Opinion

The Devil's in the Details, Westport News Editorial

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 23:03:43 -0400

One of the most corrosive controversies in Westport history appears -- finally -- to be heading toward a denouement. The Westport Weston Family Y's application to build a new facility on its Mahackeno property has stirred up the town like few issues before it.
We know there's a group for and a group against but, lacking a referendum on the subject, we'll never really know how the majority of Westporters feel.
After setting records for numbers of meetings and time spent, the Family Y's proposal appears destined for approval. With a motion before the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) to approve and the commission discussing conditions, it certainly seems that way.
One wonders whether as much time was spent on the proposal in the '60s to build a nuclear power plant on Cockenoe Island.
If P&Z ultimately approves the Family Y's proposal, it will be time for Westporters to bury the hatchet, close ranks, begin the healing process and move on. Except, of course, for those involved in pending and ensuing lawsuits.
The controversy has often been surprisingly bitter, perhaps fueled by widely disparate perceptions of the Family Y. Some consider it a religious or commercial entity that shouldn't be entitled to a special permit.
Others see it as a nonprofit that's been an integral part of the community for 85 years.
In the future, we'll need to have a discussion about where the rights of the property owner end and where the rights of the community begin. Perhaps P&Z should just have 25,000-plus commissioners.
Many wanted the Family Y to stay in the downtown area and there is certainly merit in that point of view. Alas, after more than a decade of trying, no downtown option ever materialized.
Others opposed the move to Mahackeno because they believe it represents sprawl. Yet Mahackeno is situated proximal to the Merritt Parkway, a state road and a commuter parking lot. There are even some businesses in the vicinity. Not exactly the boonies.
Environmental concerns were frequently voiced because of the proposed facility's proximity to Lees Pond and the Saugatuck River. It is thought-provoking to consider that the Y owns the land under the pond and is not responsible for its present poor condition. One could even argue that the Y's pond has been polluted by others.
What concerns us most, from an environmental standpoint, is that the Family Y was forced to go with an alternative wastewater treatment system when a sewer connection may have been preferable. Was this an undesirable "side-effect" of trying to use regulations to prevent development instead of protecting the environment? This is an important topic for future discussion.
Lost in the ebb and flow of "debate" are the potential positive effects of a Mahackeno Y, beyond it being better able to serve its members and the community.
The Family Y is talking to the town about public access at Mahackeno and says it will work with the Riverwalk Project if it becomes a reality.
The proposed building is a topographically sensitive design for which the Family Y will seek LEED-certification. The Y is committed to achieving this green certification. If successful, it will be the first LEED-certified building in Westport and the Family Y plans to use it as a showcase of green building methodologies.
Some opposed the Mahackeno Y because they believe in conserving open space. Well, in a way, a Mahackeno Y would do just that. With the Family Y happily settled in at Mahackeno, there is little likelihood that the land will be sold to a developer. And, in addition, the site would be close to the maximum allowable coverage. In other words, the Y couldn't really do any more building even if it wanted to.
The P&Z's present task, and it is not an easy one, is to address a number of valid concerns in a set of conditions. Commissioners must consider parking, traffic, lighting, riparian buffers, permeability and other issues.
Assuming approval, P&Z's job now is to make Mahackeno the best it can possibly be for all concerned.
Maybe that should have been our focus all along.

Reprinted from the Westport News, September 24, 2008 .

Connecticut DEP Supports Family Y (Again) by Jose S. Villaluz III

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 14:43:57 -0400

Another (and hopefully, final) act in the application epic is coming to an end. The Planning and Zoning Commission will soon conclude its hearings on the Westport Weston Family Y’s application to build a new facility at Camp Mahackeno.
I think it is important to remember – as the P&Z process winds to a close – that the Family Y has shown time and time again that Mahackeno poses no threat to the environment.
In 2006, the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection gave tentative approval to build a wastewater facility at Mahackeno.
In 2006, the Westport Flood and Erosion Control Board approved the Family Y’s application to build at Mahackeno.
In 2007, the Westport Conservation Commission approved the Family Y’s application to build at Mahackeno.
In August 2007, Connecticut DEP Commissioner Gina McCarthy gave final approval for a wastewater treatment facility at Mahackeno.
The Family Y’s opponents repeatedly challenged all of these approvals, trying to overturn them. In August 2007, the Representative Town Meeting upheld the Westport commissions. The DEP approval was challenged twice and both times it was upheld after an administrative appeal.
Most recently, the Y’s opponents demanded that the DEP clarify how the new Aquifer Protection Area Program regulations would affect the Y’s Mahackeno project. The DEP replied that even though a small portion of Camp Mahackeno is within the Canal Street Well Field, the Y’s proposed new facility would not violate the new Aquifer Protection regulations. (The building will be sufficiently far from the well field.)
As in the past, the DEP’s reply was not good enough for some Y opponents. Edward Lerner – an attorney who represents Arthur Cohen – demanded that the DEP investigate Westport and possibly revoke the town’s authority to implement the Aquifer Protection Program. At the end of May, my former boss, DEP Commissioner Gina McCarthy, told Mr. Lerner that, “The Department sees no benefit in considering program revocation and would, in fact, see it as counter productive to achieving our goal of protecting Connecticut’s groundwater resources for use as drinking water supplies.”
As a former employee of the DEP, I am appalled by the attempts to muddy the Family Y’s application that is now before the P&Z. How can you claim to be an environmentalist one month, and the next insist the DEP revoke Westport’s authority to protect our drinking water?
By now, I think it is obvious that there are no “real” environmental reasons to prevent the Family Y from building its project at Mahackneo. And I think it’s clear that those ardent opponents who continue to argue that Mahackeno will damage the environment must have ulterior motives.
That’s why I hope the P&Z ignores all the recent environmental hype and approves the application for the new Family Y at Mahackeno. Doing so will do more for the environment than giving in to those who have hijacked the environmental movement.
Jose S. Villaluz III
Westport, Connecticut

Pro-Mahackeno by Sharon Seymour

Fri, 30 May 2008 23:33:34 -0400

Mr. Arthur Cohen has written a big ad insulting our Y. If he was familiar with the history of our town and our Y he might understand that the Y is our essential community recreation center, especially for children and many elderly for whom water is a preferred exercise medium.
Physical fitness for children is a public health issue in this age of rising rates of childhood obesity and diabetes.
Children need to MOVE, they need to learn how to swim, they need a place to develop physical skills, and since we have a long, cold winter in Westport, we need a building for this.(102,000 square foot for over 6,000 members is not excessive, especially when one family in town is building a 35,000 square foot home).
Mahackeno is the perfect place, with such large acreage, most of which will remain undeveloped, for this special permit. The architect has given us a beautiful building nestled into the site. Westport offers special permits for institutions which serve BODY (fields, courts), MIND (schools, the library), and SPIRIT (religious sites). These are essential components of a community.
Our downtown has become a regional luxury mall and while it might be "idealistic" to call for centrally located facilities, when there is no space, there is no space.
The Y is accessible for all children, all families. We cannot all have private pools, country clubs, enormous playrooms, home gyms.
If this special permit application is denied and we lose our Y and outsource our fitness needs to neighboring towns, Route 33 will still have lots of new traffic. Present congestion comes from the two Merritt exits which bring out of towners to and from our retail outlets. Westporters cannot lose their opportunity for recreation because of the development of offices in Wilton or housing in Weston and Easton. The state has to manage regional traffic and upgrade intersections and roads where needed, especially when regional commuters and shoppers cause congestion.
This is a voice in favor of preserving the Family Y for Westporters and building at Mahackeno. I believe we all lose if we don't offer indoor recreation for our children in town and I think it may be reflected in our housing valuations. I know I don't want to live in Westport without a Y.
Sharon Seymour
Westport, Connecticut

There Is No Space For the 'Y' In Downtown Westport! by Pat Coplen

Wed, 28 May 2008 19:38:55 -0400

The "Y" tried to find one for 12 years.
The "Downtown "Y" Organization" tried for 6 years.
First Selectwoman Farrell appointed a committee that couldn't find one so she hired a professional Planning Company which couldn't fine one either.
First Selectman Joseloff followed suit and also hired experts who reconfirmed that there was really no space available downtown.
The "Y" Building is 92 years old and can not be renovated to accommodate the "Y" Program.
The "Y" has owned the 32-acre Mahackeno property for 48 years.
80 percent of the property will remain open space after the project has been completed.
The property abuts the Merritt Parkway.
In pre-prohibition days there were many taverns on Main Street. The biggest was in the Westport Hotel. Mr. E.T. Bedford bought the Hotel, removed the Tavern and the hotel building and replaced it with the "Y." "In order" he said, "so the young men in town would have something better to do with their time."
If they can't use the Mahackeno property, which is had owned for 48 years, "Y" officials state that they will be forced to close operations permanently.
If that should happen one wonders if the nearly 6,000 members, young and old, from Westport and Weston "will have something better to do with their time."
Pat Coplen
Westport, Connecticut