwalk have to be called in?
Your discussion of emergency vehicles and the need to ensure they can get to where they need to be raises some issues:
• In the May 15 meeting at Town Hall concerning the plan to replace the Cribari Bridge, CTDOT minutes said, “the project team noted the design will accommodate emergency vehicles, including future EV’s as the town expressed, they were looking to update their fleet.” All currently owned vehicles can use the present Cribari Bridge safely.
• But the town does not currently own the ladder trucks that would be necessary in the event of an emergency affecting any of the buildings in The Hamlet or the Hiawatha Ln project.
And begs questions such as:
Has the town asked Roan to—
• Contribute the equipment the town would need (e.g. ladder trucks) for an emergency in The Hamlet?
• Contribute a new or expanded fire station placed within or close to its Saugatuck holding?
• Fund a study on emergency needs for the larger Saugatuck region?
• Provide nearby land for the planned police/firestation headquarters the current administration has proposed?
Sorry… my information on the capabilities of the Westport fire department is inaccurate: after research I believe the Westport Fire Department in Connecticut currently owns and operates ladder trucks. Their primary aerial apparatus is Truck 1, a 1992 Sutphen with a 90-foot mid-mount platform. This truck was refurbished in 2013, with its aerial component remounted onto a 2013 Sutphen Monarch cab and chassis . 
In addition to Truck 1, the department operates Ladder 7, a 2006 Spartan/Smeal quint equipped with a 105-foot steel aerial ladder. This vehicle combines the functions of both a ladder truck and a pumper, carrying 500 gallons of water and featuring a 1,500 GPM pump. It also includes vehicle extrication equipment and was acquired through a federal grant in 2007 . 
Updating equipment as the town grows taller would obviously be necessary. And requiring developers of large projects to contribute to the emergency infrastructure is certainly reasonable.
Chris Grimm could spew more than 1,500 gph.
Okay I’m over my limit and I know you’re being sarcastic… but does anyone know that the fired department is in need of equipment to keep Westport safe? Of has the first Selectwoman dragged a red herring in front of CTDOT in order to foist a new bridge on us?
Thank you for this valuable info.
The construction phase of The Scamlet (3-5 years?) alone will crush the existing businesses in Saugatuck.From the VFW, Dunvilles/Little Pub to RR Place will be a nightmare of traffic…This project is hideous and not needed..
Good reporting, Katherine. Honest presentation of the various positions on the issue without inserting your own opinion. Keep up the good work.
If this project gets approved and goes forward, I do not see myself going to Saugatuck if I can avoid it. The calculus will be benefit vs hassle; the theoretical benefits are apt not to be worth the trouble. I wonder how many others feel the same.
Sadly, agreed.