By Thane Grauel

WESTPORT — A plan that would drastically change the look and feel of Saugatuck had its first airing at Monday’s Planning and Zoning Commission meeting.

The proposal seeks zoning changes so about a dozen old buildings could be knocked down and replaced with structures up to five-stories tall between Railroad Place, Franklin Street, Charles Street and the Saugatuck River.

Eric Bernheim of FLB law is attorney for the developer, ROAN Ventures. The project will first need a text amendment and map amendment approved by the P&Z before any specific site plans can move forward.

Commission members had some positive observations, but also many concerns and questions. They asked about traffic, density, parking, building heights, and a lack of required setbacks that could create a “canyon effect.” Several members asked for more details on plans for affordable housing units.

The project would encompass a mix of retail, residential, restaurant spaces, and include a hotel, boat slips for lease and for visitors, a space that could be used for events such as conferences, meetings and receptions. Most of the parking would be underground.

Riverfront access for everyone would be one of the priorities, the applicants said, as well an environmental cleanup far beyond what the state would require for former industrial, automotive and dry cleaner parcels.

The development might eventually be linked to the Gault development just upriver, past the Interstate 95 bridge.

The project also sparked many questions when it got its first public review by the Architectural Review Board in July.

The P&Z meeting was almost four and a half hours. When it was the public’s turn to weigh in, just a handful of people spoke. That was in contrast to about five dozen people who sent letters to the commission either for or against the plan.

“This development invites congestion,” said Nancy Kail, a Representative Town Meeting member from District 9.

“It also invites out-of-town visitors, who aren’t necessarily aware they’re in school districts or areas where there’s churches. They’re going to be on roads that don’t have good signage.”

Sam Levenson, who served on the Saugatuck Transit Oriented District Master Plan Steering Committee, had concerns about the Hamlet.

“My first question would be whether the applicant has reviewed the TOD Plan,” he said.

He said it was put together in a very deliberate process, with input from 1,500 people.

“And why is their application is so wildly inconsistent with those recommended by the town?” he said.

Levenson also worried if the applicant could get the text amendment passed, then sell to another developer.

He noted that the TOD Plan had “a very strong recommendation against multistory buildings at street-front.”

Rick Smilow, a Saugatuck area resident, commended the ROAN team for the vision and the architectural design.

“But as I was reviewing some of that, I wished they were building these buildings in a different part of Westport, that would be more supportive of that and there aren’t the traffic issues,” he said.

He questioned whether people from outside the development would really visit the plaza area.

“I would hope that they make sure that there’s things in there that make it a vibrant area for all of Westport,” he said.

Lewis Liebert said traffic is a problem around town, and that he was glad someone was finally trying to address it.

“I’m in favor of this project,” he said. “I think it’s wonderful for such an aggressive project to happen in that location, taking advantage of the railroad, of access to [Interstate] 95, of the waterfront.”

Ben Flor of Westport said his family had a financial interest in the project, and that he supports it.

“It’s underutilized, there’s a lot of concrete down there,” he said of Saugatuck. “This development would provide a warm welcome to people getting off the train, whether commuters or visitors, and it would really lead into the available public transportation.”

The public hearing was continued to Oct. 3 to allow the applicants time to answer questions and clarify their plans.

Thane Grauel, executive editor, grew up in Westport and has been a journalist in Fairfield County and beyond more than three decades. Reach him at editor@westportjournal.com. Learn more about us here.