Westport Historical Commission Approves Deck, Holds Firm on Howland Hall Window Design

WESTPORT -- May 13, 2026, Westport Historical Commission rejects a ghost window proposal for Howland Community Hall and approves a deck extension at 7 Windward Way. At the May 13 meeting, the six-member commission voted unanimously to approve a certificate of appropriateness for Kit Wise's plan to add a six-foot-by-15-foot section to an existing deck at 7 Windward Way, using pressure-treated or composite five-quarter-by-six decking. The commission also voted 6-0 to direct monitors Caroline Bolter and Gerard Stuck to approve a reduction of approximately 20 inches in the outward extension of the approved addition to Howland Community Hall, after the project's architect said retaining an existing well inside the new footprint made the smaller extension workable. An earlier request at the same meeting, to substitute a decorative ghost window for a real one on the building's south elevation, was withdrawn by the architect after commissioners, led by William Kendall, argued the permanence of the change warranted installing the actual window as approved. A pool and pergola application from Robert Branca at 2015 Main Road was continued for a third time to the June 3 meeting, with materials due from Branca by May 27.