The swing set showdown is over in Westport.
Nothing will change. Children in the wealthy town can keep swinging on the swing sets only as long as the sets is not too close to the neighbors' property.
The case gained national attention after Cary Moskowitz was ordered to remove or dismantle his 7-year-old daughter's swing set because it was too close to the property line. The problem was that the rest of his property is too hilly to place the set or has wetlands, he said.
So, he appealed to the town zoning board to alter zoning regulations so basic swing sets would not be considered structures, which would exempt them from the rule requiring swing sets to sit at least 50 feet away from property lines. http://www.westportct.gov/index.aspx?page=26&recordid=161
But that board has rejected the proposal.
Board commissioners said they consider the rule appropriate. Eliminating it, they feared, could create noise, privacy problems and aesthetic concerns in a community where the median income is almost $200,000 per year.
