WESTPORT — ”What kind of downtown does Westport want?” will be the focus of a roundtable discussion hosted April 9 by Westport Journal.
Westporters love their downtown. The world-class merchants, fine restaurants and businesses downtown act as a magnet for shoppers, diners and employees.
While downtown Westport is a vibrant, exciting and dynamic destination, it is also at times a tangled, sclerotic mess, with traffic tie-ups worsened by shoppers looking for parking spots.
After decades of thoughts, plans and ideas, Westport is on the cusp of putting in place some transformations that can change the look and feel of downtown.
As these plans are being discussed at the municipal level, Westport Journal readers and others concerned about downtown’s future are invited to attend a roundtable discussion at 11:45 a.m. Wednesday, April 9, at Christ & Holy Trinity Church, 75 Church Lane. The event is free to attend, but attendees must register beforehand here.
Roundtable participants will discuss the hard facts facing Westport and the choices available to the town. The experts will include:
- Torrey D. Brooks, president, Brooks, Torrey & Scott, Inc. A past owner of commercial properties in Westport, Brooks can share a generational view of downtown.
- Jennifer Johnson, Representative Town Meeting member, District 9. Johnson can speak from the perspective of the citizens most affected by changes in downtown.
- David Waldman, president and founder, David Adam Realty, Inc. As downtown Westport’s largest landlord, Waldman’s long-term perspective is to keep both citizens and retailers excited about the area.
This Westport Journal LIVE roundtable will be moderated by Doug Weber, the publisher of Westport Journal. Other topics to be discussed in the series include: The future of Saugatuck, Consider Weston, An expert’s guide to summer in Westport and Fall culture preview.
Westport Journal LIVE is underwritten by the KMS Team at Compass.
First of all, as a solid and consistent reader of this publication why are there no merchants on this panel ?
While Jen Johnson is a great advocate for sense, she is not a merchant !
When you ask the question what kind of downtown do we want ?
Surely the line up of 2 landlords( neither paying a single penny towards, and waldman who contributed to the parking demise with Bedford square AND, continues to advocate for trees on parker Harding for his condos benefit across the river… downtown( cos tenants pay it)
So merchants just are collectively screwed !! Again.
I find it aggravating and insulting that I as a huge investor in the downtown and a reason waldman and co should be on bended knee thanking me for the Main Street comeback, have to listen to and watch these clowns get airplay..
max Crowley, David waldman, etc.. Mandell… another one who just doesn’t understand what it takes to run a business.
What kind of downtown does Westport want ?
It is not waldman or brooks who holds that answer.
It is the businesses..
so how is this round table anything more than a “piss take”