By John Schwing
WESTPORT — Get ready for a zoning triple-header.
Three major changes to the town’s zoning regulations will be open for public comments at a single meeting hosted Monday, Feb. 7., by the Planning and Zoning Commission.
In short, the three proposed text amendments to local zoning regulations would:
- End the 10,000-square-foot limit on the size of a single commercial enterprise within the downtown business district.
- Lift the prohibition on retail establishments above the first floor of buildings in the downtown business district.
- Permit “organized non-team activities” in a Dedicated Open Space and Recreation District — essentially, the Baron’s South property.
All three proposals are scheduled to be the subject of public hearings at the P&Z session set to start at 7 p.m. Monday. It marks the commission’s first Monday meeting in accordance with its recent decision to change its regular meeting date from Thursday to Monday.
The meeting will take place online only. The full agenda and electronic link to attend virtually can be found here.
The meeting also can watched live online via the town’s website, as well as public access television Channels 79 (Optimum) and 6020 (Frontier).
End size limit on downtown business
Planning and Zoning Director Mary Young said in a statement the proposal to end the 10,000-square-foot limit on downtown businesses is designed to:
“Enhance the experiential retail environment by enabling at least one existing tenant, and maybe more in the future, to lease space and offer a shopping destination in an existing building greater than 10,000 SF in size.
“Additionally, if adopted, the downtown commercial rental market will be on par with the remainder of the commercial areas in Westport where no restriction on single-tenant size exists.”
Full language of the proposed text amendment is here.
Allow retail businesses above first floor of downtown buildings
Regarding the proposal to allow retail outlets above the first floor of downtown buildings, Young said in a statement the text amendment aims to:
“Strengthen the existing economic vitality and vibrancy of the downtown and provide a broader variety of commerce for Westport residents and other consumers from surrounding areas to patronize.”
Read the full proposal here.
Permit greater flexibility for activities on town open space (Baron’s South)
The proposal to allow “organized non-team activities” in a Dedicated Open Space and Recreation District, according to a statement from Deputy Planning and Zoning Director Michelle Perillie, generally would:
“…Provide for greater flexibility in use of DOSRD #2 properties by the public, the Westport Center for Senior Activities and the Parks and Recreation Department.” In broad terms, the amendment would affect uses of the Baron South open-space property.
Complete terms of the proposed text amendment can found here.
Comments on any of the proposals can be sent before the meeting to PandZ@westportct.gov, and the public can comment during the virtual hearings.
As always, thanks to the Journal for this story. The change for Baron’s South also pertains to other passive open space parks and in my view is not legally needed for Baron’s South since it relates to interests of the Senior Center. The change though is fine. I oppose the 10,000 sq. ft. change and note that the fact that downtown has a different rule from the rest of Westport is not a negative but a positive. Downtown is different. As to second story retail, it sounds sensible though it does need to be carefully examined as to likely consequences. One issue is the ability of a single store to be on multiple levels in the same building.
Don Bergmann