Longtime Westport residents Mike Nayor and Larry Weisman sent this letter to all Representative Town Meeting members:
You will shortly be debating the pros and cons of Jesup Green/downtown parking that have the potential for transforming downtown Westport.
Parker Harding is the linchpin. It needs a makeover to become more attractive, pleasant and inviting, and more riverfront oriented.
In a September “Opinion” piece in”06880″ Robert Augustyn posed taking bold steps to reconfigure Parker Harding to an almost park-like setting, while adding retail space, plus a parking deck at the Baldwin lot to make up for lost PH spaces.
The column elicited 58 responses. There was overwhelming support for virtually all of his suggested changes. A few comments concerned potential flooding and cost, but the vast majority enthusiastically supported the idea of a parking facility.
Not one writer objected to the proposal.
Parker Harding Plaza (Drone photo/John Videler for Videler Photography)
Historically, controversial changes/improvements undertaken in Westport have been hailed after the fact, and we are usually puzzled why any particular project was opposed in the first place. A parking deck can certainly be designed acceptable to all, to be integrated into its environment, with a low profile which does not mar the downtown skyline or hinder neighbors.
The need for contiguous parking at or very near store entrances has been pushed for decades. With the exception for handicapped parking, Westporters and visitors do not need curb-to-door access downtown. Witness the large number of cars parked at Gorham Island on weekends, creating a short walk to Main Street. Strolling pedestrians create a lingering and community atmosphere that benefits retailers.
A parking deck at the Baldwin lot alleviates the necessity for expanded Jesup Green parking. Therefore, the request for an appropriation of $630,000 should not be approved. Money could be far better spent to address other, more immediate downtown issues.
We urge RTM members to adopt this plan for downtown. The RTM should respond to the needs and desires of its residents. Improvements have been discussed and postponed for decades. The supposed urgency to get a spade in the ground now is not as important as getting it right. Poor choices now will have long term consequences.
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