By Thane Grauel
WESTPORT — Monday evening’s Planning and Zoning Commission meeting was postponed a week because of a faulty Zoom link.
The meeting — which had a lengthy agenda — will be held at 7 p.m. July 17 instead, online. The meeting also will be streamed live on westportct.gov.
The snafu highlighted the mixed blessing that is the Internet.
Online meetings, which the P&Z has made its default setting since the pandemic, can draw more participants from a populace that has family commitments, long commutes and work travel.
But the downside includes a lack of old-fashioned, face-to-face communications, and no opportunity for after-meeting banter, informal questions or just catching up.
And then the occasional technical glitch. Though some people found their way to the correct Zoom location Monday after the correct link was sent to various email groups, P&Z staff and commission members agreed no business should be done because the meeting, they said, was not properly noticed.
“Because members of the public are not going to be able to find us and join the meeting, we are going to be postponing the meeting,” Chairwoman Danielle Dobin said.
Applicants who were ready to present applications mostly said they could make it next week.
Rick Hoag asked if there was an option to proceed. “There’s a few people involved so we’re kind of communicating by text right now,” Hoag said. “Am I right in asking that we don’t really have an option?” he said.
“Yes, the agenda published a Zoom link that we are not in, denying the public access to this public hearing,” Planning and Zoning Director Mary Young responded.
“Obviously, you guys know this cost a lot to our client, a lot of money,” Hoag said. The application that would have been most likely to generate a robust debate was for a golf recreation facility at 1608-1622 Post Road East, with a rooftop lounge and 10 townhouses, particularly from neighbors living at Landsdowne.
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.
Zoom is all fine and good for Town Body Committee meetings. At the RTM we often find Zoom Committee meetings very useful, and efficient. I understand Planning and Zoning may find it easier for applicants, members of p and z, and public to “zoom in.”
Now that Covid is over, it might be time for our P and Z Commission to start holding regular scheduled meetings live and in person. This will “eliminate” any computer glitch with future meetings.
Zoom is a wonderful meeting option that came out of Covid, designed to allow state and local government to continue to conduct business.
I hope in the future our P and Z will consider the value in conducting in person meetings as the norm rather than all Zoom.
Perhaps a sign that it’s time to return to “in -person” meetings?