1. Efforts to create more parking, in the form of garages– beware of parking becoming dislocated from the actual stores. Bedford Square has achieved success by adding parking on their property; soon to be built new downtown hub. I could see Bedford Square functioning as the new cultural center of downtown in the very near future.
2. The pizzeria, sadly, is moving because Peter Malkin’s,(owner of the Empire State Building and the building on Main Street), company has obtained a lease from another client. I have always considered the pizzeria to be the cultural center, nostalgia.
3. Parking plan for the library; major expansion, so far no plan. However, the Westport Arts Center has recently proposed an idea to eliminate the parking at Jesup Green and have the grass go up to the water–to improve Jesup Green. I think it’s a good idea, but not putting the Arts Center on the hill. They mentioned that they would mostly be hosting night time activities, so the parking wasn’t an issue. They(WAC) also brought up the deck behind the police station option. That to me is a no brainier, that it should be built. However, taking the parking away from the river is not supportive of commerce– in this unique situation, that is, Westport downtown parking is totally unique from any other town in the country.
The downtown Westport vibe is much more European , they way it’s laid out—along the river.
4. I ran into the guys who were conducting the parking survey for the new downtown plan. We talked about how if all the spots were taken downtown, and totally packed, still not one car would be at the Imperial lot! That’s parking 101. Drew Friedman had a bus from that lot to Main Street at one point. He has also been an advocate of the deck behind the police station idea and the bridge over Dead Man’s Creek idea, linking the Library parking by way of a substantial vehicle bridge to the Imperial lot. Then maybe you could take some of the spots away from the Taylor lot on the water. One always has to remember why people love to shop at Westport so much—when you step out of your car you are on the water with views of all of downtown– shimmering—then your store is right there. Parking garages are not as attractive, you feel like your in the city—not the country—and that is how downtown could be ruined. If they want to develop so much it makes much more sense to do it in Saugatuck– so the traffic is relegated to the highway not the streets where the children ride bikes and walk around.
5. These are some good questions, along with the walking bridge to Parking Harding from the new former Save the Children complex, it will be great to see David Waldman tackle that development. He should be congratulated for his success with injecting vitality, we shall see, however if it all comes off as shabby chic, or what any of the new developments—how will they feel when done.