Longtime Westport residents Mike Nayor and Larry Wiseman sent the following letter to all Town Meeting delegates:
We’ll soon be debating the pros and cons of the Jesup Green/Downtown parking garage, which has the potential to transform downtown Westport.
Parker Harding is the key. It needs renovation to make it more attractive, comfortable, inviting and more riverside oriented.
In an “Opinion” article in September’s 06880, Robert Augustine takes the bold step of reconfiguring Parker Harding into an almost park-like environment while adding retail space and building on the Baldwin property. He posed that a parking deck was being added to make up for lost PH space.
This column received 58 responses. There was overwhelming support for nearly every change he proposed. While some comments expressed concerns about the potential for flooding and cost, the majority enthusiastically supported the idea of ​​a parking facility.
Not a single writer opposed this proposal.
Parker Harding Plaza (drone photo/John Videler for Videler Photography)
Historically, controversial changes and improvements made in Westport have been praised after the fact, but we usually wonder why a particular project was opposed in the first place. Parking decks can be designed to be inclusive and blend in with the environment, with modest shapes that don’t mar the downtown skyline or disturb neighbors.
The need for continuous parking at or immediately adjacent to store entrances has been in demand for decades. With the exception of handicap parking, Westporters and visitors do not need to access the downtown curbside. Plenty of cars are parked on Gorham Island on weekends and it’s a short walk to Main Street. Pedestrian strolls create a lasting community feel, which benefits retailers.
A parking deck in the Baldwin parking lot would alleviate the need to expand the parking lot at Jessup Green. Therefore, the $630,000 expenditure request should not be approved. The money would be far better spent addressing other, more pressing downtown issues.
We strongly encourage RTM members to adopt this plan downtown. RTM should respond to residents’ needs and desires. Improvements have been discussed and postponed for decades. The urgency to get the plow in the ground right now isn’t as important as getting it right. Wrong choices now have long-term consequences.
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