By Thane Grauel

WESTPORT — The Planning and Zoning Commission will take up several items from community institutions Monday evening.

While much of Town Hall is ramping down for a snoozy summer, many land-use applications remain for town bodies to sort.

Three of them from community institutions will be discussed by the P&Z at its meeting, 6 p.m. Monday.

Coleytown playgrounds

The P&Z will hear an 8-24 request to expand a southern outdoor Coleytown Elementary School playground by 665 square feet for the addition of a “Kompani carousel,” and a 1,050-square-foot expansion of a western outdoor play area with the addition of a “Kompani swing.”

The state’s 8-24 statute governs a significant change in use of a municipal property, requiring it be reviewed by the local land-use body. In Westport’s case, that means the Planning and Zoning Commission.

Camp Mahackeno

The Westport Weston Family YMCA is seeking two tweaks to existing summer offerings.

One is the creation of “Mini Mack Village,” a program for younger campers in a shaded area away from neighbors.

The other is a laser tag course.

“Both will be close to the pool house and away from neighbors on Twin Falls Lane and Rices Lane,” a letter from the Y’s CEO, Anjali McCormick, read.

Previous changes to summer camp programs have rankled neighbors, but it appears outreach from the organization has neighbors on board.

Unitarian outbuilding

The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Westport is seeking to rent its rear building to outside groups.

The congregation at 14 Lyons Plains Road has filed a special permit/site plan application with the Planning and Zoning Department.

The nearly 9-acre property has the main sanctuary building, and behind it a smaller building known as the Meeting House.

“Twenty-five years ago, our congregation was flourishing, and we had more children and youth than we had space for in the Main Building for religious education classes on Sunday mornings,” The Rev. Alan C. Taylor wrote to the commission in the spring.

“Because the Meeting House was no longer being used a home for our minister our congregation submitted a proposal to Westport Planning and Zoning to convert it from residential to educational use.”

“Today, however, our membership is smaller,” Taylor wrote. “Our Meeting House is underutilized, and we would like to be able to rent it to outside groups that share our mission. This change of usage of the Meeting House would allow us the same multi-purpose use as our main building.”

One of the conditions of a 1999 P&Z approval was that “the use of this building shall be for Church functions only. It shall not be used for rentals to outside groups or expansion of the nursery school.”

Thane Grauel grew up in Westport and has been a journalist in Fairfield County and beyond for 36 years. Reach him at editor@westportjournal.com. Learn more about us here.