By John Schwing
WESTPORT — A downtown parking deck.
Like a unicorn or sasquatch, it’s an otherworldly phenomenon that periodically materializes just over the horizon of the town’s civic landscape — sparking a round uncivil discourse until fading back into the shrouded realm of fantasy.
But, as controversy over plans to redesign downtown’s parking lots drags into a third year, the idea of building a parking deck is once again part of the debate.
Advocates see the concept as the best way to add parking spots and save green space. Opponents brand it an unneighborly intrusion that will destroy downtown’s character.
Either way, the idea of building a parking deck over part of the Baldwin lot, off Elm Street, has re-emerged as one of the current-day arguments.
And although the Tooker administration last week narrowly won Planning and Zoning Commission approval to move ahead with redesigning the Parker Harding Plaza lot, and compensating for spaces lost there by carving a new lot into upper Jesup Green, funding for at least part of the project may be in jeopardy. The Representative Town Meeting, a day later, set aside a request to approve $630,000 to design new Jesup parking until May to allow for more study.
Several speakers at last week’s meeting of the Downtown Plan Implementation Committee warned the initiative could run aground because of the way it’s been rolled out. Others said a Baldwin parking deck should be added to the mix of elements in a comprehensive scenario for downtown parking.
DPIC’s 2015 master plan for downtown, in fact, suggests that Jesup Green be made “greener” to serve as a more inviting riverfront gathering spot, and that a parking structure of some sort be evaluated for the Baldwin lot. That lot, however, was the first of the downtown parking lots to be renovated, completed in 2022 at a cost of about $1.4 million.
Nearly a decade after the master plan was adopted with great fanfare, the parking debate continues. (A copy of the full master plan is attached at the end of this article.)
An online petition, posted last week by Lawrence Weisman, calls on the RTM to hold a discussion about “how best to supplement and improve downtown parking.” As of 11:30 a.m. Sunday, the petition had garnered 139 signatures.
Specifically, the petition suggests that instead of the plans currently before town bodies, officials should consider that “A parking deck on the Baldwin lot will provide additional parking in an easily accessible location at affordable cost without the need to encroach upon the town green.”
To help shape the debate, local architect Joseph Vallone has sketched a design for a Baldwin parking deck, which was shared with some RTM members and a copy provided to the Westport Journal.
Vallone’s deck design would provide 100 spaces, and he indicated the number could be adjusted to accommodate more or fewer spots. The cost to build an elevated parking deck, he estimates, would be between $25,000 to $35,000 per space.
This would translate to between $2.5 to $3.5 million to construct the proposed design, he said. Also, there is no need for an elevator given the deck’s elevation is about the same as Elm Street, he said.
Vallone added that the 100-space design takes into account concerns about encroaching on the back yards of neighboring homes.
The plan would position the deck “out of the northern area of the existing lot and away from 87 Myrtle [Ave.], as this home is situated much closer to their rear yard lot line,” the architect wrote.
Vallone said spaces compliant with American with Disabilities requirements also would have to be added to the design, so the final number would likely be reduced by two to four spaces.
He said “very little excavation” would be needed for the for project, only the footings for new steel columns, adding it would be “very simple to construct.”
Existing Baldwin parking spaces underneath the deck “would remain largely intact,” Vallone wrote, “although it is possible to lose a small handful of parking spaces, although I think the new columns could be located to work with the existing lower level parking space grid.”
The only other underground work that may be required, he said, is connecting the existing storm drainage line.
John Schwing, the Westport Journal consulting editor, has held senior editorial and writing posts at southwestern Connecticut media outlets for four decades. Learn more about us here.
Following is the 2015 master plan for Westport’s downtown:
Perfect solution! Not removing green space, great proximity to retailers/restaurants and trees added to the parking area!!
Oh, that’s nice. Nothing says home like headlights shining thru your second floor windows.
If only it were that easy Margaret.
What should happen here is that we listen to and appreciate the implications for residents in the immediate area who do NOT want a parking deck, and quite frankly if we were to step into their shoes neither would we.
This parking problem is not new or sudden.
It’s been a problem since 1980’s.
Or possibly before.. yet the Bedford development was allowed amongst others causing an even greater problem.
Second floor retail was allowed… causing more parking pressure but heavily lobbied for by the landlords.
Church lane is closed more months than it is open adding massively to the parking disaster. Baldwin was redone last year or 2 years ago, and we lost 35 spots.
The total number of lost parking or negative effect parking spots in the downtown is 300 plus since 2015.
You know everyone wants to have their cake and eat it and it’s hardly fair for residents who sit behind the Baldwin lot to have to “suck it up”.
I think parked Harding , as comissioner Cohen rightly suggested should have ADA , spots added without doubt.
I think it should be left in its current configuration as it works perfectly.
It is FAR FAR Safer, than it will be if changed to Barbie world spots.
It does not need to have green space added to it UNTIL, there is a parking solution which satisfies merchants and residents. Especially residents immediately affected.
Just because the town purposely let it become a disheveled, decrepit pile doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with it other than a severe and irresponsible and purposeful( with an agenda) design letting it go to hell in a handbasket.
The design of Parker Harding was and remains GENIUS.
It was thoughtful, sensible, usable, convenient, beyond safe, and quite frankly perfect.
But yes it needs some tlc, it has not seen in 25 years.
Now we have landlords/developers across the river wanting to camouflage the lot from the view of their 3-4 million $$ condos.
Hmmmmm….
And this is the reason we are under pressure to accept this craziness !!!!
INCREDIBLE , you might think.
Well yes !
Actually INSANITY !
We do not need to be touching a blade of grass on jesup green !
It should be sacred, and left alone as our town green and window to Westport.
The gateway.
Please know that not a single merchant ever asked for our town green to be sacrificed.
We have been consistent and steadfast with our demand.
Leave Parker Harding alone , add ADA. There is plenty green elsewhere.
Maybe perfect, maybe not so…
Are Westport’s taxpayers willing to spend about $30000 per parking space for a massive pour of concrete that is intended (but unlikely) to transform Westport into a White Plains-like destination mall?
I guess Westport’s taxpayers ought to be girding themselves for Westchester county-like taxes as well?
The logic of the Baldwin deck compared to expanding parking on Jesup is obvious:
1. Concrete on concrete rather than concrete replacing green (ripping up and reducing a chunk of Jesup).
2. Closer to shopping and avoids crossing US 1 from Jesup
3. Cost estimated at $4M figure I have heard and not yet verified but if so, similar to the parking plans for Jesup
4. Adding to Baldwin and expanding green on Jesup one of the options offered by the Downtown Master Plan which was approved and accepted by the town; adding parking to Jesup is not one of the options in the approved plan.
The RTM at it’s next meeting should approve and earmark the 630k ARPA funds for the design and cost analysis of a Baldwin deck rather than spending the funds on reducing Jesup and adding parking there.
I trust the town leaders and the DPIC will do the sensible thing and solve the parking problem in a way that doesn’t compromise pedestrian safety and the use of Jesup Green
These urbanista guys get SO excited about parking decks. It’s their church. Never mind the fact that a deck behind the police station is more humane and less destructive to existing infrastructure, they are doing exactly what the town just did with its plan to pave part of our town green: they haven’t bothered to check in with stakeholders – in this case, that would be the ones who arguably matter the most: the residential abutters of Baldwin.
We almost have no choice, but not quite. It is devastating that the ratio of retail square footage to parking spots is now at desperate levels.
The mistake of spending 1.5 million with the latest Baldwin renovation should make clear to everyone involved: lack of vision.
In the music business, when an artist becomes desperate for a follow up single, prompted by the accounting department, the original passion can become obscured by forces out of the artists control. The result is always the same; lame follow up.
There is usually someone pulling the strings behind the scene. Why would a record company want a flop?
At any rate, from out here in California, my mind is beginning to drift to creative affairs, passion and ever changing business models.
Yet, looking out across the pacific–i am lazer focused on my hometown.
The scope of the capital investment needed to satisfy the wants of the town leadership is monstrous.
Westport is on the brink — see the the movie Frankenstien unbound…
Is my smalltown to become a parking garage town? The people i grew up with would never park there. Who would park there when one could park by the river?
Westport is becoming a clostrophobic cluster### ..- thanks
To get back to my point…with a clear vision all is lost.
Newport is fantastic
To equate a parking garage with the majesty of the green reveals the lack of vision.
Dont fall for it. The people who call for change without a clear vision are false profits
Robert,
I’m not sure what would possibly give you the confidence to trust town leaders and DPIC, an extension of town leaders to do anything sensible, or to try and fix this parking issue we have had since the 1980’s !
I would think the last 3 years have unfortunately voided that hope and all public trust.
First we had a plan all about green space, and destoying downtown business. then with pushback, it became about safety, and code( lol)
Then it became about flooding, then it had no cut through, then it got back the cut through and was presented…
The disaster didn’t pass because it got rid of parking and rendered the parking lot a nasty unsafe cluster with no loading zones and 90degree straight parking.
Nobody liked it, then with no more public input it hurriedly comes back even worse than before and somehow passes.
It’s a disaster !
An unmitigated disaster for merchants especially non restaurant merchants, because after spending 2 hours eating a meal in your favorite restaurants there is hardly any time left to go shopping and get back to your car.
What really escapes all sense here, is that a perfectly working parking lot, brilliantly designed but let go to hell through sheer lack of maintenance, and no effort years ago on the part of the town to improve ADA, is now slated to be destroyed at enormous expense and replaced with a far far FAR less safe parking lot, one which contains 60% compact car only small car spaces, ( please everyone read those words- compact car only) and non angled to boot !
A tragic accident waiting to happen and according to every parking lot designer I’ve researched, the last choice for parking outside of “overnight, all day, and staff parking”
No loading zones because Pete ratkiewich stated quite frankly he wanted merchants to receive their deliveries before 10am.
That would be before they even come to work, and delivery companies do not and will not promise to deliver at a particular time.
Again all of this just proving that DPIC, should have had a large number of merchants on its committee so we could have explained to them the basic business owners requirements.
We ( the many many merchants group) tried to speak with DPIC and downtown association.
We were promptly completely ignored and no meeting was arranged. We asked on many occasions.
At no point did any merchant on the street suggest/ allude to/ ask, for our town green to be destroyed.
I want to make that patently clear. Ruining jesup green was not a merchant idea, nor one we support.
The idea is appalling.
All this money, disruption, design money, ruination of merchants, so someone can hide the view of Parker Harding to benefit the other side of the river ?
Plenty time to implement more green space AFTER, sensible solutions are put forth which work to alleviate pressure on parking.
This is the FS’s modus operandi – set people against one another to push through her agenda.
She wants ballfields? Set Long Lots parents against the Community Gardeners.
She wants a parking plan that nobody wants? Throw out ideas that the preservationists and the NIMBYs will split on so that the original plan is the least awful to the most people, instead of just working on a sensible plan.
Potential stakeholders who might be negatively impacted by a Baldwin deck is probably less than a dozen. The stakeholders who would definitely benefit from an energized and uncompromised Jesup Green = 28,000. Pretty compelling math in favor of Balwin which can be designed to minimize if not eliminate negative impacts. And BTW, encroaching on Jesup with paved parking will be destructive to one of our most valuable town assets (infrastructure).
That’s the spirit, Bob. Let’s crush those annoying homeowners in the name cars and commerce. Majority rules. Isn’t that one of the “Westport Values” our local government recently posted on a sign in Jesup Green? Just to be extra vindictive (since that’s apparently a thing around here lately) let’s erect blinding sodium vapor lights on top of that Baldwin deck – for safety, of course.
Potential stakeholders=all the tax payers in Westport.
I have shopped at Costco and parked in a parking garage… I am not a fan and I don’t want my taxes to fund one in Westport.
Have you, by the way, taken a look at the garbage piled in Parker Harding parking lot? No one in Westport does maintenance except volunteer Saturday morning RTM led groups of citizens so sick of the debris piling up they’re willing to volunteer.
Have you looked at the way Westport has maintained its open spaces—the Baron’s Soputh property, for example?
Westport does not excel at maintenance. Where Westport does excel is coddling developers’ fantasies of more buildings and more commercial profits paid for by grants and tax payers.
Show me a couple of years of responsible stewardship, and I might change my mind. However right now I’d say Westport’s administration deserves to be under financial scrutiny and held on a short leash.
Oh as to jesup I could not agree more with you.
I don’t even think it should be touched.
I never did.
It was a shock to us all.
In fact I believe it is deeded green space and cannot be touched according to historians.
Parker Harding should have Ada spots added as should have been done years ago.
And it should end there.
Ada and crosswalks.
Leave it as it is and save the town a fortune.
And then jesup can be left alone.
Parking garage can be built on upper jesup behind the police building.
Then look and see if it’s worth adding green to PH and lower Jesup.
I still question it’s worth when nobody uses the green spaces we already have.
It remains to be seen.