Bedford Square gains momentum after revisions

The Bedford Square plan includes almost 60,000 square feet of retail, restaurant and office space and 26 apartment units. Cover photo by Patrick Gallagher. Renderings courtesy of Bedford Square Associates.

The fate of the $70 million Bedford Square proposal to repurpose parts of Church Lane in Westport as retail, residential and office space now rests with town planning and zoning officials.

Plans call for a complete overhaul of Church Lane between Elm Street and Post Road to make way for 50,000 square feet of retail space, 5,700 square feet of restaurant space, 2,000 square feet of office space, 26 apartments and a 92-space underground parking garage.

Bedford Square Associates L.L.C. submitted its site plan and special permit applications to the Westport Planning and Zoning Commission April 11.

The plans that were submitted include slight revisions from what was initially unveiled in September 2012, based on input the development group received from various town boards and commissions, residents and business owners.

Town officials said they expect to review the proposal over the next two months and schedule a public hearing for late May or early June.

Pending final approvals, the developers hope to start construction in the fall of 2014.

The reception thus far has been “very positive,” said Karen Johnson, a spokeswoman for Bedford Square Associates, a consortium that includes David Adam Realty Inc., which is headquartered on Church Lane, and Charter Realty & Development Corp., with offices in Westport, Rye Brook, N.Y., and Boston.

“We really made an effort when we first introduced this project last fall to reach out to all of the residents in the area (and) business leaders, and we feel that this most recent submission reflects all of the concerns and interests of those stakeholders,” Johnson said.

The original plans have been approved by the town Zoning Board of Appeals, Conservation Commission, Architectural Review Board, Flood and Erosion Control Board and Historic District Commission. The recent changes were mostly aesthetic in nature, Johnson said.

Notably, the height of the overall structure was reduced, rooflines were refined and windows, sidewalks and other materials were softened.

“The net result was to give those buildings a better fit with the residential neighbors that exist along the extension of Church Lane,” Johnson said.

Reactions to the proposal were mixed.

Chad Dutcher, store manager of Spruce Home and Garden L.L.C.”™s Westport store, which has been open just over a year, said “with Post Road, the challenge is foot traffic.”

“I think what it”™s going to do for Post Road is it will almost act as a cornerstone ”” a bridge between here and Main Street,” Dutcher said.

A few doors down, Rita Englebardt and Nina Royce ”” both Westport residents and employees of Max”™s Art Supplies ”” were resigned to the proposal becoming a reality.

“Since it”™s a fait accompli, I think the town bodies should take a stand on what they want this development to look like,” Englebardt said. “But the Y should never have been allowed to build a commercial structure in a residential area.”

Royce said, “I”™m not sure I like what the development is doing and it seems there is some bullying going on.” But she conceded that any proposal seeking to revitalize a downtown “can”™t be all bad.”

To prepare for the new additions, Bedford Square Associates would renovate and restore the historic 1923 Bedford Mansion, which forms the corner of Main Street, Church Lane and Post Road, as well as the adjacent firehouse, also built in the 1920s.

The developer also plans to raze the Weeks Pavilion and to move the 1890s-era Gunn House at Church and Elm to make way for a new structure.

Bedford Square Associates is under contract to acquire 59 Post Road East, which includes the Bedford Mansion, the firehouse and Weeks Pavilion, from the Westport Weston Family Y, which plans to relocate its operations to its Mahackeno campus in northwest Westport.

Additionally, the consortium is in search of a new location for the Gunn House. The group has offered to pay for the relocation of the structure and for a new foundation on the site of a town parking lot across the street, and Johnson said the town “has been receptive to this plan.”

Westport First Selectman Gordon Joseloff said, “There”™s still a long way to go and they still need to get their approvals, but I think it”™s a very exciting development.”