By Kerri Williams

WESTPORT – Planning and Zoning Commissioner Michael Calise said he was being blunt when talking about the General Business District/Saugatuck Marina (GBD/SM) zone during Thursday’s Zoning Regulation Revision Subcommittee meeting.

“It’s a horrible zone,” Calise said of the GBD/SM, where the development known as The Hamlet was proposed and later denied by the commission. “…And it’s sitting there like a ticking time bomb ready to explode in our faces.”

All the commissioners at the subcommittee meeting agreed that the zone needs to be changed, and changed quickly, to avoid another situation like the Hamlet at Saugatuck mixed-use development, a plan that was widely unpopular with townspeople partly because of its large scale and concerns about traffic and parking. In February, Roan Development Ventures withdrew its lawsuit demanding approval of the project.

There was some discussion on Thursday as to the best way to go about making changes to the zone, with at least three ideas floated.

Commissioner Patrizia Zucaro proposed a map amendment that would make the Saugatuck Marina part of the zone that includes the town’s nearby Gault properties. Zucaro said that the Gault zoning works and would be a “quick fix,” which would then give the commission some time to evaluate whether something different should be in place for the marina area.

Vice Chairman Michael Cammeyer said he agreed that using the Gault zoning “does work.” He suggested using a text amendment to “cut and paste” the regulations for the GBD/SM into the regulations for the marina. In that way, it would allow for changes to be made to the marina zone in the future.

Calise proposed another option, which is to amend the marina regulations in terms of parking and the right to provide affordable housing off site. Calise said the current regulation of one car for every 1,000 square feet is not acceptable. He also criticized that the zone allows developers to utilize public parking outside the site. Calise’s proposed text changes can be seen here.

These regulations were “poorly thought out,” Calise said, and had “people wondering what was happening behind the scenes.”

The subcommittee agreed to bring the ideas to the full commission during its May 18 meeting. 

Members of the public attending Thursday’s meeting also agreed that time is of the essence in amending the zoning regulations, especially since more than half of the former Hamlet site was recently purchased by Spinnaker Real Estate Partners in Norwalk. The commission will be hearing from Spinnaker, which purchased 606 Riverside Ave. and 96 Franklin St., on May 18 during a pre-application, or non-binding discussion. P&Z Director Michelle Pirellie said that Spinnaker will have its own proposal for a text amendment for the zone.

But Zucaro was one of many who said the commission should be proactive, putting something in place first that “protects us.”

“I have been waiting for you guys to address this,” said Toni Simonetti, who spoke during a public comment portion of the meeting. “I think it’s urgent for you to do this right away.”

Dara Lamb agreed, saying that Calise’s “time bomb” analogy is very appropriate.

“The community has spoken,” Lamb said. “They want Gault zoning.”

Two other members of the public had similar comments. Both Michael Chaney and Carol Reichhelm said that the change to Gault zoning should be made quickly. “Then you can think about what the town wants in a rational, unselfish, civic-minded way,” Chaney said.

Kerri Williams

^{_{Kerri Williams is an award-winning writer and journalist. She has worked as a reporter at the Norwalk Hour, as Living editor at the Darien News-Review, and managing editor for the Norwalk Citizen-News. For Westport Journal, she is a reporter as well as a gardening columnist, writing “Cultivating with Kerri.” She recently published her first children’s book – “Mabel’s Big Move,” based on her daughter with special needs.}}