By John H. Palmer

WESTPORT – The town came one step closer to a new Long Lots Elementary School Monday evening, as the Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously voted to approve a new positive “8-24” municipal use report, considered a major state-mandated hurdle to overcome in order for the project to move forward.

The approval of the new municipal use report allows the town to proceed with an application for a state reimbursement grant, which could amount to up to $1.3 million to help pay for the estimated price tag of $108 million for the Hyde Lane elementary school.

“We’ve all wanted to do this the right way,” said P&Z Commissioner Neil Cohn just before the full commission voted to approve. “Schools are why we move to Westport, and we want the best for our kids. I’m looking forward to a beautiful new building and making all of this work.”

The planners had originally issued a positive 8-24 report for the project in January 2024, a site plan that had at the time included the current site of the Westport Community Gardens. Since then, however, the project had expanded to include new multi-use athletic fields and expanded parking lots. This prompted First Selectwoman Jennifer Tooker to issue a request for a new 8-24 that excludes the gardens, with the stipulation that the town would actively look for a new satisfactory site on town-owned property.

“We are at a really critical point in this long journey we’ve been on together,” said Tooker, who joined over 100 people on the Zoom meeting. “The [Long Lots Building Committee] has done an unbelievable job designing a school both for our pre-K as well as K-5 students. We’re ready to put shovels in the ground for almost 700 students.”

The school plans still have a significant way to go, and town boards are currently in the middle of a last minute rush of meetings to approve the plans before a June 30 deadline to apply to the state Department of Administrative Services for the reimbursement grant.

In addition, a town charter regulation requires a two-week break period for any expenditure over $500,000 to allow for the opportunity to file for a public referendum. That means that the Representative Town Meeting, which is the ultimate deciding town body on financial matters, must approve the project’s appropriation request by June 16 before it can be submitted to the state.

If the town fails to meet the June 30 deadline, the grant funding would not be in the 2026-’27 state budget, and the opening of the new school, scheduled for 2027, would be delayed again unless the town made up for the gap in state funding.

“In the sentiments of many of my fellow [town board members], what a long strange trip this has been, but we are where we are,” said P&Z commissioner Amy Wistreich, who praised the work of the Long Lots Building Committee. “I trust your knowledge and integrity that we couldn’t do this with the gardeners, and I look forward to finding a place for them. I feel very comfortable issuing a positive report.”

With the approval of the new 8-24 report, the approval process now goes to the RTM’s education and finance committees Tuesday evening for a discussion and potential approvals of a $93 million appropriation request. From there, the Board of Finance will meet Wednesday evening to vote on the request, and finally the entire RTM will meet Thursday evening to vote on the appropriation request for funding, which could be for as much as $108 million.

According to comments building committee Chairman Jay Keenan made to planners, the current timeline – once the state comes back with a reimbursement amount – calls for the project to be put out for bidding to contractors. This summer, geothermal wells will be drilled, as well as other site work to prepare for construction including the placement of trailers and other site testing.

“I’m looking forward to moving ahead with this project,” said commissioner Michael Calise. “They acted on the charge they were given, and they did their job well. It’s time to move forward.”

An updated look at school plans

In addition to the approval of the 8-24 report, Monday evening’s meeting was also a chance for the commission and the public to get an updated look at the site plan for the school building, specifically as it relates to traffic, parking, and drainage issues.

One of the reasons the community gardens were taken out of the onsite plans was to allow not only for athletic fields, but also to expand parking lots, according to Keenan. Currently, there are 196 existing spaces that are full every day, he said. With the addition of the Stepping Stones Preschool and an addition 42 staff, overflow parking has been relegated to traffic islands and illegal on-street parking on Hyde Lane. New site plans call for 250 spaces at the new school, as well as a newly-designed one-way bus loop that will accommodate up to 11 school buses and separate from a 30-car “boulevard” in front of the school for student drop-offs.       

“We wanted to look at this from the perspective of keeping buses and cars off of Hyde Lane,” he said, adding that the 250 number doesn’t take into consideration the potential for population growth in the school as new citizens move into town. “We didn’t want to push it, but we could have gone for more parking.”

Marissa Mead, Director of Art Integration for Svigals+Partners, the project architect, walked commissioners through the latest design of the school, which she said was designed to make the building look more “home-like and build into existing topography.”

Some of the notable features of the school beginning to take shape include a clocktower feature in front of the school, corridors within the school that turn clusters of classrooms into “villages,” and an outdoor gathering area that includes a gazebo, an outdoor classroom space, and a rainwater feature with a stream designed to carry rainwater away from the site. In addition, the entrance to the Stepping Stones Preschool enters into a long corridor being nicknamed the “Main Street Corridor” that can be locked and secured from the rest of the school during weekends and long vacations.

“Thank you for the pretty pictures,” said P&Z Chairman Paul Lebowitz.

Public comments vary on site plans

Not surprisingly, public comments on the site plan and the 8-24 approval were varied. Reactions varied from positive enthusiasm about the opening of the new school from Long Lots parents to skepticism from proponents of the community gardeners who doubt the town administration’s commitment to finding a new site.

“The garden is a big elephant in the room, but it’s important for the school to be built as fast as possible and with no delays,” said Joe Nader, a parent of a Long Lots student, who added that expanded parking is needed to avoid illegal parking on Hyde Lane. He also said that the new athletic fields are necessary for the soccer teams and summer camps that use the space during the summer.

“All of the parents would support having a community garden in Westport,” he said. “There’s no question about that.”

Many of the public comments supporting the new school were underscored with support for the 100 gardeners, who have in some cases been the target of criticism from some in town as being an obstacle to the school’s planning.

“We are all very excited about getting this school underway, but I feel like the gardeners have been vilified,” said District 7 RTM member Ellen Lautenberg. “It’s not the gardeners’ fault.”

Bowling Lane resident Ashley Brigham spoke of her children, who need to wait for at least 15 minutes to walk home because of how long it takes for traffic to calm after school. She is in favor of the new school plans and the updated parking plan.

“I know parking there is a major concern, because I see it first-hand,” she said. “I love everything they (the gardeners) do, but we need to focus on the kids.”

Parks and Recreation Director Erik Barbieri said he has been in conversations with the gardens committee and is planning to find a spot for the gardens in the parks master plan, currently under discussions.

District 9 RTM Member Jennifer Johnson said she wasn’t convinced that will happen.

“The simultaneous ramming through of this is not responsible, and we all agree we need a new school, but this is too fast,” she said. “It is disingenuous to say the gardens will be studied further.”

John Palmer, a Norwalk native, is editor of the Westport Journal, and has covered community news in Fairfield County and Massachusetts for over 30 years. He can be contacted at jpalmer@westportjournal.com.