WESTPORT–The Historic District Commission recently approved the issuance of a permit to demolish the house at 49 Old Road.
The 1 ½-story cape was erected in 1946. It has 1,800-square-feet of living space, a basement, a wooden porch, three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a half bathroom and a finished half-story.
The property traded hands in August for $680,000. It had previously traded for $580,500 in 2013 and for $582,000 in 2011. The property’s current assessment is $398,300.
Old Road is off Bulkley Avenue N and Maple Avenue N.
Source: Town of Westport Assessor records.
Another “affordable house” bites the dust. It will soon be replaced by a one or two million dollar house. I walk on Old Road frequently and have watched many of its smaller homes get crushed into dumpsters. Soon after, a much bigger house fills every inch of the maximum property coverage allowed. It’s all legal and profitable for the developers. But what is Westport losing? At least 50% of the homes along Old Rd. have been replaced in this way over the last 5-10 years. What was once one of Westport’s more affordable communities is now affordable only by millionaires. We all nod in agreement when Westport is told it must work toward creating more affordable housing. Meanwhile, each week, we watch as another affordable house is sent to the landfill.