By Jarret Liotta

Westport fire officials tonight expressed renewed concerns about what they see as inadequate safety considerations being given for a controversial 8-30g apartment complex proposed for Lincoln Street.

Expressing concerns were (l-r) Fire Chief Rob Yost, Fire Marshal Nathaniel Gibbons, and retired Fire Chief Andrew Kingsbury. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Jarret Liotta for WestportNow.com

The Planning and Zoning Commission heard details about an amended site plan application for an 81-unit, six-story affordable housing development, which would abut Post Road West.

Neighborhood residents have been vocal in their opposition to the plan, which the town’s Historic District Commission said would be extremely detrimental to the historic neighborhood’s character and streetscape for homes built in the 1800s and the early 1900s.

The only significant change to the revised application involved closing off an exit from the development onto the Post Road, and instead widening the Lincoln Street entrance by 12 feet to allow an exit there as well.

By Judy Szablak

Although springtime is mostly associated with the best real estate market, historical data indicates that the best time to purchase a home in Westport may very well be the fall season. 

Featured Home: This home at 21 Crooked Mile Road is listed at $1,149,000. Photo courtesy of Higgins Group Bedford Square

Based upon RealtyTrac’s 15-year analysis of more than 32 million homes, data suggests that these seasonal buyers saved an additional 2.6 percent from the estimated market value by purchasing this time of year. That number may or may not have included price reductions that had taken place.

According to our Multiple Listing Service, 433 single family homes closed last year, and 22 percent of them closed in the last quarter. While it’s not quite up to the 32 percent that closed in the second quarter, or the 30.5 percent in Q3, the number is still significant.

Westporters, or hopeful Westporters can expect to save an additional 1.4 percent by purchasing a home in the next few months based upon prior year averages, and that’s on top of whatever price reductions may have occurred since springtime.

By Judy Szablak

Floor plan versatility ranks high for Westport homebuyers, with adaptability and function being more in demand than ever.

Featured Home: This home at 8 Iris Lane is listed at $899,000. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Photo courtesy of the Higgins Group/Bedford Square

The top three characteristics include homes that contain in-law suites, properties that incorporate a home office, and those that include or have the possibility of a main level master bedroom suite on either the first or second level.

The most recent National Association of Realtors’ Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Trends Report shows that demand for homes that have multigenerational possibilities are on the rise, and as per our Multiple Listing Service, 18 percent of our inventory either includes an in-law suite, or has that possibility.

One ever increasing “must have” is the dedicated home office, primarily due to the fact that more and more people are telecommuting; and exactly one-third of our available inventory incorporates this feature.