Linxweiler family member speaks out, opposes supportive housing plan for Westport

Karlene Linxweiler Crowley isn't sure of her exact relation to Joanna Linxweiler (her father and Linxweiler were cousins), but she remembers the closeness of the family. Her mother, Ruth, was the confidante to Joanna, and the Norwalk residents would all visit Joanna's Westport home at 655 Post Road East.

Crowley recalls a kind person who would send $25 on birthdays. In the '60s and '70s, this was a "windfall" for a child, according to Crowley. Considering Linxweiler's kindness, she was not surprised that Joanna bequeathed her 1,400-square-foot home and 1.3 acres of land to the town upon her death in 1981.

"She could be opinionated," Crowley said. "She was a very a sweet woman, but she was old-school. She had her way of doing things and to me and my family she was wonderful. Maybe some people might think she was a little reclusive or standoffish, she really wasn't. It's just that she was a private person."

The home is now leased by the town to the nonprofit organization Homes with Hope (formerly known as the Interfaith Housing Association). Previously, it was used as a halfway-house for men who were recovering alcohol and drug addicts, while it now houses a family that had been homeless. A proposed zoning change, scheduled for a public hearing at the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting tomorrow at 7 p.m. in Town Hall, would pave the way for 12 units of affordable supportive housing to be built on the property. An extension of the lease by 75 years is also sought by Homes with Hope.

Crowley, who now lives in Dallas, said this plan is totally against Linxweiler's wishes.

"I'm very concerned about it because her desire for the house [and the yard] was to be left as green space," she said. "Although she didn't put in any restrictions in the will on the advice of her attorney ... she was assured that it would really take some extraordinary, extreme circumstance for the town of Westport to do anything other than to keep it a green space."

In Linxweiler's will, there are no legal obligations on what the land could be used for, although she did state what she'd like to see happen to the property once she passed away.

"I feel that there should be some green areas preserved along the Post Road rather than only commercial buildings," she wrote in her will. "Without placing restrictions or a trust on this gift, it is my hope and desire that the property be used as a park or recreational area."

Some neighbors of what's now called the Linxweiler House, most of whom live on Crescent Road, plan to oppose the proposed zoning change that would permit more than one residential structure on commercially-zoned land and cite Linxweiler's will in their arguments.

On the other side, Homes with Hope sees the land as an opportunity to provide housing that would help get struggling people back on their feet.

The organization is dedicated helping people who are coping with homelessness. It operates several programs around town, such as the Gillespie Center and Hoskin's Place, which are homeless shelters in downtown Westport, a food pantry and 14 additional permanent affordable supportive housing units around town. Training and mentoring is also one of its goals.

Richard Redniss, principal of the Stamford-based land-use consultants Redniss & Mead, submitted the zoning change amendment that would allow more than one unit of supportive housing at the Linxweiler House property and seven other commercially zoned properties around town. If that amendment is approved, then plans for the actual buildings can be submitted.

Under Connecticut's affordable housing law, 8-30g, towns are required to have 10 percent of their housing be deemed affordable. Westport, like other wealthy towns in Fairfield County, only has about 2 to 3 percent of affordable housing, said Redniss, which could leave it vulnerable to outside developers. By beefing up the town's affordable housing stock, Redniss said, the town will be closer to receiving a moratorium on 8-30g, which would prevent "hostile" applications that use a small percentage of affordable housing units in order to get approved.

He also said that there are moral reasons for building the housing and that the coverage of the buildings would be limited, so green spaces would still remain. Redniss has worked on affordable housing in town before, and he recalled meetings with the Westport Housing Authority last year where single mothers who recovered from a life of near homelessness spoke out against stereotypes that they suffer from as people who make lower incomes.

"These are hard-working, dedicated parents who sacrifice for their children and they are the absolute salt of the earth that makes Westport and this country so fantastic, and those are the people who benefit from this," Redniss said.

Redniss called the need to help out struggling people in the community the "moral imperative."

Linxweiler spent her days as an employee at Westport Bank and Trust in downtown Westport (now where Patagonia is). She worked there her whole life and retired as treasurer. When she wasn't working or spending time with family, she enjoyed the outdoor areas around the house, according to Crowley. More than 50 years ago, farm land was once common in the area of the Post Road -- soon to be replaced by strip malls, car dealerships and other commercial buildings.

"She was very fond of the wildlife and the birds that visited her feeders everyday in the backyard," she said. "Her life was that home. She was born in that house and lived there for her entire life."