Category Archives: Real estate

A Grand Grand List

Posted on February 8, 2022 | 2 comments

Westport’s Grand List is … grand.

Town Assessor Paul Friia has announced that 2021’s net Grand List of $11,100,020,664 represents an increase of approximately 2.4 percent from the previous year’s $10,830,370,714.

The Grand List is the sum of the net assessed value of all taxable property (real estate, motor vehicles and personal property). It will be used for fiscal year 2022-2023 town budget calculations.

Motor vehicles and personal property are valued annually, while real estate is updated based on the market values determined as of the town’s last revaluation date (October 1, 2020).

The 1.5% increase in real estate assessment results from “continued residential and commercial new construction, as well as renovation activity that occurred within the last assessment year.”

Construction on a new 32-unit condominium development at 41 Richmondville Road, completion of a 32-unit apartment complex at 1480 Post Road East, reconstruction of the Volvo dealership at 556 Post Road East and the building of approximately 80 new homes contributed to increases in the 2021 real estate Grand List.

The conversion of The Mill at 41 Richmondville Avenue into condominiums has boosted Westport’s Grand List.

Personal property increased slightly above 4 percent, suggesting a reinvestment in local new and existing businesses, Friia says.

Motor vehicles increased by 27 percent. That’s a result of increases in new and used car prices, and a 25% increase in new car purchases over 2020.

Real estate ($10,304,249,099) makes up 92.83% of the total. Motor vehicles ($464,302,240) and personal property ($331,469,325) account for the rest.

Friia also released a list of Westport’s Top 10 taxpayers. They are:

  • Connecticut Light & Power Inc. ($139,809,200)
  • 60 Nyala Farms Road LLC ($83,340,130)
  • Bedford Square Associates LLC ($53,321,200)
  • Equity One Westport Village Center ($33,126,100)
  • Aquarion ($29,464,050)
  • Byelas LLC ($24,856,700)
  • LCB Westport LLC (@24,532,860)
  • 1735 Ashley LLC ($20,312,760)
  • 285 & 325 Riverside LLC ($19,470,500)
  • Ronnie F. Heyman Trustee ($18,214,400),

The Nyala Farms office complex is Westport’s 2nd highest taxpayer.

 

 

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Posted in Economy, Local politics, Real estate

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“06880” Podcast: Karen Scott

Posted on February 7, 2022 | 2 comments

Karen Scott is a longtime Westporter — and one of our town’s most successful realtors.

She knows where all the bodies (and oil tanks) are buried. She’s passionate about her profession. And she loves to talk about it.

The other day, Karen and I chatted at the Westport Library, for my latest Verso Studios podcast.

Why are Westporters so invested (ho ho) in the real estate market? What are the hot neighborhoods and latest trends? How can you sell a house on road filled with traffic? And what is “real estate porn”?

Karen answers all those questions — and many more — with insight, real-life examples, and a smile. Click below to learn (as I did) all about life as a Westport realtor.

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Posted in Library, Media, Real estate

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Roundup: Olympic Snowboarding, Cell Tower, Dogfight …

Posted on February 5, 2022 | 4 comments

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Julia Marino has qualified for the Olympic snowboarding final!

The Westport native — who now trains in Breckenridge, Colorado, and has faced a number of obstacles during her time on the team — fell twice on her first slopestyle run yesterday. But she blazed to a great 71.78 in her second attempt, finishing 6th.

She’ll be joined by teammates Jamie Anderson and Hailey Langland in the final. It’s set for Sunday in China — which is 8:30 p.m. tonight (Saturday), on NBC. Click here for the streaming link. Click here for more information on Julia, and the US team. (Hat tip: Dave Briggs)

Julia Marino

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It’s back to the drawing board — and 92 Greens Farms Road — for a new cell tower.

Tarpon Towers/AT&T had originally proposed a structure for private property there, abutting I-95 near Hillspoint Road.

Then came a new site: the office park at 55 Greens Farms Road next to Assumption Cemetery, a couple of hundred yards west and across the street.

Now, the owner of that property has withdrawn the site from consideration.

A public information will still be held on Tuesday (February 8, 7 p.m., Zoom), to consider the 92 Greens Farms Road location.

The Public Information Session scheduled for Tuesday, February 8, 2022 at 7:00 PM will concentrate on the originally proposed location at 92 Greens Farms Road.

Click here for the legal notice. Click here for the Zoom link for the meeting.

A cell tower been proposed for the property on the left: 92 Greens Farms Road. (Photo courtesy of Google Maps)

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More local government news: Next Tuesday’s Board of Finance meeting to discuss using ARPA funds for low-density affordable housing on the Post Road near West Parish Lane will be held in the Town Hall auditorium — not Room 309 of that building.

This Post Road site next to Walgreens has been proposed for low-density affordable housing.

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“06880” is “where Westport meets the world.” But the University of Michigan is no slouch. It’s “where Staples Players meets the theatrical world.”

A student group is producing “Dogfight.” Players alums Jamie Mann (musical theater) and Brandon Malin (lighting) — both first-years there — are deeply involved.

“Dogfight” is a 2012 musical adaptation of the 1991 coming-of-age-during-Vietnam film. Staples 2003 grad Justin Paul wrote the music and lyrics with his writing partner Benj Pasek. Both also graduated from Michigan.

The book was by Peter Duchan (Staples ’01). He has known Paul since Coleytown Middle School (and has no connection to Michigan — Duchan went on to Northwestern University).

Paul and Pasek did a Zoom call with the cast. No word on whether they asked Mann and Malin how Players is doing.

Click here for a link to Michigan’s “Dogfight” page.

Brandon Malin (left) and Jamie Mann, in the “Dogfight” theater.

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Speaking of Staples Players: Congrats to 2021 graduate Sophie Rossman. The New York University freshman appears in the short film “Clare,” which premieres at the prestigious SXSW Film Festival next month.

Click here for details.

Sophie Rossman (Photo/Kerry Long)

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And speaking still of Staples Players — though in a very different way — Meredith Boak is Harvard Law School’s new assistant dean for clinical and pro bono programs.

The 2001 Staples graduate — yes, she was in Players the same year as Duchan — most recently served as senior vice president of revenue and development at Teach For America, overseeing and executing its sustainable funding strategy.

Boak has been a lecturer at Harvard Law since 2013. She earned an undergraduate degree in political science from Columbia University, and a master’s in secondary English education from Pace.

Meredith Boak

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Through all kinds of weather — snow, rain, mist, fog — the Earthplace foliage hangs on. Rowene Weems snapped today’s “Westport … Naturally” photo there.

(Photo/Rowene Weems Photography)

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And finally … if you enjoyed the item about “Dogfight” (above), and want to know more — click here:

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Posted in Entertainment, Real estate, Sports, technology

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ARPA Request: Funds For Low-Density Affordable Housing

Posted on February 4, 2022 | 7 comments

Westport will receive $8.4 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. Over $750,000 had already been approved for public health, tree trimming, network protection, bus shelters and COVID-related expenses.

This week the Representative Town Meeting (RTM) approved $1.3 million for the Burying Hill Beach jetty, and $200,000 for 12 local arts non-profits. In the pipeline: downtown enhancements.

Next Wednesday (February 9, 7:30 p.m., Town Hall auditorium), the Board of Finance will consider a request for $150,000. The funds would support pre-development activities for low-density affordable housing at Post Road East, by West Parish Road. The request includies architectural fees, engineering site work, surveys, and traffic and environmental studies.

The parcel is on state Department of Transportation land, adjacent to Walgreens. Vehicles and equipment are stored there now.

Part of the Post Road East site, between Walgreens and West Parish Road.

The request comes from Westport’s Department of Human Services.  It describes “approximately 20 or more multi-family housing units in a desirable location, without high-density 8-30g project proposals from the private sector, which would typically include and additional 80+ market-rate units.”

DHS says the ARPA funds would help Westport gain moratorium points “to curtail 8-30g applications, which often result in dense housing and zoning battles.”

The proposal adds that “access to quality, affordable housing creates jobs, enhances economic development opportunities, and helps address the long history of segregated communities in (Connecticut) by creating viable options for new families to live in Westport.”

Under state law, only 3.6% of the town’s housin stock currently qualifies as “affordable.”

The DHS proposal links the funding request with ARPA’s aim — to support state, local and tribal governments’ responses to, and recovery from, the pandemic — by noting that the higher-income households have weathered COVID “without significant income losses, low-interest rates, and housing supply constraints”; in fact, it says, home values have soared.

Meanwhile, “many low-income renters and homeowners struggle with lost employment and income and are behind on their housing payments.”

The Human Services report concludes, “it is challenging to fund this development through traditional HUD and CAFA sources because it is so small in scale. Without assistance from the Town — via ARPA or other funds — a project of this scale isn’t feasible.

“Today, we have an opportunity to create the type of housing needed in Westport — quality, affordable housing for families that is centrally located with access to transportation resources and meets our community’s needs.”

(The February 9 Board of Finance meeting will be livestreamed, for those unable to be at Town Hall. Go to http://www.westportct.gov; select the “How Do I?”” heading, then “Watch Town Meetings.” It will also be shown on Optimum Channel 79 and Frontier Channel 6020. Comments to be read during the public comment period may be emailed to BOFcomments@westportct.gov, with full name and address. Click here for the full agenda.)

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Posted in Economy, Local politics, Politics, Real estate

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Roundup: Cell Tower, Health & Wellness, Will Haskell …

Posted on January 22, 2022 | Comments Off on Roundup: Cell Tower, Health & Wellness, Will Haskell …

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The northeast corner of the office building complex at 55 Greens Farms Road — the one that seems oddly out of place, next to Assumption Cemetery between Hillspoint and Hales Roads — may be the site of Westport’s next cell tower.

The site is an alternate for previous discussions about a tower at 92 Greens Farms Road. Both were proposed by Tarpon Towers and AT&T.

Construction at the office complex would involve a wetland crossing. It will be reviewed by the Westport Conservation Commission on January 31. A public information session is set for February 8 to discuss the 2 locations. Both meetings will be held virtually.

Click here for more information.

55 Greens Farms Road: proposed site of the cell tower.

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With COVID still hanging around, health and wellness is more important than ever.

WestportMoms just released their 2022 Health &Wellness guide.

They say: “Whether you need new motivation for working out, new ideas for what to cook each night, some CBD to help you sleep, or even someone to help you organize that closet or garage, we have you covered.”

Referring to fellow moms, they add: “We spent 2020 and 2021 making sure everyone else was feeling ok. Now it’s your turn!”

Click here for the free guide.

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You’ve read about Will Haskell on “06880.” Now hear him live at the Westport Library.

The State Senator dons his author’s hat on Thursday (January 27, 7 p.m., in-person and Zoom). He’ll talk about his new book: 100,000 First Bosses: My Unlikely Path as a 22-Year-Old Lawmaker.

It’s the story of his campaign for the State Senate at age 22 — and then learning

Will is both a gifted politician and an entertaining author,. For a seat at the Library or to watch from home, click here.

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And finally … Jon Lind, who wrote hit songs for Earth Wind & Fire, Madonna, Vanessa Williams and others, died recently. He was 73, and had battled cancer for 2 years.

Among his biggest tunes: “Boogie Wonderland,” “Sun Goddess,” “Crazy for You” and “Save the Best for Last.”

Click here for a full obituary. (Hat tip: Amy Schneider)

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Posted in Environment, Library, Local politics, Media, Politics, Real estate, technology

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Coastal: Another Look At Construction And Trees

Posted on January 18, 2022 | 9 comments

If there’s one thing I’ve learned writing “06880,” it’s that every voice deserves to be heard.

I heard Joe Feinleib’s this weekend. I wanted to learn more about his company — Coastal Construction — in light of the controversy over the home he’s building for himself on Prospect Road.

Joe and Coastal have been in Westport for 18 years. He’s got a design degree, and says that he starts every project with aesthetics in mind — not economics.

He wanted to change the look of homes being built here: “the same box Colonial, almost totally devoid of character.” He says that out of over 100 homes built in Westport, none are duplicates.

Joe is responsible too for the building at the southeast corner of Morningside North and the Post Road (First County Bank and the Coastal Point apartments). He used a combination of native grasses and, in the rear — after collaborating with neighbors — slow-growing spruces.

Coastal’s Morningside development, with rosebud trees.

He’s also behind the restoration of the mill building on Richmondville Avenue. Rather than knocking it down to put up 5 or 6 new homes, he is restoring the historic structure as a condo complex, with extensive amenities.

Sycamore tree saved at The Mill at Richmondville.

Many of the trees have been retained, including a 150-year-old sycamore. At Oak Ridge off Imperial Avenue, Joe saved a stand of majestic white oaks.

Oak Ridge oaks.

“They posed no hazard to the family that will live there, or on the neighboring property,” he says. With more than one of the Prospect Road trees rotted in the center, and 2 of the larger trees canted more than 20%, he cites safety as the reason for cutting those down.

Joe says he looks forward to working with the Planning & Zoning Commission to review ways to preserve town trees. When that’s not possible, he advocates a sustainable plan that helps property owners move forward in an environmentally sound way.

Oak tree saved on Prospect Road.

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Posted in Environment, Local business, Real estate

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Mark Donovan Has Chutzpod!

Posted on January 16, 2022 | 11 comments

Last month, Mark Donovan attempted to stop the demolition of a stand of oak trees on the Prospect Road property next to his own.

Though unsuccessful, his fight drew townwide attention.

Mark Donovan — dressed as Santa Claus — attempted to stop the demolition of oak trees on Prospect Road.

Now his effort has gone national.

Donovan — a 1985 Staples High School graduate, who now lives in his childhood home with his mother, wife and daughter — was the featured guest on this week’s episode of Chutzpod! This podcast — whose tagline is “Ancient texts for modern times,” and is hosted by activist and actor Josh Malina — covered the futile attempt, and Donovan’s subsequent desire to change local town tree ordinances.

Not for nothing, Chutzpod! is the #1 listened to podcast covering issues around Judaism in North America (according to Apple). On Friday it was #33 in the Religion & Spirituality category.

Donovan’s episode is timely. Tu Bishvat — the Jewish “New Year of the Trees” — begins tonight, and runs through tomorrow.

In “Bring Me a Shrubbery” — which includes a brief appearance by actor and Westport resident Scott Foley — Donovan says, “We live in a community. The community is not one individual or even two individuals. Just because something is legal and you have the right to do something, doesn’t mean that it actually makes it right to do it.” Some things “clearly affect everyone in the community.”

He adds his disappointment that people watching cheered as the trees were chopped down.

“It was not only embarrassing, but just confounding…it was shameful, really…it’s almost like the same victory lap that people take when they kill a dear with a shotgun.”

Donovan’s fight continues. Westport’s Planning & Zoning Commission is drafting legislation to address tree cutting on private property.

(Click here to listen to Mark Donovan’s “Bring Me a Shrubbery” Chutzpod! episode. It is also available on many other platforms.)

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Posted in Environment, Media, Real estate, religion

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Regulation 32-18 Says: Don’t Demolish. Renovate!

Posted on January 10, 2022 | 13 comments

It’s not easy to save historic structures in Westport.

Economics, legal restrictions, changing tastes — all make it much simpler to tear down old buildings, rather than save them.

The town desperately needs a regulation that encourages homeowners and builders to preserve, rehabilitate, restore, reconstruct and/or adapt historic proprties.

Well, shiver me timbers! There is one!

Zoning Regulation 32-18 covers “Historic Residential Structures.” Actually, it does far more. It encourages their preservation.

But you’d have to be someone — an architect, say — well versed in Westport’s zoning code to know it.

In the spring of 2020 Simon and Robbyn Hallgarten — who had already renovated (and substantially saved) a historic home near Longshore — bought property on North Avenue.

Simon and Robbyn Hallgarten’s main house, on North Avenue.

The land — between Staples High School and Cross Highway — included a Victorian home and carriage house. Both were built around 1886.

Several “experts” told Simon that if he wanted to do renovate the carriage house, it had to be moved to conform to property setbacks. Otherwise he’d have to leave it as is, or tear it down.

Fortunately, Simon kept asking. Finally he found an architect who said: “Look at Section 32-18.” (You can, too. Click here.) 

Simon and Robbyn saved the 130-year-old structure.

Under normal zoning — because the carriage house sits within the property’s setback — any modifications or change of use would not be permitted.

Under 32-18 though, the Hallgartens provided the town with a perpetual maintenance easement over the structure. In return, they converted the historic timber-framed building into a garage gym, spare bedroom, en suite bath and great 2nd floor office/den space.

The renovated carriage house.

Simon wonders “how many other historic buildings could be maintained if only owners and architects were aware that they could be significantly renovated, and even go through a change of use – subject only to an agreement to maintain the structure going forward.”

Well — in a slightly different form — here’s another 32-18 success story. Last April, I wrote about a 2-story, 1,230-square foot 1892 farmhouse on Turkey Hill South.

Rahul Ghai and his wife Priyanka Singh used the regulation — obtained by the prior owners — to restore the 127-year-old structure, and also build a large house nearby.

The project won a Connecticut Preservation Award — one of only 10 in the state.

The story said that 32-18 had already prevented 22 other historic structures from being demolished.

Of course, 22 (now 23) successful preservation projects is a drop in the bucket, compared to the number of houses being demolished annually.

So whether you’re a developer, architect, homeowner — or someone who lives near a historic structure — remember those numbers: 32-18.

When you hear of a successful renovation using that regulation, let me know.

Maybe one day there will be so many, it will no longer be news.

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Posted in Environment, Local politics, Real estate

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Real Estate Report: 2021 Cooled Slightly, But Still Hot

Posted on January 7, 2022 | 1 comment

The residential housing market cooled somewhat in 2021, compared to the year before.

But it was still hot, by historical standards.

Data provided by Roe Colletti of Brown Harris Stevens show that there were 558 house closings last year. That’s 13% lower than 2020 — but still the 2nd-highest figure in the past 2 decades.

The average number of days on market last year — 77 — was 55% shorter than in ’20.

Houses sold for an average of 101% of the list price in 2021. That was the first time over 100% in at least 2 decades.

The average closing price of $1,835,224 was 15% higher last year than in 2020 ($1,595,840).

On January 1, there were 90 active houses on the market. That’s 24% fewer than the 119 the same time a year ago.

Condo sales were steady: 49 closings both years. The average closing price of a condo rose 24%, however, from $595,426 to $729,624.

Click here for the full report.

This 5-bedroom, 6 1/2-bathroom house at 11 Bluewater Hill could be yours for $12 million.

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A Worrisome Walk At Burying Hill

Posted on January 5, 2022 | 7 comments

Recent “06880” stories about using federal pandemic funds to restore the jetty at Burying Hill Beach got Scott Smith thinking.

Over the holidays, the alert and environmentally minded “06880” reader decided to take one of his favorite walks: from Burying Hill around the cove to Frost Point.

The rocky promontory is named for one of the original Bankside Farmers — the first settlers of Greens Farms — but the attraction for Scott is something that came much later: a line of concrete pilings extending far out into the sand flats. He believes the scenic ruins were once a deep-water dock serving the Bedford estate.

Of course, he notes, the walk is possible only at low tide — not just to stay dry walking down the beach, but even to make it into the parking lot. The roadway is underwater at most high tides. Scott hopes that the jetty project — if it happens — also includes flood mitigation for the road and lot.

Burying Hill Beach entrance and parking lot at high tide.

Yet, he says, it looks like a big construction project is already underway nearby. A homeowner on Beachside Avenue is repairing the seawall. Huge boulders tumble across the sand, many well into the water line.

Boulders on the sand.

Scott says, “I’m all for homeowners keeping their property shipshape. But I also want to know that once the work is all done, Westporters will still have access to this beautiful stretch of beach. I take the graffiti on the seawall as an ominous sign.”

(Photos/Scott Smith)

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Posted in Beach, Environment, Real estate

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