Category Archives: Real estate

5-Year Affordable Housing Plan Draft Released

Posted on May 18, 2022 | 2 comments

The Planning & Zoning Commission has released the draft of the town’s 5-year Affordable Housing Plan. It was posted to the town website last night.

There is now a 35-day review period. It will include a Zoom community conversation, for feedback. The date and time has not yet been set.

The draft begins with a “Community Value Statement”:

To encourage the pro-active development and preservation of affordable (and below market rate) housing, including the development of affordable housing designed specifically to attract new families to Westport. The thoughtful creation of affordable housing is critical to ensuring a diverse community of residents in Westport.

With proper planning, new affordable development can be encouraged while preserving Westport’s charming small town feel, historic resources, green spaces and the suburban lifestyle that attracts residents to want to live in this community and raise their families here.

The issue of insufficient affordable housing is not unique to Westport and is not easily addressed in a community with such high land values, but this does not absolve us of the responsibility to create solutions.

Maximum monthly housing costs for “affordable units.” There are different requirements for different types of housing.

Then comes an “Executive Summary”:

Connecticut has become a very expensive place to live. Over the last decades, the costs of land, housing development, home building, and rent have risen faster than incomes. The town of Westport, like many Fairfield County communities that provide a suburban alternative to living in New York City, is zoned predominantly for single family homes.

For many years, the development of multifamily rentals and condominiums, accessory apartments and accessory dwelling units in Westport was limited. Multifamily units that were developed were often deed restricted for seniors
making it challenging for any families unable to afford a single family home to live in Westport.

Westport’s zoning regulations have changed and are continuing to change in order to foster the development of more affordable housing and provide opportunities for all demographic cohorts to live in Westport. Over the next several years, a significant number of new affordable units will be created in Westport based upon approvals and projects in the pipeline.

Accessory dwelling units have now been legalized. This is at 350 Greens Farms Road.

Action items to continue this momentum over the next 5 years include:

• Creating a new affordable community designed specifically for families, spearheaded by local elected officials with the assistance of the Department of Housing, on +/- 2 acres of state-owned land located in Greens Farms adjacent to public transit, grocery stores, retail and within walking distance of one of the State’s highest ranked elementary schools. Feasibility study funds have already been allocated by the Town using federal ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds.

• The formation of a town-funded Affordable Housing Trust Fund to direct resources towards future development of affordable housing.

• The immediate development of location specific plans for town-owned land to meaningfully expand and/or renovate existing rental housing/structures to create affordable housing, and to potentially partner with nonprofits engaged in this work. Potential properties include existing cottages at Longshore Park (260 Compo Road South), Linxweiler House (655 Post Road East), Adams Academy (15 Morningside Drive North), existing housing at Baron’s South (60 Compo
Road South) and the vacant lot adjacent to The Saugatuck (0 Bridge Street). Significant consideration should be given to the creation of pocket neighborhoods (small cottage/small home commons clusters).

A “model pocket neighborhood/cottage commons” design, courtesy of Ross Chapin AIA.

• Allocation of the approximately $1,700,000 in the town’s Real Property Fund to acquire land for future development of affordable housing.

• The deed restriction of existing town-owned rental properties so that they are affordable and remain affordable to renters.

• The elimination of zoning barriers to foster additional projects pursuant to Westport’s Inclusionary Housing Zone overlay by expanding the overlay zone and revising the regulations.

• The adoption of a new zoning district at Powell Place to ensure that existing deeply affordable housing (40% State Median Income or less) can be more intensively redeveloped with flexible parking requirements reflecting the availability of public lots nearby.

• Explore the process by which public funds can be used to “buy down” market rate units in approved/existing buildings to become affordable or more affordable, perhaps via the new Affordable Housing Trust Fund or existing Real Property Fund or both.

Westport’s progress toward achieving state-mandated 10% “affordable” 8-30g housing. Only units built after 1990 count toward the total.

• Explore opportunities to allow greater density in residential districts with a meaningful affordability component via the adoption of zoning code changes to permit historically contextual pocket neighborhoods with a shared commons when an antique home is preserved.

• The development of 225 multifamily units, including 70 affordable units as a result of the Westport Planning & Zoning Commission’s affirmative choice to settle several long-running lawsuits. Nineteen 3-bedroom units will be included because of the specific demand of the Westport Planning & Zoning Commission to address the needs of families seeking housing in Westport.

Not all affordable housing is in large buildings. 260-264 Riverside Avenue includes 9 units; 2 qualify as “affordable.”

• Focusing the commission & staff efforts on constantly reviewing new technology to create sustainable and inexpensive new construction via modular construction and prefab tiny/cottage home building. Advances in housing construction should be leveraged for development opportunities on town owned land and in order to incentivize developers to create aesthetically appropriate cottage communities around existing antique homes to ensure such homes are preserved.

The remainder of the 47-page report includes sections on “The Importance of Planning,” “Affordable Housing Basics,” “Existing Affordable Housing in Westport,” “Housing Needs Assessment,” Westport’s Current and Projected Population Profile,” “Current Strategies for Fostering Affordable and Below Market Rate Housing,” and “Implementation: The 5-Year Plan.” 

Click here for the full report. 

Two large affordable housing neighborhoods are Sasco Creek and Hidden Brook. A newer building, at the foot Long Lots Road, includes affordable units.

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Posted in Local politics, Real estate

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Art And History On Morningside Drive

Posted on May 16, 2022 | 10 comments

Right now, a Guggenheim Museum exhibit features the works of Vasily Kandinsky.

For years though, a Westport estate has had a connection to both the Guggenheim and Kandinsky.

It can be yours for just $4.995 million.

Main house at 77 Morningside Drive South.

The 77 Morningside Drive South property includes a guest house and barn. All told, there are 19 rooms, 8 bedrooms, 8 full baths, and 2 half-baths.

Plus a pool and tennis court.

Sure, you say, I’d love to buy it. But what if the neighbors suddenly cut down trees, or build an ugly McMansion next door?

No worries! The 3 acres of land is surrounded by a 7-acres preserve, owned by Aspetuck Land Trust. You pay for 3 acres, but really get 10.

Aerial view of 77 Morningside Drive South.

The history is as interesting as the property itself. Dating to 1870, and called the Sherwood-Grout house, the original home was bought by Hilla Von Rebay.

Born in Alsace in 1890, her father was a Prussian general. She attended private school in Paris, then dove into the bohemian lifestyles of Munich, Berlin and Paris, before spending time with the Dadaists in Zurich. She had numerous affairs, including one with Hans Arp.

Hilla von Rebay, around 1915.

In 1926, she came to the US. She was soon known as one of the most powerful but also most eccentric women in the art world.

She met Solomon Guggenheim, who was 30 years older and one of America’s wealthiest men. She inspired his interest in art, and advised him on what became his noted and extensive collection,

The pair — with Guggenheim’s wife — traveled throughout Europe. They met Marc Chagall, Paul Klee and Piet Mondrian, and bought hundreds of pieces of art.

Guggenheim and von Rebay rented an apartment at New York’s Plaza Hotel, and put on art exhibits there. They formed the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation in 1939, and planned a new building on Central Park.

The baroness was influential in selecting Frank Lloyd Wright (who called her a “superwoman”) to design what became the Guggenheim Museum. It took nearly 2 decades to complete, due to problems with finding a proper site, revisions of plans, and material and labor shortages during and after World War II.

Hilla von Rebay with a model of the proposed Guggenheim Museum, 1946.

Von Rebay — who had a 1-bedroom studio at Carnegie Hall — bought the Greens Farms property. She named it Franton Court, in honor of her parents, Franz and Toni. Every year, tulips were shipped from the Netherlands.

She replaced a living room wall with plate glass, offering a full view of the gardens she had created. She hung paintings by famed artists throughout the house, as well as a Calder mobile.

Von Rebay converted the barn into an enormous studio. Her artist friends — Chagall, Kandinsky, Leger and others — came to work there.

Hilla von Rebay in Westport in the 1940s, with Rudolf Bauer, Fernand Legerand and others.

Five years before she died, Von Rebay made plans for a foundation. She recommended that her house be maintained as an art gallery and research facility, so her collection, library and other modern art material could be available to visitors. She also wanted her then-14-acres of land to become a wildlife sanctuary.

The town nixed the museum. So the Guggenheim Museum now owns her paintings — some of which are shown in the current Kandinsky exhibit — along with 10,000 letters.

But the preserve remains.

Unlike some older properties, Von Rebay’s home has been well cared for. With 10-foot ceilings and large rooms, the flow feels very modern.

Kandinskys, Chagalls and Klees no longer hang on the walls. But 77 Morningside Drive South has just about everything else you could want.

Including one of the most fascinating, and little-known, histories in town.

(For more information on 77 Morningside Drive South, click here.) 

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Posted in Arts, Looking back, Real estate

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High Point For The Senior Center

Posted on May 15, 2022 | 9 comments

I’ve written before of my gratefulness for growing up on High Point Road.

At a mile, Westport’s longest cul-de-sac — and where my parents moved in 1956, when the (then-few) mailboxes were clustered together at Long Lots Road, and their address was not a street number but “Lot 12 East” — was its own true neighborhood.

Dozens of post-war baby boomers rode our bikes up and down High Point. We played games at the “turnaround,” wandered into and out of each other’s houses (and got fed by whoever’s mother happened to be in the kitchen), and gathered in large groups at bus stops (for Burr Farms Elementary School) or to walk (to Long Lots Junior High).

In this 1965 aerial view, Staples High School is on the left. An arrow points to High Point Road — and the house I grew up in.

We had block parties — first on empty lots near where Angora Lane is now, then on the Staples High athletic fields directly behind the homes on the road’s west side.

There was Christmas caroling (with Jewish families joining in), and all-road Halloween events.

Rod Serling and his family celebrating Christmas, at their High Point Road home.

Parents had their own adult-only parties. My mother and many other women formed a garden club, and planted pachysandra up and down the road. A monthly newsletter introduced newcomers to their neighbors, and vice versa.

Like many neighborhoods, the ages of families waxed and waned. Some decades rocked with lots of elementary kids; others were quieter, with far fewer. Eventually younger families moved in, and the cycle continued.

A map of residents through the years. “1954” refers to the first residents.

High Point is still a fantastic neighborhood (even if it’s more difficult for kids to cut through back yards now to get to Staples). But the High Point Road Association — a half-century-old tradition — faded away a few years ago.

There was not enough time (or interest?) among most new families to keep it going. The 2010s and ’20s are not the 1950s and ’60s.

There was just one issue: What to do about the $1,000 that remained in the bank account. It had sat there for years, untouched.

Ulla Atweh — the organization’s last president — had an idea. To honor of some of the older residents — men and women like Peg Nesbitt, Paul Heilman, Walter Eads and my own parents, who had kept the Association going, and the few remaining residents like Judy Weinstock and Estelle Kesselman who are the last links to the past — she gave the money to the Senior Center.

High Point Road continues to evolve. New homes are being built (including where I grew up, which long ago changed from “Lot 12 East” to “#34). New families are moving in.

Times change.

Maybe one day they’ll start a new High Point Association. For right now though, the Senior Center is richer, thanks to the generosity of this remarkable road.

Happy, friendly High Point Road residents, in 2019.

 

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Posted in Looking back, Real estate, Westport life

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Roundup: Ramadan, Ignazio’s, Westport Inn …

Posted on May 14, 2022 | 2 comments

On Thursday Adil Kassam, and Mehnaz and Atif Bhanjee — representatives of the Ismaili Muslim community — presented 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker, 2nd Selectwoman Andrea Moore, and the Westport Police and Fire Departments with gifts of appreciation.

During the holy month of Ramadan, it’s traditional to visit municipal offices, to express thanks and appreciation for the valuable contributions and services they provide.

Town officials, in turn, expressed gratitude for the Muslim community’s thanks.

Town officials and Ismaili Muslim community representatives, on Thursday.

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Two Westport pizza restaurants are looking for new owners.

Ignazio’s — which after many delays opened in November 2019, just 4 months before COVID struck — is one.

A description on BizBuySell reads: “Fantastic opportunity to take over a well executed and furnished Pizza restaurant. Casual and contemporary interior with a wood fired Pizza oven as the center piece makes for a great setting. Keep the existing, highly acclaimed concept….

“Capitalize on this highly trafficked corridor on the Post Road E. in Westport with great visibility, easy access and a parking lot that can accompany 30+ cars. Indoor seating capacity of 60 plus outdoor seating.

“Seller will stay on to train incoming buyer on all operations and recipes. Add a driver(s) to your staff to capitalize on delivery. Target marketing and added delivery will definitely bolster the bottom line.”

The asking price is $275,000. Rent is $8,000 a month. Ignazio’s lease runs through 2028.

The other restaurant is Golden Pizza, in the Westfair strip mall. Less information is available; the price for this business is $85,000. Click here for details. (Hat tip: Tony Litman)

Ignazio’s Pizza.

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The Westport Inn renovation continues.

On Tuesday, May 24 (7:30 p.m.; Zoom link), the Architectural Review Board will review the proposed transformation of the long-closed hotel, from 117 rooms to 41 hotel rooms, and 10 apartments.

According to the application, the front of the building would be demolished to create better parking, circulation, landscaping, and a new addition to the west side.

The Westport Inn,

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Opening night at the Levitt Pavilion opens with Fleetwood Mac.

Well, with Tusk, anyway — the ultimate Fleetwood Mac tribute band.

The Sunday, June 12 show kicks off a season of over 50 nights of free entertainment. The Tusk show is free too.

Free tickets will be available to Levitt Pavilion members today (Saturday) at noon. Public access begins tomorrow (Sunday) at noon. Click here for tickets, and more information.

Tusk

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For those who missed the Westport Library “#StopAsianHate: One Year Later” program last week, video links are available.

Click here or below for part 1 of the documentary “We Need to Talk About Anti-Asian Hate.

Click here for the panel discussion that followed.

Up next: a Remarkable Theater screening of “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (May 19, 8 p.m.). A short film about AAPI Westport will be shown before the feature. Click here for tickets.

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Aspetuck Land Trust’s next “Lunch & Learn” is “Designing Biodiversity: Pollinator Habitat Creation, Connectivity, and Research at the Aspetuck Haskins Preserve.”

Evan Abramson leads the session this Friday (May 20, noon to 1:15 p.m.). He’ll discuss current research at ALT’s Haskins Preserve in Westport, to improve the landscape for at-risk pollinators.

Participants will receive a PDF of the Pollinator Toolkit to use on their own properties. Click here to register.

Haskins Preserve, a hidden Westport gem.

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Cheese fries and Froot Loops may not be on the menu at any Westport restaurant. But it’s the name of a one-man show at Fairfield Theater Company May 23 (8 p.m. — free!).

Westporter Mark Graham is directing Chris Fuller’s production, getting ready for Off-Broadway. The star is the son of noted Weston author Elizabeth Fuller, and grew up there.

It is described as “a true, moving and humorous story of a professional golfer’s struggle with bipolar disorder, and his unexpected journey to enlightenment.” Click the teaser below:

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Janette Kinnally sends this obituary for her mother, Janet Kinnally, who died last week at 80.

“She was a loving, kind soul that cared deeply about her family and friendships. I don’t think I ever met a person who did not remember her with great affection and fondness.

“She grew up in London, during the war, and her family of 5 girls was displaced. She lived in a convent for 5 years. When she returned back home, her father suddenly passed away when she was 15. She needed to make money and worked in many jobs, including as an usherette. She met the Beatles. She worked in England until she moved to the States to help her sister, who had moved to Connecticut.

“While on a work visa, she met my father at an insurance company at the age of 23. It was love at first sight for my father. They dated for several weeks until she told him she had to go back to England. My father wrote and said he would like to visit. He went to England, but bought 2 tickets back to the States. He asked her to move back and stay with his family.

“They got married in 1967. They had a true love story. The ones you read about in books, that you wish you had; that was their love and affection for each other. They held hands and walked every day at the beach or her favorite place, Sherwood Island, until my mom could no longer walk a few months ago. They were married for 55 years. She was my dad’s one true love.

“My mom and dad moved to Westport in 1967 and gave birth to me in 1969, her one and only child. We had a special bond. She said I taught her what true unconditional love was. I understand what she means, now that I have 2 boys (ages 16 and 11) of my own. She loved her two grandchildren, Mikhail and Andrew, more than anything.

“My mom was also a lifelong health and wellness pioneer. She sought out Eastern and holistic healing modalities throughout her life. She worked for a chiropractor, a naturopathic doctor and as a caregiver for end-of-life patients. She loved nature, gardens, the ocean and animals, and was a dog walker. She loved helping others. She was truly an amazing woman who inspired me daily.

“My mom and dad enjoyed traveling around the world. Every year they met up with her sister and brother-in-law to travel to a different destination around the globe. They had many stories to share of their adventures and the amazing people they met around the world.

“I moved back to Westport  in 2012 with my husband Andrey and my two boys, wanting to be close to my parents as my mom’s health declined from dementia/Alzheimer’s. We lived together until the end of her life.

“I feel grateful that we had the last 10 years together, so she could spend time with me and my children. We have many special memories together, but the ones I remember most are singing at the dinner table and afterwards dancing to the music from the ’50s and ’60s, or doing karaoke at our house during the holidays with our extended family.

“My mom will be greatly missed by our family every day, but her love and her life lessons and generosity of spirit will live on in us forever!

“Please make donations in her honor to the Westport Senior Center or alz.org, an organization providing support, care and research for Alzheimer’s.”

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A memorial service and reception to celebrate the life of Joel Hallas is set for Saturday, May 21 (2 p.m., the Memorial Garden of Saugatuck Congregational Church). A reception will follow also in the garden.

Joel Hallas died in November.

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Every May, hundreds of turtles from the Saugatuck River collect on the low tide island south of the Levitt Pavilion.

It started yesterday. Soon, there will be a lot more.

Tom Feeley sent today’s “Westport … Naturally” photo, taken from the west bank. That’s Grace Salmon Park in the background.

(Photo/Tom Feeley)

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And finally … if you’re wondering where Tusk — the Fleetwood Mac band that opens the Levitt Pavilion season next month (story above) got its name — click below.

 

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Posted in Entertainment, Obituaries, Real estate, religion, Restaurants

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Historic Homeowner Says: “Please Return Our Fixtures And Furniture!”

Posted on May 7, 2022 | 2 comments

For a while, it looked like the South Morningside home owned for decades by  noted artists Walter and Naiad Einsel — and before that, Charles B. Sherwood (of Sherwood Island fame) — would be demolished.

A developer bought the property, and — despite its history, and its location on wetlands — tried to take advantage of the state 8-30g statute. It takes precedence over historic districts and flooding issues.

Three years ago, the developer and town reached a settlement. The handsome structures were saved.

The Morningside Drive South home of Walter and Naiad Einsel.

Since the beginning of this year, Lillie Fortino Tsahirides and here husband have been renovating the Victorian home. Their goal is to reuse and rehabilitate as many of the original fixtures and elements possible.

On  Thursday they learned that 2 to 3 people entered the property during working hours — while contractors were there — and helped themselves to light fixtures, furniture, and other elements.

“I guess they assumed it was trash,” Lillie writes on the Facebook Front Porch page.

One of the “missing” light fixtures.

She adds: “While it’s upsetting to know that individuals thought it alright to enter our private property, I’m really devastated over the loss of irreplaceable original fixtures. Someone went so far as to help themselves to our dog’s poop scoop.”

She’s taking the high road: “If you were one of those who mistakenly thought these items were up for grabs/intended for trash, please, PLEASE, return them.

“It’s hard to imagine several people would blatantly rob us in broad daylight, so I’m hoping this is all a big misunderstanding.

“If you know of someone who was involved, please ask them to return the poperty, no questions asked.”

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Posted in Looking back, Real estate

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There Goes The Neighborhood

Posted on May 3, 2022 | 11 comments

Sure, you live in Westport.

But you also live in Greens Farms. Maybe Coleytown. Or Saugatuck.

Those are a few of the neighborhoods that make up our town. Some are long established, predating our founding in 1835. Some are newer, the result of growth or realtors’ whims.

All are part of ‘06880.”

Karen Scott knows Westport neighborhoods as well as anyone. A co-founder of KMS Partners @ Compass, the other day she took me on a (phone) tour of town.

The Mid-Fairfield County Board of Realtors defines 13 distinct Westport neighborhoods. Besides the 3 mentioned above, there are a few everyone recognizes: Old Hill and Compo Beach, for example. Some are less well known, like Red Coat in the far northwest, Long Lots, Roseville/North Avenue and Compo South (see map below).

(Map courtesy of Mid-Fairfield County Board of Realtors)

A couple are new. Hunt Club (from the Fairfield border and Cross Highway west to Bayberry and south to the Post Road) and Compo Commons (the smallest of all, more commonly known as Gault).

But 2 caught my eye. One is In-Town. The area between the Merritt Parkway, Saugatuck River, Post Road and Roseville Road — with, among others, North Compo and all its side streets — has, with the influx of families from Manhattan and Brooklyn, suddenly become very desirable.

They like the proximity to downtown — they can walk there in theory, if not practice. Until recently though, no one lived “In-Town.” They just lived “close to town.”

Washington Avenue, an “In-Town” neighborhood. (Photo/Google Street View)

The other relatively new name is “Saugatuck Island.” When I was a kid, there was just “Saugatuck Shores.” (And houses there were among the cheapest in Westport. Some were not winterized. Who wanted to live way out there, anyway?!)

But a while ago — no one is sure when — some residents living beyond the wooden bridge decided to become even more exclusive than what had then become the already prestigious Saugatuck Shores.

Hence “Saugatuck Island.” One long-time and embarrassed resident cringes every time she hears it. But there it is, complete with a large sign at the entrance. (Fun fact: No other Westport neighborhood has an actual “entrance.”)

(Photo/Gene Borio)

Karen Scott says that neighborhoods are a good way to describe Westport. “Everyone has preferences,” she notes. “Some people want land, not neighbors. Others don’t want a lot of land. Some prefer near the beach, or close to town. Some want to be close to amenities. Some want to be close to the train station, I-95 or the Merritt” — though with COVID, commuting convenience is less of a concern these days.

The hot real estate market has cooled the “neighborhood” concept a bit, she says. “When there aren’t a lot of homes for sale, some people say, ‘I don’t care. I just want to be in Westport.'”

The neighborhood concept itself has evolved (and become more formalized). At one time, Karen says, areas of town were designated by school districts. (That was probably easier when there were 3 junior highs — Bedford [now Saugatuck Elementary School], Coleytown and Long Lots — rather than just 2 middle schools, located a mile from each other.)

The Long Lots neighborhood has been “sub-divided.” It now includes the Hunt Club area.

As a realtor, Karen Scott is used to describing Westport’s 13 “official” neighborhoods, then squiring clients around to those that sound interesting.

Some buy in neighborhoods they took a quick liking to. Others end up in ones they did not originally consider.

But for all its different neighborhoods, Westport is really one big small town. And most people, Karen says, find “joy and happiness” all over, once they’re here.

Wherever that is.

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Posted in Beach, Real estate, Saugatuck

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Roundup: Birds, Gifts, Music …

Posted on April 23, 2022 | 2 comments

Here’s a bright idea: The Connecticut Ornithological Association has just launched a “Lights Out Connecticut” initiative.

Residents, businesses, schools and building managers can pledge to turn off non-essential exterior lighting each night from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m., during periods of peak bird migration. The goal is to help save migratory birds.

Connecticut joins Colorado, Georgia and Texas as the only places in the nation with statewide “Lights Out” programs.

The COA says that because most North American migratory birds travel at night, artificial light can disorient them, leading to fatal window collisions. There may be as many as 988,000,000 bird deaths in the US each year.

It’s a great idea. It’s especially welcome by residents of Cottage Lane. They’ve been aggravated by bright lights at the new 1480 Post Road East development nearby. The Planning & Zoning Commission has ordered a new lighting plan by May 9.

It can’t come soon enough for the neighbors. Or the birds. (Click here for the full Connecticut Ornithological Association story.)

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Need gift ideas for Mothers Day, Teacher Appreciation Week (May 2-6) or Nurse Appreciation Week (May 6-12)?

How about a gift for yourself?

Beauty consultant Carmela Cusano can help. She’ll be at Salon Nash tomorrow (Sunday, April 24, 1 to 4 p.m., Nash’s Plaza, 179 Post Road West).

While you’re there, enjoy a free wash and blow dry, courtesy of owner Felicia Catale, the great and very generous owner.

How’s that for a great gift!

Felicia Catale

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It took a while during the pandemic for Hook’d to get its act together.

But the Compo Beach concession stand was open yesterday for business.

Anyone can enjoy a meal there before May 1. On that date, stickers are required for beach entrance.

(Photo/Karen Como)

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Westport has many adult education offerings in many areas.

Andrew Smith thinks there are not enough in music.

He’s the executive director of Suzuki Music Schools of Westport & Orange — well known as a center for early childhood, and middle and high school, programs.

The Suzuki Philosophy is that children need an immersive experience in music. Smith says that holds true for adults too. Suzuki is not just for kids.

The school offers basic classes like Music Reading for Beginners, and Listening to Classical Music. Smith hopes to add Singing for Pleasure, Film Music and Composing.

He’d also like to create a Suzuki Members Club for Adults, with social engagement, public concerts and use of the facility. It would be like rowing or golf clubs — but focused on music.

Click here for more information, and registration.

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May is flower month at Wakeman Town Farm.

“Blooming With Paint’ (May 9, 6 to 8 p.m.) is a painting and drawing workshop, focusing on floral still life and challenging students to notice scale, proportion and placement.

Each participant receives a piece of handmade Nujabi paper, watercolor and oil pastels, paint brushes, Nujabi paper and drawing board. Click here for more information, and to register.

WTF also offers “sweet and whimsical spring flowers” for Mothers Day. Each bouquet comes in a mason jar tied with grosgrain ribbon. They’re $55, and designed by Sarah Shaw Floral Design exclusively for Wakeman Town Farm.

Orders will be taken through May 4. Pickup is at the Farm on Saturday, May 7 (10 a.m. to 1 p.m.) A portion of the proceeds supports WTF programs. Click here to order.

Wakeman Town Farm Mothers Day flowers. (Photo/Nancy Elizabeth Hill Photography)

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The Camp Gallery’s new solo show is “The Rooms of Joseph Ginsberg.”

There’s an opening reception next Friday (April 29, 5 to 7 p.m.) at 190 Post Road East. The show runs through May 24.

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It’s 2 years late. But Staples High School’s Class of 1980 celebrates their 40th (okay, 42nd) reunion (and giant 60th birthday party for all) this year.

The main event is Saturday, August 13 at LaKota Oaks in Norwalk. The 65-acre site features a pool, basketball and volleyball courts, horseshoes and more. Dinner includes a DJ and dancing.

There are also meet-ups as Viva Zapata (Thursday, August 11) and the Black Duck (Friday, August 12).

As is traditional, they’ll raise money in honor of beloved classmate Susan Lloyd, to support The Susan Fund.

PS: Thanks to a generous donor, tickets are (almost) free!

Click here for more information. Questions? Email Amy Potts: amy@aapk.com.

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This guy popped out the other day at Sherwood Mill Pond.

Then he looked John Kantor in the eye, stood still, and posed for a “Westport … Naturally” photo.

(Photo/John Kantor)

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And finally … in honor of the photo directly above:

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Posted in Arts, Beach, Environment, Local business, Real estate, Staples HS

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New Homes Take Trees. Local Design Company Plants Thousands.

Posted on April 23, 2022 | Comments Off on New Homes Take Trees. Local Design Company Plants Thousands.

It takes a lot of trees to build a new home.

And that’s not counting the ones that are cleared, making way for construction.

Architectural Designs plays a big role in new houses. The family-owned $20 million company — relocated from Westport to Wilton and then, last year, to Fairfield — offers over 30,000 pre-drawn house plans from more than 200 architects and designers, to homeowners and builders who lack the time or budget to create one themselves.

They add several plans a day to their website, and sell thousands a year.

That’s a lot of chopped-down trees. But Architectural Designs is planting far more.

They’ve partnered with Ecologi, a company that helps businesses and individuals reduce their carbon footprint through a tree-planting service.

The 2 firms joined forces last month. In those few weeks, over 21,000 trees have been planted on their behalf, in the US, Britain, Nicaragua, Madagascar, Mozambique Kenya and Australia.

Architectural Designs estimates they’ll plant over 100,000 trees each year. That’s a lot of wood. A lot fewer carbon emissions.

One more benefit: a lot of jobs created across the globe.

Jon Davis — a 1985 Staples High School graduate, Architectural Designs CEO, and son of former head Joel Davis, the longtime Westporter who kept what was then a design magazine when he sold his Davis Publications business in the 1980s — explains how the program works.

For every home plan purchased from Architectural Designs, Ecologi will plant 10 trees. They’ll also plant 5 for every garage, shed or pool house plan — and 1 just for buying a cost estimate.

Reforestation, thanks to Architectural Designs and Ecologi.

The program launched quietly. On Friday — Arbor Day — Architectural Designs will roll out a website counter.

Clients can watch the number of trees planted rapidly — perhaps with satisfaction, from the comfort of their new Architectural Designs-designed home.

Comments Off on New Homes Take Trees. Local Design Company Plants Thousands.

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Friday Flashback #293

Posted on April 22, 2022 | 7 comments

Westport is a town of neighborhoods.

There are big ones, like Saugatuck Shores, Greens Farms and Coleytown.

There are smaller neighborhoods too: Old Hill for example, or the recent real estate designation of “Hunt Club.”

But other neighborhood names have disappeared. Who ever heard of “Evergreen Heights”?

Yet there it is, clearly marked on a 1923 map found by Tom Cook.

Evergreen Heights was the area around Gorham Avenue, Washington Avenue, and of course Evergreen Parkway.  The lots — presumably ready to build on — were owned by Leonard Gault and Edward Bradley.

But what was “Grant Avenue,” off Washington? It looked like a big road. What happened to it?

Turns out, it’s still there — sort of.

It’s now just “Grant Lane,” a tiny street. I’ve lived in Westport all my life — right now, pretty much around the corner from there — and I’ve never heard of it.

(Photo/Tom Cook)

If you know anything about Evergreen Heights, or Grant Lane — like was it named for Ulysses S., or someone else? — click “Comments” below.

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Roundup: Affordable Housing Meeting, Tyler Hicks, Vinyl …

Posted on April 11, 2022 | 2 comments

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Everyone in Westport has a stake in affordable housing.

For the first time, all 4 political parties — including the 2 formed around land-use issues — have joined to co-sponsor a forum. 

Tomorrow (Tuesday, April 12, 7 p.m., Town Hall and Zoom at www.westportct.gov), 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker and Planning & Zoning Commission chair Danielle Dobin host a community conversation about Westport’s “5-Year Affordability Plan.” It’s a joint effort of the Republican and Democratic Town Committees, Save Westport Now and the Coalition for Westport.

Among Westport’s affordable housing options: Sasco Creek Village.

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Six weeks after Russia invade Ukraine, Tyler Hicks continues to show the carnage to the world.

The 1988 Staples High School graduate — a Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times photographer — is now in Kramatorsk, where more than 50 civilians trying to flee the region were killed in a train station missile attack.

This is one of several striking images posted yesterday by the Times. Click here for more.

A worker cleans debris outside the Kramatorsk train station. (Photo/Tyler Hicks for the New York Times)

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A large crowd Saturday night helped launch what is believed to be the public library record label in the world.

The first vinyl on that first label is “Verso Records: Volume 1.” It’s a 500-copy compilation of emerging and established musicians in the tri-state region.

They play a variety of genres, including jazz, rock, folk, indie and hip hop. All tracks were recorded at the Library’s Verso Studios, a state-of-the-art, hybrid-analog SSL facility.

Chris Frantz — a founding member of Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club, and a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee — calls himself “a major fan of the Westport Library, and the creativity they’re cultivating in artists throughout the region.”

Tracks available for download include Daniprobably (indie pop band), Alexandra Burnet and the Stable Six (ethereal singer-songwriter and band), Ports of Spain, (indie rock) and the Zambonis (“hockey rock”).

The album also includes hip hop artists MIGHTYMOONCHEW and Dooley-O; post punk artists Lulu Lewis; new wave musician Nicki Butane; singer-songwriter Terri Lynn; the John Collinge Jazz Quartet; indie rockers Tiny Ocean; garage punk band The Problem with Kids Today, and roots Americana rock The Split Coils.

To view session recording videos at Verso Studios, click here.  To preorder the album, click here.

Tammy Winser was named winner of the album cover design contest, at VersoFest Saturday night. Her artwork is displayed behind her. (Photo/Jerri Graham)

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Two folks with longtime Westport roots have joined the board of the Remarkable Theater.

David Waldman will serve as co-president. Angela Wormser is the director of workforce.

Waldman and his wife Yvette have supported the the Remarkable Theater  since its inception. Since founding David Adam Realty in 1991, he has developed some of the area’s most important commercial properties, including Bedford Square and the west bank of the Saugatuck River. Waldman is also a past president of the Westport Downtown Association, and has sat on its board for almost 2 decades. He was also a board member of the Downtown Plan Implementation Committee.

Wormser, an educator with a strong background in special educaiton, will help expand the Remarkable’s mission of creating opportunities for people with disabilities.

Angela’s role will focus on helping expand The Remarkable’s mission of creating opportunities for individuals with disabilities.

The current board includes State Representative Jonathan Steinberg and filmmaker Douglas Tirola. Both have been members since the beginning of the Westport Cinema Initiative. Stacie Curran continues as vice president and secretary.

Angela Wormser and David Waldman

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When Pastor Alison Patton embarks on a sabbatical in June, Saugatuck Congregational Church welcomes a “theologian in residence.”

Jim Antal — a nationally recognized climate expert, and author of “Climate Church, Climate World,” will share his expertise with the congregation and greater community through conversations, discussions, lectures and sermons.

The church seeks housing for Antal and his wife for their 3-week stay in June (June 1-22). A donation of living space, bedroom and kitchen is ideal; an inexpensive rental is the second option.

Anyone offering either possibility should email Priscilla Long: pal9948@aol.com.

Saugatuck Congregational Church seeks housing for a guest pastor.

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On Saturday, the Westport Rotary Club participated in Westport Parks & Recreation Department Clean-Up Day.

Dozens of Rotarians began and the Compo Beach skatepark, then headed to the Longshore driving range.

They shouldn’t have to pick up after the rest of us. But they sure did a great job!

Part of the Westport Rotary Club, with part of their trash collection.

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Spring weather brought many Westporters outside, preparing their lawns and gardens for new growth.

Teenagers Leilani Fleming and Ellen Ou headed to Sherwood Island State Park. They planted grass shoots today, as part of an ongoing effort to shore up the shore.

Ellen Ou and Leilani Fleming, hard at work.

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Visitors to the famed Musée de l’Elysée in Lausanne, Switzerland — one of the world’s leading institutions entirely devoted to photography — enjoy many images.

Including 2 from Westporter Larry Silver.

They’re now more accessible to his neighbors. Silver is exhibiting at Fairfield University Art Museum’s Quick Center, in the “13 Ways of Looking at Landscapes” show.

Larry will be in a conversation there about his photos on Wednesday (April 20, 5 p.m.).

“Girl at Showers,” one of 2 Larry Silver images on display in Lausanne.

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Dr. Stephen Rubin, a Westport resident for over 55 years, died last week after a battle with cancer. The educational philosopher and innovator was 83.

After graduating from Samuel J. Tilden High School in Brooklyn, he studied education and general systems theory at Brooklyn College and New York University. where he earned his (first) Ph.D. in 1965.

At 23 Dr. Rubin, became the principal of Center School in New Canaan. He made an indelible mark on education, student success and the hearts and minds of multiple generations of students, faculty and other staff from 1965 until 1983, when it closed.

Under his direction, and with a strong staff of teachers and administrators, Center School became a social-educational experiment featured in national publications like Newsweek and the New York Times for its extraordinary atmosphere and remarkable outcomes.

After closing Center School, Rubin served as assistant superintendent of schools in New Canaan until his first retirement in 2003.

As founder and president of the Institute for General Systems Management, He brought his vision about elementary education to a national audience. He was a frequent speaker at The Aspen Institute. Rubin also authored the book Public Schools Should Learn to Ski: A Systems Based Approach to Education; it is still considered seminal reading at the Harvard School of Education.

In 1994 Rubin joined the administrative faculty at Sacred Heart University, where he was founder and director of Educational Leadership and Management. He retired in 2014.

He met Adrienne Jurow in 1959, when they both taught at the same school in Brooklyn. They married in 1961.

Rubin and his wife had homes in Ridgefield; Boynton Beach, Florida, and Truro, Massachusetts. He is survived by son Jason (Louise) and daughter Tory Miller (Robert), plus grandchildren Damon, Madison, Olivia, Alexandria and Trevor, and nephew Seth.

Dr. Stephen Rubin

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I try to run “Westport … Naturally” photos within a couple of days after receiving them. Timing is everything.

It’s especially important with this spring-is-here! photo from Hillspoint Road, by Suzanne Raboy. It illustrates beautifully why this is such a wondrous time of year here.

But — sadly — if I wait even a few days, it will be gone.

(Photo/Suzanne Raboy)

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And finally … On this day in 1727, Johann Sebastian Bach’s St Matthew Passion premiered at St. Thomas Church in Leipzig.

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Posted in Arts, Library, Local politics, Obituaries, Real estate

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