By Thane Grauel
WESTPORT — The Parker Harding Plaza redesign was approved Wednesday night by the Conservation Commission.
It’s the latest in a series of approvals, but the town’s major land-use and funding bodies have yet to vet the plan, which has been controversial.
On Oct. 3, the latest version of the redesign plan encountered no opposition at a joint meeting of the Historic District Commission and Architectural Review Board. It was approved the next night by the Flood and Erosion Control Board
The plan will be reviewed by the Tree Board at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 19, in Room 201 of Town Hall.
It will be presented to the Planning and Zoning Commission at an online meeting at 7 p.m. Oct. 23.
The plan to redo the parking lot bordered by Main Street stores and the Saugatuck River encountered significant opposition over the last year. Merchants and restaurant owners assailed the loss of dozens of parking spots, and people worried about the traffic effects of eliminating the cut-through from Post Road East to Main Street.
After the pushback, the process was paused by First Selectwoman Jennifer Tooker and the plan was revamped. A revised plan unveiled in August, described by officials as a compromise, restored some of the lost parking and the cut-through.
Public Works Director Peter Ratkiewich presented the plan on Wednesday. It was before the commission because it needed Waterway Protection Line Ordinance approval.
“The stated goal of the design team is to reimagine the riverfront, to provide a connection between Main Street and to improve public access to the water,” he said. “To do so, we propose to address the following deficiencies that we see on the plaza today.”
He mentioned:
- Lack of Americans with Disabilities Act compliance
- Fire code compliance
- Poor pedestrian safety and visibility
- Poor circulation and traffic flow
- Lack of flood mitigation
- Lack of sustainability measures
- Limited landscaping and greenspace
- Substandard parking and travel lane dimensions for most of the spaces
- Very limited riverfront access for residents and visitors, instead giving priority to vehicles, parking and roadway
Most of the existing trees will be replaced, he said.
“While we’ll be taking out the grand majority of the existing trees, we are going to be putting back a lot more trees and plantings along the riverfront,” Ratkiewich said. Non-native trees will be replaced with native trees.
Ratkiewich also mentioned the project would add bio-filtration for runoff, and replace impervious surfaces with pervious surfaces, about 13.7 percent of the project area.
No one from the public spoke or had questions. A few commission members had questions about trash compactors and bins, and parking.
“Is salinity in the water an issue for any of the plantings?” commission member Paul Davis asked.
“We’re going to be presenting salt-resistant plantings,” Ratkiewich replied. “Grasses and trees.”
The Conservation Commission’s vote in favor of the proposal was unanimous.
Thane Grauel grew up in Westport and has been a journalist in Fairfield County and beyond for 35 years. Reach him at [email protected]. Learn more about us here.