Westport’s Reconnecting the Riverfront downtown improvement project has been in the works for more than a decade and is years behind schedule. However, town leaders believe they are making some headway.
Randy Herbertson, chair of the town’s downtown improvement committee, says they are now juggling the need for parking space while encouraging walkability in the area.
“We are probably about 30% done,” Herbertson said.
The project includes dredging up the Saugatuck River, a pedestrian walkway and renovating existing municipal lots in the area, The plan has undergone revisions as a result of town concerns over parking availability.
Herbertson said the committee has taken those concerns into account, but local merchants are critical of increased parking limits and say it could hurt their businesses.
The town’s Planning and Zoning Commission wanted to keep as much parking space as possible. A parking study issued earlier this year recommended limiting parking time for on-street parking to two hours, encouraging more drivers to park at lots further away from the downtown area. The town implemented lower parking time limits in August.
Herbertson said those changes and encouraging people to park further away could free up space for drivers while allowing pedestrians access to the walkway and green spaces.
“We wanted to change that up and make it more accessible, but at the same time, we really can't, at this point, afford to lose parking inventory, so we're trying to at least maintain (the) total amount of parking inventory we have today,” Herbertson said.
But merchants in the area like Alan Cohen, who owns ElixirSpa, say the lower parking time limits hurt his business. He said customers are looking for convenience.
Cohen said the new changes don't take into account the habits of shoppers.
“They want to be able to just get in the car, come to Westport, expect to find parking, not to be relegated to a lot that's a quarter of a mile away, simple as that,” Cohen said.
Cohen wants a parking structure to be built at the Baldwin lot but the parking study recommended the lowered parking time limits be implemented first, citing its expense, stating it would cost around $5 million for a parking deck and a three level parking structure to cost around $10 million.
Former member of the Representative Town Meeting Sal Lucchione said he’s hopeful Westport’s newly inaugurated Democratic First Selectman, Kevin Christie will listen to the concerns of small business owners.
“I call on our new first selectman who I supported to re-look at this, and look at a parking deck, and look at the two hour park, and it's been not good for the merchants on Main Street,” Lucchione said.
Christie’s office was reached but Christie did not respond to a request for comment by Thursday afternoon.
Herbertson said the project might be completed by 2027.
