By John Schwing
WESTPORT — The day before a forum to gather public feedback on options to help ease downtown’s chronic parking and traffic problems — focused particularly on the area around Jesup Green and Imperial Avenue parking lot — a roadblock has been raised by a major civic institution.
In an Oct. 22 letter to town officials and the consultants conducting the parking study, a lawyer for the Westport Woman’s Club writes: “The club must object to the specific proposal of using the Imperial Avenue parking lot adjacent to the club’s property for designated community parking.”
The club, located at 44 Imperial Ave., “is entitled in perpetuity to the use at all times of 100 parking spaces or as many parking spaces as the lot will accommodate in the Imperial Avenue lot that adjoins the club’s land,” Sharon Jones, with the Westport law firm of Jones, Wasburn-Gonzales, wrote on the club’s behalf. (The full text of the letter is attached at the end of this article.)
The Westport Woman’s Club stakes its claim of dominion over the parking lot, which the club leases out and uses for its own programs, including the annual Yankee Doodle Fair, based on agreements in 1956 and 1968 with the town, according to Jones.
The agreements “provided the town with land and the club with parking spaces,” according to Jones, who attached copies of both agreements to underscore her arguments.
Those agreements, the lawyer wrote, “make it clear that the club’s rights to the spaces in the Imperial Avenue lot that adjoins the club property result in the Imperial Avenue lot being unavailable for designated town parking.”
The club’s objections to use of the Imperial lot for town parking appears to throw a monkey wrench into the latest study of the issue on the eve of a “charrette” planned by the Downtown Plan Implementation Committee.
The charrette, or forum for public comments, questions and feedback, will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 23, at the Westport Library, 20 Jesup Road. The event is part of a $26,000 survey being conducted for DPIC by Colliers Engineering and Design.
It also further complicates the study since Jesup Green itself also is off the table, per a Representative Town Meeting decision in May that rebuffed the Tooker administration’s plans to carve extra parking spaces on the green to make up for spaces lost in the redesigned Parker Harding lot.
After affirming the club’s belief that the two agreements undeniably grant it control “in perpetuity” over the Imperial lot, Jones explains its use is vital to ensure the club’s future.
“The use of the parking spaces is not just essential but critical for the club. By renting the club’s property for various events, the club earns the necessary funds to carry on its charitable works.” Among those charities are the club’s annual Ruegg community service grants to area nonprofits, scholarships, a community food bank and other projects that in 2022 included a $300,000 donation to the town to purchase a new ambulance.
“The club expects the town to adhere to its agreement to provide the club with parking spaces per the 1956 and 1968 agreements,” Jones reiterates at the end of the letter.
The full text of the Westport Woman’s Club letter to town officials is attached …
I believe from witnessing a mistake in citing the possible sites for affordable housing in an official document that some in the town administration do not have access to the institutional memory that typically serves a town such as Westport well.
I urge the town attorney and planning and zoning departments in particular to thoroughly review the deed restrictions, court stipulated settlements, land records, etc. of all town properties.
Failure to provide clear and accurate up-to-date information to decision makers is having a deleterious effect on trust in government. Town administrators making decisions based on inaccurate or inadequate information is not good
Good point, Werner. As an aside, I believe the Imperial Lot is a Residential A zone. The town may wish to reacquaint itself with the (short) list of permitted uses in that particular zone.
I gather the town has been pressuring the women’s club by “interpreting” the agreements, shall we say in a self serving and incorrect manner.
No surprises there.
In other words for all intents and purposes the “imperial lot” basically belongs to the women’s club for any and all events, parking, in perpetuity( forever)
So that’s it. It’s settled, not a moment too soon.
The imperial lot is absolutely off the table, forever.
Should have never been on the table.
Why has it even been part of discussions of DPIC parking lot reinvention, including elaborate plans to create electrified pavilions, with bathrooms and storage, and requiring pylons to be driven into the ground because of the terrain.
Has there been some bullying going on ?
The women’s club is a wonderful not for profit organization in town.
I hope nobody was trying to mislead them.
In fact it sounds like permission for the wonderful farmers market to be our guests at the imperial lot every Thursday owes its thanks to theWestport Women’s club.
So interesting.
Im wondering if this is in reference to the lower dirt lot portion where the fair is and the stairs leading up to wwc, and not the upper paved portion.
I believe Scott, it is in reference to the lower lot. Basically although the town may “own” imperial ! It had to give women’s club exclusive use in perpetuity of it 24/7
But this agreement is 65 years old.. town is very aware of it.. just pretends it doesn’t exist.
I guess women’s club are tired of the BS !!!
Also not discussed. Jessup Road Historic District has designated use of parking spaces surrounding police station