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News, Arts and Leisure
Thursday, September 03, 2009
P&Z Clears Way for Creation of Paul Newman Nature Preserve
The Westport Planning and Zoning Commission tonight cleared the way for creation of a 38-acre nature preserve named after Paul Newman on town-owned land adjacent to the late actor’s home.
Paul Newman’s daughter, Melissa, addresses the Planning and Zoning Commission tonight as her mother, Joanne Woodward, and First Selectman Gordon F. Joseloff look on. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
“I think my father would really approve of this,” Melissa Newman told members who voted 7-0 to approve a town request for a new open space/passive recreation zone that would allow creation of the preserve.
Joanne Woodward, standing next to her daughter at the podium, raised her hand in support of ensuring the land is never developed.
“One minute you turn around and there’s something gone that you live with all your life,” she said. “And so I am just putting a hand up...hopefully, hopefully we can keep it (the land) with us.”
Westport First Selectman Gordon F. Joseloff, introducing the zoning change request, said it was a fitting tribute to Paul Newman as the first anniversary of his Sept. 26 death approached.
“It is an opportunity for Westport to honor one of our best known citizens, Paul Newman, in a manner that we and his family believe would have his blessing,” he said.
Joseloff said after Newman’s death, he received many suggestions about the ways the Town of Westport could honor him.
“Most I knew were well intended, but I also knew were not likely to win family approval,” he said, and so he approached the Newman family. (See WestportNow May 8, 2009)
Joseloff said the family suggested rezoning as a nature preserve a 30-acre parcel the town acquired in 1997 for $3.75 million from the Poses family as well as an adjacent 7.5 acre parcel donated by the Newman family at the same time and calling the combined parcels the Newman/Poses Preserve.
Joseloff said the land, adjacent to the late actor’s home near the Weston border, would be limited to passive recreation activities such as walking, jogging, hiking, cross-country skiing, and horseback riding.
He said the Aspetuck Land Trust, which was a favorite charity of Paul Newman’s during his lifetime, had offered to maintain the existing trails and create new ones and oversee the property.
Joseloff said when the P&Z approved purchase of the Poses property 12 years ago, it noted in its approval that “the site lends itself to passive recreation use.”
Under the town’s application, a 10-car parking area would be permitted on the property for public access. The P&Z must approve any parking plan separately.
“This is an extraordinary opportunity for the community and for the town, and it’s one of the last large parcels of open space that we have,” said Melissa Newman.
“There’s wetlands, there’s river, there’s open field, there’s woods, it’s a really, really, really beautiful piece of property.”
The P&Z’s fast-track approval of the new zone will be followed later by a work session in which members will consider the actual rezoning of the property.
The commission must allow for a possible appeal of its creation of the new zone before it can rezone the parcel, which is currently zoned residential.
There are also separate approvals needed from town boards and commissions for naming the property the Newman/Poses Preserve.
Comments: Comment Policy
Thank you, Gordon and the Newman family, for this wonderful addition to our town. I remember walking this land (yes, a beautiful piece of property, Melissa) back when the Westport Community Garden might have been located there. It wasn’t appropriate for the garden (I think because it was too shady and didn’t have a water supply—necessary for plants!) but it will be fantastic as a place to walk and enjoy nature. Thanks too to the P&Z;for moving ahead on this!
Wonderful!
Paul Newman, you had us all the moment we laid eyes on
you..
To nature, and for all of those who love and cherish it.
Mother Earth, you’ve got us all....
You leave us breathless.
To preserving your natural beauty as long as we
are spinning around the sun.
Newman/Poses Preserve gets my support.
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Note: WestportNow Publisher Gordon F. Joseloff is also First Selectman of Westport
