By John Schwing

WESTPORT —  Call it a Ferrari. Or call it a Ford. 

But the plan for a new maintenance building at Longshore Club Park, which prompted a range of automotive comparisons from skeptical Board of Finance members last month, is now stalled.

The plan, which called for the aging parks maintenance shed to be replaced at a new site in the park, was dealt a setback when the Planning and Zoning Commission on Monday refused to grant a positive 8-24 municipal land-use report for the project sought by First Selectwoman Jennifer Tooker.

It was turned down by a 4-3 vote.

The 8-24 application came before the P&Z after the finance panel on Jan. 8 declined to approve $222,000 to prepare schematic designs for the new building without zoners’ approval for the new location. The financiers suggested Tooker administration officials first secure zoners’ backing for the site, and anticipating that possibility, had added the design money request to the agenda of their meeting this week.

Brakes tapped on Longshore Capital Improvement Plan 

That funding request, at least for now, appears moot as officials will be re-assessing their next move for what was the first feature of the $40 million Longshore Capital Improvement Plan to be rolled out.

P&Z’s negative 8-24 report for the Longshore maintenance building also raised larger questions about the future reception for other parts of the capital project, which is slated to include a new golf clubhouse and renovation of the pool area.

Several P&Z members complained that, unlike past practice, major town projects requiring municipal land-use approval in recent years have come before their board as a take-it-or-leave-it proposition without an opportunity for P&Z feedback in its planning capacity.

Ratkiewich: No other suitable location

The rejected plan called for relocating the existing maintenance shed, which most speakers Monday agreed is deteriorating and needs to be replaced, to a 35,000-square-foot site within Longshore closer to Compo Road South where a brush waste site is now located.

In its place, the improvement plan calls for construction of four paddle courts.

The new building would have encompassed about 8,000 to 10,000 square feet, providing storage space for parks maintenance equipment and supplies as well as offices and locker rooms for employees, according to Public Works Director Pete Ratkiewich. There also would be space to provide parking for workers.

Because the proposed location is in a flood zone, in order to comply with FEMA regulations, its first level would have to be raised and the high point of its roof could reach about 26 feet.

But because it would sit on a low site in the park, Ratkiewich said, the structure could be easily screened from view from the golf course and road.

The site proposed for the building, he repeated several times, is the best available among other town-owned properties.

Size, location questioned

That point was questioned by P&Z Chair Paul Lebowitz and several commission members who recently toured Longshore to check out the existing shed and the location proposed for the new building.

He and others suggested that officials reconsider moving the building out of Longshore to the Department of Public Works property off Sherwood Island Connector. 

Ratkiewich said those DPW facilities are already “over coverage,” and placing the parks maintenance building there also would likely trigger strong neighborhood opposition.

Lebowitz, however, said based on what he had heard and seen the planned structure seemed “too big.” Addressing Ratkiewich, he said, “I can’t see what’s filling this up … I can’t figure out why you need such a very prominent and large spot” for the building.

Instead, he suggested, a smaller building or a different location might be more appropriate.

Wistreich: “Criminal” to build in open space

Commissioner Amy Wistreich was more blunt. Citing the town’s Plan of Conservation and Development, she noted that Longshore Golf Course is classified as “managed open space,” and said she feels it’s “criminal” to build in open space.

“Open space that is developed is lost forever,” she said. Instead of issuing a positive 8-24 report for the new maintenance building, she said the commission should consider drafting another text amendment restricting all of Longshore Club Park “for recreational use only” and disallow “industrial” uses as she described maintenance facilities.

The existing maintenance shed, she agreed, is an eyesore and needs to be removed from the center of the golf course, but wanted it located somewhere else entirely.

Wistreich also noted that letters from several Longshore golfing groups, representing about 400 players, had recently been filed in opposition to plans for the maintenance building as currently proposed.

Commission member Neil Cohn seconded Wistreich’s stance that preserving open space should be a priority, and that all of Longshore should be reserved for recreational use.

The problem, Ratkiewich reiterated, is that there is no other suitable town-owned property that could accommodate the needed facility — in terms of size, accessibility and neighbors’ buy-in.

Bolton: Not enough details after “backwards” process

Commissioner John Bolton said the P&Z’s review of the 8-24 report needed more details, which would have been available had the Board of Finance approved money to design the project instead of passing it over to the P&Z first. The whole process felt “backwards,” he said, adding without more information he was uncertain what the commission was being asked to vote on.

That sentiment was echoed by commission member Michael Calise, who said more “tangible” information was needed before the panel could make an informed decision.

Their qualms, which commissioner Patrizia Zucaro shared, failed to sway fellow commission members critical of the application.

When a vote was called, as Monday’s meeting stretched to nearly five and a half hours long, Wistreich repeated her strong opposition and again stated her belief that Longshore should be re-zoned to permit only recreational uses.

Cohn agreed, saying the plan was “the wrong location, wrong use.”

Michael Cammeyer also agreed the proposal was “the wrong use for that plot of land.” He added, however, officials should not consider that an unequivocal “no,” but rather, “Come back with something better.”

Lebowitz was the fourth vote in support of issuing a negative 8-24 land-use report for the project, effectively sending the administration back to the drawing board.

John Schwing, interim editor of the Westport Journal, has held senior editorial and writing posts at southwestern Connecticut media outlets for four decades. Learn more about us here.