By Thane Grauel

WESTPORT — More major changes in Westport’s grittiest neighborhood, Saugatuck, appear increasingly likely.

The Planning and Zoning Commission met Wednesday night to continue its public hearings on the Hamlet at Saugatuck plan. The proposal would make sweeping changes to area between the Saugatuck train station and Interstate 95.

The mixed-use development with buildings 70 feet high or more, would have condos, retail, restaurant and other spaces spread across 11 buildings. Many old buildings would be razed.

Several P&Z members again had questions about building heights, coverage, setbacks and the like. But a staff report and some commission members’ comments appeared to signal change is coming.

“Change is needed,” Planning and Zoning Director Mary Young said. “In my view, the commission needs to decide to what extent change should be allowed.”

The fact that the town’s affordable housing moratorium granted to the state’s 8-30g legislation clocks out in February also loomed large.

Members of the public spoke, several in favor, some with concerns, and others with suggestions or landing somewhere in-between.

The applicant, ROAN Development Ventures, LLC, and its lawyer, Eric Bernheim of FLB Law, and land-use planner Peter Romano of LandTech, presented a new set of conceptual renderings, and the latest version of a text amendment to zoning regulations.

Some zoners set out to drill down what’s seen in the attractive conceptual renderings to real language in the text amendment, mindful that if a text amendment is passed, a future owner could toss out the glossy picture boards and present some other plan.

Another concern was the town’s affordable housing moratorium, granted by the state but set to expire early next year. That will put Westport again in play for developers seeking to develop housing outside the usual local approval process, because the town lacks the 10 percent threshold of its housing stock qualifying as “affordable.”

“Personally, I think that 70 feet is just pushing the envelope in Westport,” P&Z Chairwoman Danielle Dobin said of the building heights. “And I think it sets a precedent that’s potentially dangerous with regard to applications that come that are out of our control.”

“On the flipside, I’m concerned that denying the 70 feet to make your project work will then result directly in a project that bypasses our regulations for height that exceeds 70 feet and could be 100 feet, or 120 feet.”

Member Amie Tesler, who grew up in Mystic, had other concerns.

“To me I feel it’s just losing so much of what is a New England town, and this world is changing so quickly,” she said. “This town has changed so quickly.”

During the public comment portion of the meeting, Ken Stamm took issue with the applicant’s statement that if they can’t have buildings up to 70 feet tall or they would be out of business.

“That’s simply absurd,” he said. “I realize they’re entitled to a profit, but there’s got to be some room for compromise.”

Mark Kirby saw a lost opportunity for 100 or even 200 units of housing.

“From a regional and a town planning perspective, it’s a disaster to only build 35, 38 units,” he said of affordable housing.

He said the project would be walkable from the train station. “I would love to see 100 units on this property,” he said. “I might not even mind seeing 200 units.”

Francis Henkels said the plan lacked the components of a New England village.

“The character of the buildings we’re seeing … to me are cacophonous, I would say, too overly active, too much of a hodgepodge.” 

David Waldman, the developer of Bedford Square in downtown Westport, said he had no stake in the Hamlet.

“I think the location that this is being proposed, between a 100-foot structure and a highway, and the train tracks, there isn’t a more suitable location that could accommodate a height of this nature,” he said.

He said he understood the time and momentary constraints, and said he didn’t make a dollar on Bedford Square. “Time is an awful thing for a developer,” he said. “It crushes projects.”

“I hope it’s a success,” Waldman said.

Sam Levinson said the development, as he sees it, would eliminate river views.

“You come off [Interstate 95] Exit 17 … we have a series of tall buildings down Charles Street and 95, we’re driving through a canyon, and we get to Tutti’s, that’s a 70-foot-tall building, we turn on Riverside to go to the railroad station, those are all 70-foot buildings, we can’t see the river,” Levinson said.

“So, what we have done, is we have brought Brooklyn to Saugatuck.”

Roger Leifer said he had supported the Gault development in Saugatuck, and was scorned. “There were 50 people saying this will ruin Saugatuck,” he said.

Now, he said, that project is a quintessential part of Westport.

“This is revolutionary,” he said of the Hamlet plan.

Bernheim said at the end of the meeting that time is critical for the development plans.

“We would really value what it is you would approve,” Bernheim said. “It sounds like you are willing to approve something, we keep shooting in the dark in some respects and we’re not getting there, and we only have two weeks

“I don’t know if this project continues if we have to resubmit and start all over again,” Bernheim told the commission.

“I think the time is now, if you know the only thing that you’re going to approve is this, then tell us, and let’s have a conversation about it.”

The P&Z took no vote on the application Wednesday and continued the hearing.

Thane Grauel, executive editor, grew up in Westport and has been a journalist in Fairfield County and beyond more than three decades. Reach him at editor@westportjournal.com. Learn more about us here.