The Westport Board of Selectwomen will consider a proposal Wednesday morning to change the limits on the parking limits on some of the busiest downtown streets from three hours down to two.
The change would apply to parking limits only on Main, Elm and Bay streets, along with Church Lane and Jessup Road.
The proposal is based on a recommendation from the town's Downtown Plan Implementation Committee , which tells News 12 that an outside consulting firm specializing in downtown planning and traffic told them the key to increasing business in a place like Westport is to increase turnover.
They believe that shorter time limits will help get more people in and out, instead of just lingering around and not spending money.
Businesses who spoke with News 12 are not as sure though, saying that the way the town is set up, they want people spending time downtown, going out to eat, then walking around from store to store. Some worry two hours isn't long enough to really do that.
The town of Westport just increased all its meters to three hours from one-and two-hour limits in May 2024, which would make this somewhat of a reversal just over a year later.