By Thane Grauel

WESTPORT — Thursday night’s online meeting to discuss a petition challenging the rezoning of Saugatuck ran into serious technical difficulties.

The Zoom meeting of the Representative Town Meeting’s Planning and Zoning and Transit committees had a limit of 100 attendees. That limit was quickly reached.

Those who couldn’t get in saw a popup window stating the limit had been reached, and that they could not get access unless someone else left the meeting.

The joint meeting of the RTM committees will now be held at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 10.

The town might increase its online meeting capacity to 1,000.

“We apologize for this glitch, we’ll do better,” Matthew Mandell, chairman of the P&Z Committee, told those able to attend.

Town Attorney Ira Bloom had suggested the committees continue the meeting, which was being recorded and would be available for review by others later, but that they not take any public comment.

Rick Smilow, a vocal critic of the Planning and Zoning Commission’s rezoning of the neighborhood, said the meeting should be rescheduled.

“We think this meeting should be resumed when everyone can participate,” he said.

P&Z Chairwoman Danielle Dobin agreed.

“We so rarely have a review from the RTM, it’s such a big deal,” she said. “We want everyone who wants to be in the room, in the room.”

The meeting was triggered by a petition from residents asking the RTM to review the P&Z’s sweeping rezoning of Saugatuck, which would enable the Hamlet at Saugatuck redevelopment plan. It includes a hotel, several tall building and a mix of retail, residential and other uses.

The RTM has the power to overturn the P&Z decision with a two-thirds vote of the body, 24 members.

A site visit to the rezoned area, where the Hamlet at Saugatuck mixed-use development is planned, is still scheduled for noon Friday, beginning at 599 Riverside Ave. That’s near Tutti’s Ristorante.

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.