To the Editor:
Last week I sat through the RTM committee hearing on the new zoning regulations—which P&Z quietly adopted in December.
Frankly, I couldn’t believe my ears. Not only is P&Z misleading the public about the number of nonconformities that these new rules will cause (1,100 versus the 200 or so that they first cited)—but I learned that the “environmental” reasons that they using to justify the amendment are hogwash.
The town engineer, the director of conservation, and the P&Z staff are all on record that we don’t need to include patios and terraces in “coverage” in order to control runoff and drainage.
In fact, all new houses are required to have “zero runoff.” What P&Z is trying to do is exactly what they have tried—and failed—to do in the past: stop the so-called big houses.
But the only thing that these new regs will do are penalize the guy on the small lot—whose property will now be worth less and a lot harder to sell since it will require a variance to renovate.
Meanwhile, a resident with one or two acres will still be able to build a 20,000 or 30,000 sq. ft. house. And I heard compelling evidence that these new regs will have a detrimental impact on our Grand List and ultimately raise taxes for all of us.
And if you think that these new regs will improve aesthetics, think again. The truth is that they may actually encourage people to build taller houses that are closer to the street—which may be why the Architectural Review Board opposes them as well.
P&Z simply did not do its homework. It did not know, for example, how many private tennis courts or pools there are in town; nor could they tell the RTM committee how many square feet there are in a tennis court.
It did not quantify the financial impact this adopted regulation would have on Westport’s revenues. It did not correctly count the number properties that would be affected.
It did not consider the precarious financial situation of many of our homeowners at this time of our recovery. Instead, they adopted regulations that drastically change the rules and rob people of equity that many are counting on for college tuition, retirement, and/or to support their family during under/unemployment.
We did not have control over the world’s financial melt down, but we should be able to rein in our own elected officials when they veer off course.
It is time to take back our town from P&Z. Please write your RTM representatives and come to the RTM meeting on Jan 18 and express your disapproval of these new rules. We need a 2/3 vote at the RTM to overturn this ill-advised amendment—and every voice will matter.
Elaine Schanzenbach-Campbell
Westport
