By John H. Palmer
WESTPORT – Developers of the Hamlet Monday evening stopped short of flat-out threatening Planning and Zoning officials with an alternate option of building an 8-30g affordable housing complex in Saugatuck if the application is denied, but said they are already planning for that possibility.
“I want to be crystal clear and say we do not want to do this,” said Dan Suozzi, founding partner for ROAN Ventures. “But we don’t want you to be taken by surprise. It’s financially more viable, and much faster to build and we will be completing the application soon. We’ve spent more than four years of our lives trying to do something special, and it’s gotten to a point where we can’t do anything more.”
Suozzi’s comments came at the beginning of what will likely be the last public hearing of the beleaguered project before planners close the application on Wednesday, beginning a 65-day legally mandated period of deliberation before a final decision is made to approve or deny.
“This has to be the most talked about public hearing item we’ve ever had,” said Chairman Paul Lebowitz, who added that Monday’s meeting was the 10th meeting on the Hamlet project, not including the nine meetings on the 2022 text amendment that led to the current application.
The project, if approved, could wind up being the biggest municipal development ever in Westport, consisting of a multi-use development of 11 buildings, including retail, hotel and residential buildings between the Saugatuck River, Charles Street, Franklin Street and Railroad Place.
Some 14 off-site “below market” housing units would be contributed by the developer under the plan. While developers have billed it as being a “New England-style” mixed-use development, many citizens have expressed concerns about the potential effects on traffic, parking, and water pollution in the Saugatuck River.
Long Lots School site plan approval
In other news, planners unanimously and quickly approved the site plan for the new Long Lots Elementary School.
“My congratulations to all who worked very hard on this,” said P&Z Chairman Paul Lebowitz after the vote was completed. “It’s been a long road.”
Last Monday, commissioners heard public testimony on and ultimately voted to approve a new positive “8-24” municipal use report for the $108-million Long Lots Elementary School, a crucial step before applying for a state reimbursement grant by June 30. The Representative Town Meeting last Thursday unanimously approved a $103.2 appropriation request for that project.
Opposition to the expenditure is led by Toni Simonetti, who immediately began circulating a petition to send the issue to a referendum, which is allowed under state charter. To succeed, the petition must contain 1,860 voter signatures, or 10 percent of the town’s electorate, within 30 days.
Lebowitz thanked Long Lots Building Committee Chair Jay Keenan, who was on the Zoom watching the proceedings. “I don’t envy the rest of your night,” Keenan said.
Threats of affordable housing
Monday evening’s hearing was also the final opportunity for ROAN Ventures to make a final plea to the town to approve the project that has been in planning for more than four years. According to Suozzi, clearing up “misinformation” that he said has been spread by the project’s opposition, namely the Westport Alliance for Saugatuck, has taken up a great deal of time in the form of phone calls and answering many emails from concerned citizens.
He said that one of the biggest pieces of erroneous information has been the idea that an 8-30g affordable housing project in that area would be non-viable, a claim that he vehemently denied.
“We don’t have confidence that they won’t appeal this,” he said about the Alliance. “It’s either this or that. We are as exhausted as you at this, but we didn’t want to dance around it anymore. It’s a path we will be going down.”
Suozzi said that an alternative site plan to build an 8-30g has been drawn up, and even included an architect’s drawing of what it would look like, consisting of at least 3 buildings that could theoretically reach up to 100 feet tall, he said.
“This fit the mold of what we wanted to build,” he said about Hamlet. “The last 3 months have been pretty trying on us, but (the input) of hundreds if not thousands of Westporters has caused this project to be better all around.”
In addition, he claimed that infrastructure in that area supports an 8-30g application with up to quadruple the density currently proposed in the Hamlet application. No improvements would be required for traffic or setbacks, parking, public access or architectural concerns, he said.
“It’s never been our intention to build an 8-30g,” he said. “If we wanted to, it would have been done by now.”
Traffic and pedestrian safety in the proposed Hamlet development continues to be a sticking point, especially for commissioners on the fence. Commissioner Amy Wistreich has consistently expressed frustration at the lack of a complete traffic study, as well as sign-off from local public safety officials, regarding signage and traffic calming measures in the “blind bend” area of Railroad Place where the “waterside” garage entrance. According to Planning and Zoning Director Michelle Perillie, both the police and fire department have released statements giving their blessing to the signage and other aspects of the traffic situation in the area.
“I am quite surprised that it took to the last night of hearings to get updated information and consensus on this after I’ve been asking for this analysis for months,” said Wistreich. “It illuminates concerns that minds have changed on this.”
Last public comments of the approval process
About 100 people, including representatives for ROAN Ventures, commissioners and town residents turned out for the public hearing, which was likely the last opportunity the public will have to make their opinions heard about the controversial project.
“ROAN showed us who they are tonight,” said attorney Joel Green, who represents about 1,500 members of the Westport Alliance for Saugatuck. “They’ve apparently been working on an alternate plan and maybe they should have used that effort to present an application that is compliant with regulations.”
A staff memorandum from Perillie to P&Z commissioners on June 14 shows that, while many members of the public may not like the application, it does seem to meet the conditions required to be approved.
“The applicant has addressed all outstanding issues and the application appears to comply with … the regulations,” the memo says.
Other spoke in support of the Hamlet project.
“This development is a wonderful thing for Westport,” said Billy Cohen of Harbor Road.
Char Valante said she was concerned about the potential for increased traffic around the Saugatuck train station, which she says she uses on a daily basis.
“Westporters are not a patient bunch,” she said. “They’ve taken data and used their models to show us that the state accepted their numbers. What I can tell you is that people rarely behave according to models.”
She mentioned concerns about parking for employees. Some estimates have shown that there may be close to 650 employees at the site, and there still is no concrete plan for where they would park.
“Development that brings thousands into Saugatuck is a disaster,” said Carol Reichelm. “The implied threat that they were better than an 8-30g and it turns out they are threatening an 8-30g. Bring it on. You have all of us behind you and we aren’t afraid of an 8-30g and neither should you. Development is needed in Saugatuck, just not this project.”
“I do want Saugatuck village to be developed. It’s a perfect place for affordable housing,” said Simonetti. “I think we’re already busting at the seams as a town and we should be improving the quality of life for Westporters.”
Moving forward with the application
The planners face a major time crunch, as under state law must close the Hamlet application tomorrow, June 18. That will begin a 65-day deliberation period after which a negative or positive vote must be taken whether to approve.
At the commission’s June 2 meeting, Town Attorney Ira Bloom suggested that an option would be to ask the developers to withdraw their application and immediately resubmit it.
This would reset the legal clock, and in essence start the entire approval process over again, giving the commission at least another 65 days of time during which more and public information could be gathered. Theoretically, the commission would not have to use all of that time, but the applicant, which has legal authority at this point given a 65-day extension had already been allowed, would need to agree.
John Palmer, a Norwalk native, is executive editor of the Westport Journal, and has covered community news in Fairfield County and Massachusetts for over 30 years. He can be contacted at jpalmer@westportjournal.com.
DEJA VU
Quite fascinating to watch a majority of PZ so determined to pass a project that so few in town like.
Just fascinating.
Between the attempted enabling of lot 8 to assist them with parking, because they know they are doomed without it, to the bullying of commissioner Michael Calise, not once but twice.
Jimmy Izzo’s unbelievable and narcissistic outburst, – a tantrum in order to have the last word… and Mandell who should know better, clearly showing his true face to district 1. I would not be voting for him in November.
It is NOT our job as tax payers to enable this monstrosity to work. Yet that is what we witnessed tonight, just like 2 years ago.
There are peeps with a lot of skin in this corrupt game. I wonder when the masks will be shed.
The PZ closed a hearing 90% of this town does not approve of.
Yet only one commissioner represented 90%. Michael Calise listened.
But some good things came out of tonight.
It was Attorney Green, who is brilliant, and Darra Lamb who said it best. Others of course also.
Their own text amendment and what is stipulates fails.
It’s really as simple as that. But this commission clearly intends to ignore all that. And no doubt the town attorney will encourage them to do so.
As for the applicant, who clearly never cared about the town.
This is about profit and a stick to beat us with.
A legacy for our kids… as long as they- roan and the greedy investors get what they want.
And in order to get it, the 8-30g stick came out.. lol
Go ahead..
I say- bring it on !
And then the fun begins.
Pretense and predation.
Why am I not surprised by the self unmasking of the boogie man? It is a predictable tactic by manipulators, “the ayatollah should have taken the deal, now we have bomb you back to the stone age. Have you had enough? Give me a call before it is too late.
My friends, Westport is about to get played. The best we can do is call their bluff.
And to those among us who call themselves Westporters, those who are acting like puddy in the hands of these salivating wolves, those who see their own names up in lights, I dont blame you. You are weak. How could you resist!?
But to those of us who have been here for more than fifty years, we have seen it all. We have seen charlatans come and go. It is because of what we have, as Westporters, that they wish to steel it from us. The Westport sellouts. The fake Westporters, hiding their true motivations.
They will say they are trying to help us. Dont believe it.
The curtain has dropped and we are shocked and frightened.
But fear not. The truth will out them as scammers.
They want us to be afraid so that they can manipulate us.
Go back to first principles. Train stations need parking.
Personally i would love low income housing in Westport. The Saugatuck projects…. just what Westport needs.
We need income diversity here for cultural reasons. My mom always told me, never ask Paul for an autograph, he is not here to be famous.
So it never was about The Hamlot. They are so tired. Trying so hard to help us, day and night, no rest.
Their deception has exposed them as liars, manipulators and con artists.
I saw it from day one, you can always tell by the tone when someone is trying screw you. Look at this shining object…actually its the blob from hell….
“When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.”
Maya Angelou
While I am not advocating for it – I’m just asking the question, so don’t grab your pitchforks – did the ROAN folks give an idea as to how many units we’re talking here, so we would know how close 30% affordable would get Westport to meeting its threshold.
I believe it was about 120 affordable units. Yes would go a long way towards the moratorium.
And we would make sure not one single allowance will be afforded.. not so much as $1.
The units would have to be of identical size and quality.
With access to identical amenities, with zero discrimination.
Same with parking, or lack of it.
Market and affordable get treated the same way.
If they want to sell the market rate apts, they will need to build in parking or nobody’s buying them.
But they cannot discriminate against the affordable..
boo hoo..
good luck to them with this bluff ! lol