'Westport Center Village District' Zoning Amendments To Be Discussed

WESTPORT, CT — A public hearing has been scheduled for April 6 to discuss two zoning amendments proposed by the Westport Village District Steering Committee (VDSC), Westport Planning & Zoning Director Mary Young announced.

The first proposal is a Text Amendment to the Westport Zoning Regulations; the second is a Map Amendment to the Westport Official Building Zone Map.

Together, the two amendments would create the Westport Center Village District.

"The Steering Committee has worked diligently with our consultants t prepare what we believe is a very compelling case for the creation of the Village District," said Francis Henkels, chair of the town's Historic District Commission, in a statement. "The value of the district to the citizens of Westport will be to give the town a mechanism for helping to protect the historic fabric and character of the town center while supporting appropriate development and change. On behalf of the committee, we request that the P&Z give these amendments thorough consideration and enthusiastically recommend their adoption."

From Young's release:

The VDSC is comprised of stakeholders representing the Planning and Zoning Commission, the Downtown Merchants Association, the Historic District Commission (HDC), the Architectural Review Board, the Downtown Plan Implementation Committee, and the CT Trust for Historic Preservation. The VDSC oversaw the study process for a Village District Study and provided significant input to the final recommendations to establish the Westport Center Village District. The Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation funded this study through a Vibrant Communities Initiative Grant. The VDSC hired a consultant team, led by The Cecil Group, an urban design and planning firm, to conduct the study process and provide recommendations to the Town of potential zoning changes.

The final recommended Village District boundary encloses the core of Westport Center and establishes the area in which new design standards will be applied to new construction, substantial reconstruction and rehabilitation, and changes to the exterior of facades visible from the public way and the Saugatuck River (Text Amendment #727). Map Amendment #728 proposes to overlay the Village District Overlay (VDO) Zone/Westport Center designation onto 79 properties within Westport Center.

All those interested in this amendment are encouraged to attend the Planning & Zoning Commission’s public hearing on April 6 at 7:00 PM in the Westport Town Hall Auditorium. Copies of the amendment are available for viewing in Town Hall both in the P&Z Office and in the Office of the Town Clerk, and online at www.westportct.gov.

The Commission can receive written comments from the public in advance of the hearing. Once the hearing is closed, no more information or comments will be accepted.

Photo: Main Street, Westport. Photo credit: Google Maps