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The Meeting House at 14 Lyons Plains Road. / Town of Westport
By Thane Grauel
WESTPORT — The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Westport is seeking to rent its rear building to outside groups.
The congregation at 14 Lyons Plains Road has filed a special permit/site plan application with the Planning and Zoning Department.
The nearly 9-acre property has the main sanctuary building, and behind it a smaller building known as the Meeting House.
The Meeting House was built in 1962 and has almost 4,000 square feet.
The Rev. Alan C. Taylor wrote to neighbors to explain the application.
“Twenty-five years ago, our congregation was flourishing and we had more children and youth than we had space for in the Main Building for religious education classes on Sunday mornings,” he wrote. “Because the Meeting House was no longer being used a home for our minister our congregation submitted a proposal to Westport Planning and Zoning to convert it from residential to educational use.”
“Today, however, our membership is smaller,” Taylor wrote. “Our Meeting House is underutilized and we would like to be able to rent it to outside groups that share our mission. This change of usage of the Meeting House would allow us the same multi-purpose use as our main building.”
One of the conditions of the 1999 P&Z approval was that “the use of this building shall be for Church functions only. It shall not be used for rentals to outside groups or expansion of the nursery school.”
Thane Grauel grew up in Westport and has been a journalist in Fairfield County and beyond for 36 years. Reach him at editor@westportjournal.com. Learn more about us here.
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