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Westport-Weston Family Y officials announced today they have sold their downtown building for more than $20 million to an investor group. They said even if they do not secure a new building at Camp Mahackeno, they are committed to moving from the current facility within the next three to five years.
The Westport-Weston Family Y building will be sold for more than $20 million and become a mixture of retail, residential units and restaurants. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com file photo
Y officials told a press conference the buyer is Bedford Square Associates, made up of a Westport developer and others. The Y’s CEO, Helene Weir, said the final price in excess of $20 million will be determined by the timing of the move.
Bedford Square Associates is comprised of David Waldman of Westport-based David Adam Realty, B. Lance Sauerteig of BLS Strategic Capital, Paul Brandes of Charter Realty and Development and Daniel Zelson also of Charter Realty.
Waldman’s company owns the former Westport Bank and Trust building, which now houses Patagonia, across Church Lane from the YMCA building.
Rosemary Halstead, Family Y Board of Directors president, said the sale is a giant step forward, but it was no easy task to vote to sell the building without a guaranteed future home.
The building, built in 1923, has been a cornerstone of Westport’s downtown, she said, and it will continue to be so.
Waldman, speaking on behalf of Bedford Associates, said the group plans to house a mixture of retail, residential and restaurants in the building once it is converted after the Y moves to a new facility.
The group is committed to preserving the historical facades of the E.T. Bedford Building and the firehouse, he said, but a portion of the building along Church Lane would be demolished and replaced with a new building.
Y officials are currently moving through the approval process to construct a new facility at Camp Mahackeno, including a hearing before the Conservation Commission on Monday night.
Weir said she hopes to secure all the necessary approvals by the middle of 2007 so the new building could be completed in 2009, but Y officials know the process is long and involved.
The organization will form a strategic planning committee in early 2007, she said, to analyze what to do if the new facility is not approved.
“We need to think of other ways to serve the community if we don’t achieve our approvals,” she said. “We have to determine an alternative plan. It may not be a full facility and that is unfortunate.”
There are other ways to serve the community, she said, even if the Y moves into a facility that is not fully functional for all of its current programs.
“We need a Y in the community,” she said. “The community deserves a Y, and future generations deserve a Y.”
Weir said the sale would be a cornerstone of paying for the $42 million necessary to construct the new Mahackeno facility.
There would also need to be a capital campaign, she said, and officials may also need to borrow money.
Sorry Ronald, I respectfully disagree. Only if the Y were to intentionally sell its facility out from underneath themselves, while not having another facility ready, would they cease to have a home – and that would be the result of their own intentional actions. One might ask – who in their right mind would agree to sell their main facility location and potentially leave themselves out in the cold?
That’s just the path the Y has chosen, on their own, to take. Forgive us if we don’t all suspect some element of strategy was involved, lest we be compelled to conclude that the board of the Y really behaves in such a reckless fashion.
By the way, my family is a member of the W/W YMCA, and I learned to swim there myself.
Mr. Whittle,
You ask, “who in their right mind would agree to sell… and leave themselves out in the cold?
Well, that logic would only make sense if you agree that we (or at least any family that lived in a house that they felt was somehow not new or big enough) should all proceed to sell our houses right now, to fetch a price at the top of the market, irrespective of whether we have another home ready to occupy, or at least ready for purchase, or perhaps at the VERY least owned a lot and had fully approved plans ready to go with no obstacles to one’s ability to have a house built as one required. I think you would agree that, for me to sell my house now, with only a plot of land not zoned for anything even close to the sort of use that I require as my great plan for ensuring that my family continuously had a place to live, would be speculative at best, and at worst, incredibly irresponsible. But what you could NOT say is that I had been put out of my home by forces against my will, and that somehow I should be entitled to special treatment for my own foolish ways.
As Mr. Halstead wrote above, it is important to remember that the Westport Weston Family Y is a nonprofit entity. It is not a commercial developer.
Remember, too, that the Y provides invaluable services to our community. Nearly 2,000 swimmers use the Family Y pools every week. These are hardly elite athletes, but toddlers taking swimming lessons and seniors enjoying aqua fitness. Likewise, the Y offers the only after school program in Westport, youth fun nights, “hafaday,” travel basketball, dance and the only competitive gymnastics program in town. I have lived in Westport for 13 years and don’t know anyone who has not at some point participated in a Y program. It is as valuable a resource as Compo, Longshore and the other wonderful amenities that attracted all of us, when we decided to move to Westport.
In any event, the Westport Weston Family Y must move, and it can no longer build on town property. The Y seriously explored the Baron’s South option, but Diane Farrell’s administration enacted legislation that prohibits the sale, or lease, of town-owned property to a private entity. Although Mr. Joseloff is looking into alternatives for Baron’s South and Jesup Green, he admits that it may be years before decisions will be made. Due to its financial situation, the Family Y is unable to wait that long.
We had hoped to “Imagine the Possibilities” at Mahackeno. Now, the residents of Westport must “Imagine no Y” at all…
Unfortunately, if it walks like a duck…
The preception of some members of the community is that the Y is strong arming itself into the Camp or get Winslow or the Baron’s land for its personal uses. When the Y’s directors etc. buy the surrounding land on Sunny Lane it has the feel of a Block Busting tactic.
A bit unsavory IMO.
This situation seems to be rapidly degenerating. The Westport Weston Family Y has proposed a new facility at the northern limit of its property at Mahackeno, next to the Merritt Parkway overpass. This proposal should lead to a healthy and open debate on the environmental impact on the site and the neighborhood. Any possible effects on traffic should be weighed against the benefits of having a YMCA in Westport.
But instead of reasoned argument, some people accuse the Family Y of posturing, while they propose lawsuits. Other people insist that the Family Y stay downtown and they propose the Y build on town land.
Before deciding to build at Mahackeno, the Family Y attempted to lease or purchase part of the Baron
The Westport/Weston Family is a not-for-profit service business which has served Westport and Weston for 83 years. It has built strong kids, strong families and strong community.
This service business is an asset based business. The
“The Y boards who have responsibility, authority and accountability have acted while many others have talked and postured. “
Regardless of how the community or neighbors feel. So is a lawsuit just “posturing?
A lawsuit, or even the threat of a lawsuit, is often posturing when it is used by someone who wants to affect (or prevent) change despite the lack of a legal stance. It happens all the time.
The original Westport Weston Family Y building
A competive paper mentioned that Mr. Joselloff was considering hiring a consulting firm to help explore the options to accomodate the “Y”. I read in the comments to the WDMA proposal that we spent some $50k in 2000 for a town plan by hiring BFJ. Did that consultant firm cover this issue? Was there someother firm in the past used when this issue first came up?