By James Lomuscio
A controversial zone change proposal that would have replaced two 19th century homes with a parking lot and added a commercial element to a Westport residential neighborhood has been withdrawn from the Planning and Zoning Commission’s agenda for Thursday night.
The houses at 20 Lincoln St. (l) and 14 Lincoln St. were sought to expand parking. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
Elizabeth R. B. Suchy, the attorney for 1 Burr Road LLC, notified Planning and Zoning Director Laurence Bradley in a letter Tuesday “that my client does not intend to pursue the zone change and hereby withdraws the pending application.for a zone map change.”
The proposal had the Lincoln Street neighborhood up in arms last week, arguing that their residential area would be gutted by the razing of the two-and-a-half story houses at 14 and 20 Lincoln St. and replacing them with a 26-vehicle parking lot for Healthbridge, a 120-bed nursing facility located at 1 Burr Road.
To do so, the properties’ owner had sought a zone change, transforming the area from a residential A zone to an Restricted Office Retail District (RORD), one that allows commercial use in a residential zone.
“That would gut the residential character of the street, and the Historic District Commission voted unanimously several days ago to oppose this because Lincoln Street represents one of the oldest Victorian neighborhoods in Westport,” attorney Stephen Nevas, principal of Westport-based Nevas, Nevas, Capasse & Gerard, said last week.
Nevas has been representing 23 residents of Lincoln Street and surrounding areas.
Attorney Suchy did not say why her client decided not to pursue the zone change and was unavailable for comment.
