By Thane Grauel

WESTPORT — The Planning and Zoning Commission on Monday took its first swing at a proposed golf recreation center and 10 units of housing at 1620 Post Road East.

The discussion on three related agenda items for 1608-1622 Post Road East — a text amendment, map amendment and general development plan/special permit — was lengthy, but to almost no one’s surprise was continued to another meeting.

The plan by 1620 PRE Associates LLC is to convert the 8,550-square-foot building to a golfing recreation center, and, in a future phase, add 10 townhouses at the back property, two at below-market rents.

Input from commission members ranged from encouraging to pointed questions, particularly from Vice Chairman Paul Lebowitz. And support expressed by some members appeared tempered by others’ don’t-count-your-birdies caution.

The applicant’s negotiations with some neighbors, it appeared, had been fruitful, but not yet complete.

Many neighbors at Lansdowne wrote to the commission with concerns. Monday the condo association was represented by lawyer Joel Green of Bridgeport.

“We’ve have had good-faith and productive discussions regarding those concerns,” Green said. “We have negotiated the terms of an agreement that satisfies and addresses many of the concerns of my client. We’re on the edge of reaching of an agreement,” Green said. “And we are just on the 1-yard line, but we are not in the end zone yet.”

He hoped the application would be held open for further review.

Rick Redniss, of Redniss and Mead, representing the applicant, made a point to clarify environmental concerns raised by neighbors in letters to the Planning and Zoning Department.

“With the environmental, a lot of talk was on the environmental because it got off to this start or all the rumors,” Redniss said. “And workers dying, and my god, all based on incomplete and erroneous information.”

Redniss said that occurred on the neighboring property that is now Lansdowne.

“Even if just a few spots that have got stuff, it doesn’t matter,” Redniss said, saying that “anything that goes back in that housing area, has to go through the ringer, in terms of what kind of foundations, capping, seeping, peeling, removing, etc., all really highly regulated.”

“And the applicant is going to accept all of that?” asked commission member Neil Cohn.

“Yes,” Redniss said. “They are now.”

“Thanks,” Cohn said. “I do like what you’re trying to do here, I think it’s good for the town.”

Elizabeth Zobel of High Gate Road, an abutting property owner, had concerns about debris left over the years on property.

“There is a significant amount back there,” she said.

“I would also reiterate the need for independent testing there,” she said.

Benjamin Levites of High Gate Road said he agreed with previous concerns raised about sound, lighting and traffic, and about environmental testing.

In addition to whatever that might require, he asked that invasive vegetation, notably Japanese knotweed, be addressed.

Commission Chairwoman Danielle Dobin appeared split.

“The idea of having some sort of indoor, experiential activity center where families and friends can get together, especially in the long, long winter rainy months that we have here in Connecticut, to get off the phones and hang out together, I love it, I think it’s a great use,” commission Chairwoman Danielle Dobin said.

“It’s exactly the kind of thing we’re trying to encourage to have more of in the town of Westport,” she said. “Love the concept.”

“Idea of having a roof deck, so that can have some dining outside … totally get it,” she continued, “On the flipside, the neighbors have every reason to be deeply concerned about noise.”

“… I completely appreciate why we’ve received so many letters from neighbors who want to make sure that there are some serious guardrails if there’s going to be any kind of roof deck,” Dobin said.

“Otherwise, we end up in a situation, forget about the text amendment, where somebody’s holding a dance party at 8 p.m. on a Tuesday night and I don’t care how far away it is Rick, that you showed on the map, the people in Lansdowne are going to hear it,” she said.

“And the difference, of course, people can always have a party at their house,” Dobin said. “But they usually don’t have them every Friday, Saturday, Thursday night.”

Dobin suggested a new environmental review be done by a firm chosen by P&Z staff rather than one contracted by the applicant.

Thane Grauel grew up in Westport and has been a journalist in Fairfield County and beyond for 35 years. Reach him at editor@westportjournal.com. Learn more about us here.