Another Busy Day on Main Street
Main Street sidewalks were well-used today as many took to them to wait in line for their favorite stores, or walked them with friends to enjoy the sunshine. Businesses are beginning to turn the leaf towards the hope of Spring, with winter gear sales slowly starting to hit the local shopping market.
10.8 Billion Dollar 2020 Grand List Announced; Down 5.4% from 2019
Town Assessor Paul Friia announced today that he signed the October 1, 2020 Grand List as required by state statute.
The net 2020 Grand List of $10,830,370,714 represents a decrease of approximately 5.4 percent from the net 2019 Grand List of $11,445,273,580 and was due mostly to the recently completed revaluation of October 1, 2020. The Grand List is the sum of the net assessed value of all taxable property – real estate, motor vehicles, and personal property.
While the overall Real Estate Grand List declined from the 2015 assessments, the actual percentage of change without the revaluation influence was an increase of just under 1.0 percent. This increase is a result of continued new residential and commercial construction as well as renovation activity that occurred within the last assessment year. Work was completed on the new assisted living facility at 1141 Post Road East and the gas station at 1830 Post Road East, while work continues on the condominium development at 500 Main Street and residential units at 41 Richmondville Road. Westport remains a community of great interest to businesses and new residents as evidenced in the significant increase in sales since the beginning of 2020.
While real estate is updated based on the market values determined every five years, motor vehicles and personal property is valued annually. The increase in the Motor Vehicle Grand List was approximately 3.9%. The Personal Property Grand List remained largely unchanged from last year, due to both the closure of businesses and a slowdown of new business openings resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Totals:
Real Estate: $10,148,497,205 (93.70%)
Motor Vehicle: $364,441,700 (3.37%)
Personal Property: $317,431,809 (2.93%)
TOTAL: $10,830,370,714 (100%)
Top 10 Taxpayers 2020:
Connecticut Light & Power Inc. : Pers. Property ($140,509,070)
60 Nyala Farms Road LLC: Real Estate ($83,338,970)
Bedford Square Assoc LLC: Real Estate ($53,321,200)
Equity One Westport Vill. Center: Real Estate ($ 33,126,100)
Byelas LLC: Real Estate ($24,856,700)
Aquarion: Real/Pers. Prop. ($24,148,760)
LCB Westport LLC: Real/Pers. Prop. ($22,302,600)
1735 Ashley LLC: Real Estate ($20,310,860)
285 & 325 Riverside LLC: Real Estate ($19,470,500)
Ronnie F Heyman Trustee: Real Estate ($ 18,214,400)
Angelina’s to the Rescue
After a busy night of take-out and one last family enjoying their meals, Angelina’s Restaurant closed after a day of being one of only a handful of restaurants open today. “We’ve been staying open on nights like this for 44 years so people can eat” one of the staff members said before closing.
New Neighbors: “Organic Krush” Crushes Unhealthy Eating
One of the wooden booths from Organic Krush.
Organic Krush Lifestyle Eatery opened its seventh location in November in the Compo Acres Shopping Center, 374 Post Road East. Its opening marked the first in Connecticut, with five other locations on Long Island and one in Virginia. The restaurant features organic hot and cold foods either pre-made or made-to-order, and includes dine-in or take-out options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. According to a release from Westport-based Kameleon Publicity: “The overall feeling of the restaurant is light and bright with bespoke wood booths as well as tables throughout the location that has 14-foot open ceilings.”
The Organic Krush storefront at 374 Post Road East, a few doors down from Trader Joe’s
The chain was founded by Michelle Walrath and Fran Paniccia in 2015 in the Long Island hamlet of Woodbury. Walrath was a former Norwalk Public Schools teacher, which influenced her decision in opening a location in Westport, saying: “When an opportunity came up to open our restaurant in Westport, we were so excited. We have many family members in the Danbury and Newtown area, and past connections to the neighborhoods of Fairfield County, so we knew Westport would be just the right fit for our first location in Connecticut.” The company announced that a Greenwich Avenue, Greenwich CT location will be sometime this year. Customers can order online at organickrush.com.