To the editor:
This letter to the editor pertains to the P&Z Zoom meeting on April 8, 2024, at 7 p.m., Item 2 — Inn at Longshore, 260 Compo Road South.
Since public attention of Westporters right now is intensely focused on the Parker Harding project, this letter to the editor is intended to bring awareness to the dramatic changes at the Longshore Inn.
These changes will have a long lasting — 30 years — affect on Westporters and future administrations.
First of all, the architecture of the inn, which is very familiar to us Westporters since the town purchased Longshore in 1960, will be gone. The iconic façade facing the Long Island Sound with the circular domed dining area will be torn down.
This landmark façade has been on countless Westport postcards and also made a nice memorable background on wedding photos and videos. The new façade will be a sterile institutional-looking long stretch of uniform patios.
Also the new inn will be larger. Hotel rooms will be added. The “property line” will be shifted to include more town-owned land. Many, many more people will be coming to the inn.
There will be more car traffic, adding to the already stretched traffic in the park. There will be more parking spaces needed, adding to the parking which already has overflow parking on grass areas.
The inn, now fully in the hands of an outside commercial enterprise, will be dominating Longshore Park for the next 30 years and overshadowing all the recreational activities in the park.
Irmi Streidt
Westport
The Longshore Inn is indeed iconic for Westport. I too am skeptical of handing it over to a fully commercial blind investment fund whose profit motive may not always be in the best interest of town residents. Little is known about the entity and its web of opaque affiliated entities, or its investors who hold the keys to this property.
Further, I think the Inn’s timeless design should be preserved in favor of the more institutional design that is proposed.
Improvements and updates are needed, but they could be done with an eye toward restoring this town jewel rather than converting it into just another bland $800-a-night moneymaker.
It doesn’t need to be bigger, just better while preserving the character of our waterfront assets and its value to Westport residents.
Toni, your argument is brilliant. My parents had their wedding reception and spent their first night at the Roosevelt Hotel in Manhattan Mine was at the Inn at Longshore. While our families spent the night post partying at Longshore at the Westport Inn, my hubby and I spent the night at the very private, very exclusive,very secluded Inn at Longshore. At 16, my son’s first job was working at the Longshore Pro Shop.
The iconic Roosevelt Hoytal is now a migrant hoytel.
The Westport Inn is now under construction as an eyesore on the Post Rd. The iconic Delamar brand now wants a Motel 6 .How many rooms will go unrented before it too becomes a migrant hostel?
And as for the Inn at Longshore, you’ve hit the nail on the head. Where will the additional parlking spaces come from ? Is the ultimate plan to remove 9 holes from the golf course?
Final thoughts.A realtor friend indicated just last week in her newsletter, builders are asking what’s going on with the market in Westport? Every new construction over 4 M has had to take drastic reductions.
Caveat emptor.
Here’s the thing, when townies and cronies invest in a fund that profits from longshore, nobody minds what they do.
It’s a free for all.
All rules out the window.
They get to totally encroach on and build on town property that is NOT THEIRS.
And don’t get me started on enhanced parking !
Because while they are blatantly destroying merchants in the downtown by removing parking they are busy handing our town land to a private group to enhance their parking..
but sure ! Merchants don’t need parking !