save old saugatuck We're a Community, Not a Commodity.

We're dedicated to preserving the safety and stability of the Historic Saugatuck Neighborhood of Westport, CT.

(203) 227-3573

YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Help Save the Historic Saugatuck Community of Westport, CT.

Your contribution today helps to make a difference.

We urgently need your help…

This is literally an emergency SOS moment.

I received a note from our excellent Attorney Joel Green, who states he cannot move forward with the Appellant Court brief due on December 15 with the present outstanding balance.

Attorney Green’s note to us says: “Respectfully, if there is not enough interest in this cause to fund it (any further), we will agree to withdraw the appeal or move to withdraw our appearance. Otherwise, the balance needs to be paid immediately…and arrangement to pay anticipated fees going forward. We are willing to work with you, but we all have to share the burden and be in this together…”

The current balance is $23,129.89

I’ve been hoping contributions would filter in… I know times are tight, and it’s the holiday season… but sadly our deadline is here now and I’m left with no other choice but to reach out. It now has become a measure of funding that will determine whether or not we are able to go forward in our effort to succeed in SAVING OLD SAUGATUCK.

And so, we ask for you, dear reader, to please contribute whatever you can to help SAVE OLD SAUGATUCK. Many individuals have been there for this community, with encouragement, support, and financial funding. I am grateful. And I wish that would have gotten us to the finish line… but the reality is, this process takes time, and money… And what happens here will effect this entire community forever… I believe that alone is worth the effort and expense, but I need your help to ensure a just and right outcome for everyone in our neighborhood.

Some twenty years ago we first learned about Felix Charney, a developer who had a grandiose vision of taking over ALL of the eight-street, 64-home historic community of low to moderate priced single-family homes that comprised the neighborhood of Old Saugatuck, the most affordable residential neighborhood in Westport. His three-part project focuses first on destroying the 20 houses on Hiawatha Lane Extension, and then the plan continues on in two other stages to include the entire neighborhood.

In 2021, we saw the Town of Westport bullied into discarding its 18 years of support of our neighborhood - support that might have stoped or contained the out-of-proportion and destructive plans of Felix Charney.

The Town used the expression “We arrived at a settlement with the developer”, basically approving everything that was wrong with this project. They made our neighborhood a scapegoat and abandoned our community.

Having exhausted all of the P & Z avenues, and out of desperation to save my home, and our neighborhood - a Hell of a good case - we made the decision in July 2021 to engage the help of an attorney. We’ve been able to hang on for the last 17 months… and truly believe we have a solid last chance with this appeal. I only hope it is not too late.

Please help.

I am asking you to please call or text me (203-227-3573)

Sign up for our email list for news and updates on Save Old Saugatuck's status

A tense neighborhood meeting...

AUGUST 8 2022

The familiar awareness that “material wealth” for many means their automatic claim to intelligence, while at the same time they do not necessarily accept that the individuals who are “struggling from payday to payday” posses an equal claim to intelligence.

This assumption was quite apparent this past Saturday, August 6th, when a new set of faces from Summit Saugatuck LLC, met with residents to discuss “construction plans” for the 157 apartment units proposed to go up in their backyard.

Summit shouldn’t have been surprised at the reception from the residents; they shouldn’t have been so condescending, and they shouldn’t have insulted the genuine collective intelligence of the residents with dismissive remarks and telling everyone that the project is going forward.
How’s that for a new definition of "working together"?

Check out this Westport Journal article covering the event HERE.

In the meantime, we continue with our legal efforts to amend and/or hault this out-of proportion monstrosity, and as always, we appreciate your support.

Our neighborhood is a community - not a commodity!

Your continued support is appreciated. Contribute online via PayPal, debit or credit card HERE, or send a check to the address, shown at the bottom of this page.

When a Construction Plan becomes a Destruction Plan

AUGUST 3, 2022

A ritzy looking "invitation" to hear a "Construction Plan" presentation was recently sent from Peter Romano to multiple homeowners in Old Saugatuck. Romano heads up LandTech and he is a certainly a well-known name and a well-liked individual in our Saugatuck area. (Read the accolades in Dan Woog's 06880 blog columns)

Perhaps that is why it is very disappointing that Romano would contract his professional services to Felix Charney, the developer who plans to destroy and disappear our community of homes here in Old Saugatuck. Ironically this neighborhood is where perhaps the Romano family history had its own start. Many may wonder why Romano is a willing partner to Charney's plans from Hell. Most realistically and most probably this is simply for the money.

Peter Romano certainly knows how wrong this proposed project of 157 rental apartments at the end of Hiawatha Lane Extension will turn out to be.

At 10:00 AM this Saturday morning, August 6th, Romano expects that he will present the Kool-aid in the form of a project "Construction Plan". A plan that everyone knows is a thorough and comprehensive "Destruction Plan"...

of the land

of the environment

of the soil

of the wetlands

of homes

of history

and the end of an affordable, historic single home community that helped build all of the Westport we know today.

That's the reality.

So to all who are curious, cautious, and concerned about hearing this latest assault on our neighborhood, go and listen to Romano's presentation at the end of Hiawatha Lane Extension, on Saturday. Listen and ask questions. Take notes. And if you want me to ask the question(s) for you, let me know. SOS has a lot of practice after 19 years fighting off the danger this project represents.

And then get yourself back up to 27 Hiawatha Lane Extension (at the beginning of the street), where you will have the opportunity to say hello to other SOS Supporters as we take a few moments with each other to make our own "Celebrate SOS Saturday".

I'll be very glad to hear to hear your thoughts and suggestions, and also to give you an update on our SOS legal effort.

sos Lawsuit Appeal - IN THE NEWS: july 9 &13, 2022

A Register Citizen article (Click HERE), and a Westport Journal article (Click HERE.)

both focusing on our efforts to appeal the Judge's May 31, 2022 decision.

Remember… we’re a community not a commodity.

judge's decision - may 31, 2022

Hello Friends,

Again, and again, and yet again… as it has been for the past 19 years, Save Old Saugatuck feels the jaws of defeat. This time the “defeat” is the June 1st decision from Judge Marshall Berger that is in favor of Felix Charney, allowing him to proceed in building his folly of 157 apartment units on Hiawatha Lane Extension… wetlands and all.

Yes, as the news would report that day, this would appear to be a defeat for the community of Old Saugatuck .

Yet... we are here now once again ready to snatch our own “victory from the jaws of defeat”.

A close analysis by the SOS attorney of the findings in Judge Berger’s decision, would show the Judge's decision to be weak enough, flawed enough, and sufficient enough to warrant an immediate and vigorous appeal. During a conversation on Friday our attorney relayed that the merits of an appeal were convincing and justifiable. (Read the decision dated May 31, 2022 HERE .)

We have come too far to simply relinquish our sincere efforts and the many successes we have achieved, especially while there are viable pathways to further success that are still within our reach. Our chances of success today are like all the chances we’ve continuously embraced for nearly twenty years. We’ve gone ahead each time and achieved many wins. We still remain an affordable working class neighborhood. We still remain a community with history… and hope. We still remain committed to stopping something so very wrong.

The good news is that once an appeal is filed the appeal process give us from 12 to 18 months to present our case, hear a response, and then proceed with any and all steps in between. And in the meantime, this puts a hold on any further building efforts... giving us ALL some time; time to to consider further options and a little time to breathe.

Our biggest challenge now is continuing to fund the legal efforts of our attorney for this next round of the processes. I wish I could say that money was no object, but the reality is that it is indeed, a very important object that is necessary to continue our efforts - efforts that have for two decades helped to preserve our dear, charming, and beautiful community... and efforts that will continue to fight for the best possible solutions to preserve that. Our goal is to raise $50,000. This will cover the current balance owed plus the appeal process.

Will you join in and play a part in meeting this challenge? Would you please commit to making a contribution to help fund this SOS appeal of the Berger decision? A contribution of any amount helps and is greatly appreciated! You may contribute via PayPal HERE (Credit and debit cards are accepted) or by check (See mailing address below).

Most of all, please know that during all these many years it has been your advice, your encouragement, and your support that has provided the energy and strength to SOS to continue on, to continue to hold off this predatory developer, to continue to support our beloved community.

Let’s get it done.

sos IN THE NEWS: MAY 7, 2022

Hello Friends,

While we wait another week for a decision from Judge Berger, here is a recent CT Insider article focusing on our efforts to save our neighborhood.

To read the article, click HERE.

Remember… we’re a community not a commodity.

DEVELOPER FELIX CHARNEY'S MASTER PLAN FOR OLD SAUGATUCK

MAP A

Phase one (Map A) of the total plan is shown by the yellow spaces. Phase two of the total plan is shown by the blue spaces. Phase 3 is shown by the white spaces, which indicates the final phase of replace and rebuild Old Saugatuck. That adds up to 100% “redevelopment” for all of the entire Old Saugatuck community of homes.

MAP B

See the rough outline drawn of Charney’s three phases of proposed development to replace and rebuild Old Saugatuck. Note village 1 (Same as yellow in Map A), village 2 (Same as blue in Map A), and village 3 (Same as white in Map A).
Where do you live?

ILLUSTRATION C

Finally, view Illustration C, provided by the developer and which serves as confirmation and affirmation of how Felix Charney intends to completely restructure and redefined Old Saugatuck into a collection of high-end market units sited on a piece of vulnerable land, filled with wetlands, watercourses, flooding and conservation easements.

GET INVOLVED

Our resistance continues ~ Save Old Saugatuck was formed in 2003 to stop Felix Charney, of Summit Saugatuck LLC, from destroying an historic Westport, CT neighborhood. His development plans will encompass every one of these streets: Ferry Lane West, Hiawatha Lane, Indian Hill Road, Davenport Ave., Heritage Court, Dr. Gillette Circle, Hiawatha Lane Extension, and West End Avenue.

Charney is trying to convince the Westport Conservation Commission that land on Hiawatha Lane Extension is suitable for 187 units of rental housing, and that there is no problem with water, existing wetlands and watercourses in this area, when in fact, it is totally unsuitable for any plan that calls for a combined total of five, three, and four-story buildings.

This area has long been recognized as an area of wetlands, that is frequently saturated with water, and historically has severely limited building permitted.

We are encouraging friends, neighbors and concerned citizens to please share pictures of the flooding that already steadily occurs with the overflow of waterways going through the Hiawatha Lane Extension area.... or any other items you feel relevant... and all are invited to share their present stories and remembrances of this area when it was considered “swampland.

If you have any questions or want to know how you can lend further support or help, please don’t hesitate to contact me. Let’s achieve one more victory for ourselves in our 15-year fight to Save Old Saugatuck.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Carolanne Curry

info@SaveOldSaugatuck.com

CONTRIBUTIONS APPRECIATED

Click on the "CONTRIBUTE NOW" button below - or - Please make checks payable to:

Save Old Saugatuck

29 Hiawatha Lane Extension,

Westport, CT. 06880

203-227-3573

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/Stopcharney/

Sign up for my email list for news and updates on Save Old Saugatuck's status, please click HERE.

YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Help Save the Historic Saugatuck Community of Westport, CT.

Your contribution today helps to make a difference.