For the fourth year in a row, Westport’s Board of Finance tonight unanimously kept the mill rate flat at 16.86.That translates into $16.86 of taxes for every $1,000 of a home’s assessed value determined by the revaluation three years ago. But members expressed concern that keeping the mill rate flat will be difficult in future years. Said Lee Caney: “Pulling rabbits out of the hat next year may not be doable.”  (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

This article was produced through a partnership between ProPublica and the Connecticut Mirror, which is a member of the ProPublica Local Reporting Network. The following version is text only. For the full article with pictures, go to www.ctmirror.org.

By Jacqueline Rabe Thomas

Westport — A dirt field overgrown with weeds is the incongruous entrance to one of America’s wealthiest towns, a short walk to a Rodeo Drive-like stretch replete with upscale stores such as Tiffany & Co.

The lead photograph on the CTMirror story on affordable housing focused on Westport.  (CLICK TO ENLARGE) From CTMirror.org

But this sad patch of land is also the physical manifestation of a broader turf war over what type of housing — and ultimately what type of people — to allow within Westport’s borders.

It started when a developer known for building large luxury homes envisioned something different back in 2014 for the 2.2 acre property: a mix of single- and multifamily housing that would accommodate up to 12 families. A higher density project is more cost efficient, he said, and would allow him to sell the units for less than the typical Westport home.

But the site was zoned to hold no more than four single-family houses, so he needed approval from a reluctant Westport Planning and Zoning Commission, which denied his plan. Residents erupted in fury each time he made a scaled-back proposal, and it took the developer four years after purchasing the property to win approval to build two duplexes and five single-family homes.