By Toni Simonetti
WESTPORT–The final harvest of the gardener is nature’s way of drawing the curtains on another season. As gardeners begin to tuck in their plants for winter, they do so not knowing when they may have the option of a community garden in Westport.
The Westport Community Garden was officially closed by former First Selectperson Jen Tooker, in a letter to the garden’s members dated January 29, 2025. The garden was razed in the spring of 2025. It now serves as a staging area for the construction of the Long Lots School Elementary School. The town has been without a community garden for two years.
An update from First Selectman Kevin Christie provides some insight into the long deliberations taking place inside Town Hall. Christie wrote that the Parks and Recreation Department is looking at two potential sites. Previously, only Burr Farm Fields had been mentioned as a potential site. Christie disclosed yesterday that the Bridge Street ball field–part of The Saugatuck Cooperative senior housing complex–would also be considered.
Christie: “committed”
Christe said: “I remain committed to finding a new home for the Westport Community Garden. Our focus has been on identifying a location that works for the gardeners and the broader community, and that can support a successful garden for years to come.
“We’ve spent considerable time working with gardeners to evaluate Burr Farm as a potential location, including developing preliminary site plans. We’ve also been aware of the potential of the field adjacent to The Saugatuck on Bridge Street and are now taking a closer look at whether that location could work.”
The Burr Farm Fields site, at 7 Burr School Rd., meets many of the criteria identified by previous gardeners as “must haves,” such as flat terrain, plenty of sunlight, accessibility by all and adequate parking. Opposition from youth sports leagues have decried the loss of one of two fields there during the next two years while the Long Lots fields have gone offline. Two new larger and greatly improved multipurpose fields are planned to be built at 13 Hyde Lane, just around the corner from Burr Farm. On a recent visit to the Burr Farm Fields during afterschool hours, four or five groups of toddlers were seen learning to play soccer in about one-quarter of the total space there.
The Bridge Street field –north of 27 Bridge St.–is flat and sunny, but not easily accessible from the Saugatuck Cooperative. The plot is sunken, below the surrounding grade. Currently there are 16 concrete steps and another 50 paces along a sloped path necessary to access the large flat area. In addition to The Saugatuck, seven residential homes directly abut the plot’s perimeter.
Though there is a parking lot at the cooperative, only two are reserved for the field–all the other spaces are designated in writing for residents and their guests. While The Saugatuck Cooperative of 36 restricted-age homeowners own the building (formerly Saugatuck Elementary School), the town owns the land upon which it sits.
Selectman Christie said, “Any potential location needs to be evaluated for adequate sunlight, topography, suitable soil, water availability, parking, accessibility and other practical considerations, including drainage and flood risk. We want to make sure we get this right.”
This new development of a second site under consideration comes seven months after Parks and Recreation Director Erik Barbieri sent a letter to the former WSG gardeners on April 13, 2026 with an update that Burr Farm Fields was being evaluated for the garden with construction to begin in Fall 2026. He wrote:
“We recently met with a landscape architect to begin evaluating the Burr Farm location and discuss the many design considerations that are involved. These meetings have included Steering Committee members Lou Weinberg and [redacted] to help ensure every aspect of the new gardens will be considered. Our goal is to move toward construction as soon as planning and approvals allow, with a target timeframe of fall 2026, with the hope of welcoming gardeners back for the 2027 growing season.
“We will share updates with you throughout this process to ensure everyone knows the status and timelines ahead. For now, we have ordered a survey of the entire property and have the landscape architect working on some initial plans and drawings we expect to receive by July 1.”
In his letter, Barbieri also said funding had not yet been secured for the restoration of a community garden. The town had reserved funds to rebuild the community gardens in the Long Lots School building project. But, according to Long Lots School Building Commission Chairman Jay Keenan, that money was removed from the budget when the garden was stripped out of the rebuilding plan.
The Parks and Rec meetings “with gardeners” were by invitation only and not open to the public or former WCG garden members. There had been no further communication about the community garden from Parks and Recreation Staff, or the self-anointed representatives of the Community Garden. Weinberg did not respond to a request for comment.
A member of the Steering Committee was given an opportunity to comment but requested to remain anonymous: “We are in a constructive phase with the town right now regarding the location/design needs. I’d rather not characterize where things stand publicly until the options on the table have been pressure-tested in working with Park and Rec.”
The website for the Westport Community Gardens lists the following as members of the Steering Committee: Mike Beebe, Andrew Coleman, Pamela Davis, Laureen Haynes, Sally Kleinman, Amy Luett, Laura Riguzzi, Jeff Schorer and Louis Weinberg.
Top priority
When the Parks Master Plan was unveiled on April 22, 2026, consultant Dominick Celtruda said that town residents made it clear they wanted a permanent community garden and that it was a top priority. Westport Journal reported, “The recommendation for the home for the community garden is at Burr Farm.”
Celtruda said the garden is “right at the top” of the list and something that was focused on from day one. Barbieri, Parks and Recreation director, said that a survey for the Burr Farm location would be “taking place in May.”
Building a new community garden would also necessitate land use deliberation and approvals from town bodies, including conservation and planning and zoning, according to the Chairman of the Planning and Zoning Commission, Paul Lebowitz. Lebowitz confirmed that an 8-24 Municipal Improvement application, a site plan, and a special permit application would need to be submitted to Planning and Zoning for consideration.
With now two sites being considered for the gardens, residents and gardeners do not see a clear path forward. But, some gardeners are encouraged just by the fact that the First Selectman is actively talking about the community gardens.
As today’s crisp air is a reminder that the first frost is around the corner, gardeners are hopeful that 2027 will bring a new Westport community garden to life.
One important consideration missing from this account is the 1988 court-approved stipulation concerning the conversion of Saugatuck School to housing. I was an original plaintiff, along with 61 others. The relevant provisions read:
(a) the project shall have a maximum of thirty-six (36) dwelling units;
(b) the adjacent playing fields shall remain open to the public with access provided and assured and
(c) a minimum of two (2) parking spaces close to the playing fields will be designated non-exclusive public parking.
I preserved a copy of the stipulation, subsequently had it certified and recorded in Westport’s land records, and have provided it to First Selectman Kevin Christie. He has acknowledged that the agreement is among the considerations the town must evaluate.
For the record, I support finding a suitable home for Westport’s community garden. Before a Bridge Street proposal advances, however, the town should explain publicly how the proposed use would comply with these existing obligations and consult neighboring residents and The Saugatuck community.
I also support and encourage the use of Saugatuck field by Westport Parks and Recreation youth leagues. The field was in very active use until a few years ago and remains well maintained, apart from a backstop damaged by a tree. Repairing that backstop and encouraging renewed recreational use deserve attention.
When the previous administration proposed housing on the field, I was appalled that this agreement appeared to have been overlooked. The town should ensure that these obligations are part of its institutional knowledge and inform its planning from the outset.
If Mr Christie gave a tinker’s damn about the community garden, he wouldn’t have aligned himself with Ms Tooker and Ms Goldstein in destroying them on behalf of the sports daddies.
I expect three more years of kicking the can, because each suitable site proposed (like Burr Farm) will result in manufactured outrage by the same sports daddies who killed the prior community gardens.
What disappoints me is that so many former gardeners will just play partisan politics by supporting the local Democrats instead of considering that they might be better off not goosestepping behind the people who completely screwed them. (And I say that as someone who leans pretty far to the left, politically.)
Toni – are you supporting Lee Goldstein, even though she lied about her knowledge of the plans to destroy the gardens and preserve?
Talk is cheap. And that is what we are getting from Mr Christie.
Chris
So many thoughts. How about a Winslow play date for our pups and we can discuss at length.