By Gretchen Webster
WESTPORT — Planning and Zoning Commission approval for the revised Inn at Longshore renovation project, which seemed a shoo-in at the start of Monday’s review, took a detour when the panel discovered an elevator to guest rooms had been removed from the plans.
Commission member Amy Wistreich said that she was uncomfortable approving a design that she thought does not comply with the American with Disabilities Act (ADA).
“ADA shouldn’t be an afterthought. It should be designed into the building. It’s a matter of dignity for those who can’t get into the building,” she said, asking what would happen if a bride’s grandmother couldn’t get upstairs to one of the inn’s 12 guest rooms.
Member Neil Cohn said he was concerned with the legality of the commission approving an 8-24 land use report on May 6 that included the elevator, which was later removed. And the inn is a town-owned building, he reminded the commission, that would not be compliant with federal accessibility regulations.
“If we have to approve a parking lot that is ADA compliant, then how can we approve our hotel that is not ADA compliant?” he asked, referring to plans to redesign the Parker Harding Plaza parking lot to meet ADA requirements. “I would like a legal opinion on this from the town attorney. We’re disappointed that [the inn renovation plan] is flawed in this way.”
By the end of the meeting, five of the six commission members present voted to postpone a decision on the Longshore project until Dec. 2 to give the town and developers time to come up with a possible solution, or vote on whether to accept the project as it stands. Commission member John Bolton voted against delaying the vote.
According to Peter Romano, of Landtech Consultants representing Longshore Hospitality, the inn lessee, the building would be compliant even without the elevator because its use has not been changed and the lack of compliance would be “grandfathered” in. “When you’re not changing the use, you don’t have to comply,” he said, calling removal of the elevator “a business decision.”
Restoring an elevator to the renovation plans would add approximately $1 million to the $5 million project, he said, suggesting that perhaps the town could help pay for the elevator. The cost of installing an elevator reflects the cost of building a dormer to accommodate the shaft, he said.
His explanation did not satisfy most commission members, however, despite their other comments in favor of the renovations.
The commission on Monday was considering a special permit and coastal site plan application, which regulates coastal resources and flooding, and does not pertain to the interior renovations, P&Z Chairman Paul Leibowitz said.
Most members, however, were not comfortable with the lack of an elevator and did not want to give up a last opportunity to vote on the project without first considering how the ADA compliance issue could be remedied.
In addition to the P&Z’s previous discussions and approval for the project, other town bodies have also approved the plan, according to Michele Perillie, the planning and zoning director, including the Architectural Review Board in May and the Aspetuck Health District.
There would not be any way the P&Z could make adding the elevator a condition of approval, she said, because accessibility regulations are not a zoning matter.
Romano said the renovation project is planned on a tight schedule, and delaying the work would pose problems. The inn will remain open only through New Year’s Eve, he said, shutting down on Jan. 3, 2025. Heavy construction would begin Feb.1, with plans for La Plage restaurant to reopen at the inn in June or July of next year, and the guest rooms upstairs by fall. The ballroom would not reopen until approximately April 2026, he said.
During construction, the area will be fenced off and “there will be no interruption to golf at all,” Romano added.
In March 2023, Longshore Hospitality Group, affiliated with Delamar Hotels, entered into a 30-year lease with the town to manage the inn. The lease includes an $8 million investment by the group to improve the facility and a rental agreement that changed from a fixed amount to 18.8 percent of the inn’s revenue, estimated at about $1 million per year, Town Attorney Ira Bloom told the selectwomen when the lease was approved.
Freelance writer Gretchen Webster, a Fairfield County journalist for many years, was editor of the Fairfield Minuteman and has taught journalism at New York and Southern Connecticut State universities.
John Bolton voted against grandmothers in wheelchairs? I hope he runs again.
I feel strongly that this town-owned building has an elevator, as originally planned and as current regulations require. It is shameful to invoke the grandfather clause for “business reasons.” The town is practically giving away the revenue stream from this premium property to private interests, largely undisclosed persons. Put in the damn elevator.
Good for Ms. Wistreich! Westport should not allow renovation to its town jewel that is non ADA compliant despite Mr. Romano’s “grandfather” excuse. Mr. Romano should visit the medical building at 333 Post Road West to see a three story elevator without a million dollar dormer. Furthermore, wonder if the Lessee Delmar hotels is renovating their own property, former Westport Inn, without elevator?
Shameful is the perfect word to describe attempting to “get away with”removing an elevator from this plan, where substantial improvements and renovations are taking place on a town owned building, by a tenant who secured for himself and his investors the deal of the century.
Basically has the Inn for more than 30 years from now.
They are paying zero rent during the renovation period- highly unusual, and beneficial to the tenant and not the town. Post renovation and free rent period, tenant has a “good standing credit” for 83 months of $28,500 a month.
Upon spending 5 million on the building the client will get back against their taxes huge amounts of depreciation, so in effect the $5 million investment will be more like 3.5 million after depreciation and then 2.365 million in discounted rent ( aka good standing credit)
In other words the town and its tax payers are basically paying for the 5 million. Just not up front but over a few years of rent abatements.
So to suggest it an appropriate business decision to remove an elevator, from the build is not only shameful but outrageous.
This is not even a question of grandfathered in “loopholes”, it is a town owned “treasure” and as such it must surely be a demand that the client/tenant in charge of the inn for the next 30 plus years, and, who had the elevator in their initial plan cannot just remove it, because they are now too cheap to pay for it.
Apart from anything else they will get a huge amount of the elevator spend back in depreciation.
That is morally wrong on every level.
Between the free rent period during Reno, the 83 months of rent discount, ( all at tax payers expense) and the huge depreciation on their federal taxes, I suggest an elevator giving ADA access to the hotel rooms in a town owned building is the least they can provide.
Here’s a copy of the lease.
It is an interesting read.
https://www.westportct.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/70972/638118813552530000
Thank you to the commissioners who did the right thing last night.