Letter to the Editor

NewCanaanite.com recently received the following letter. Please send letters to editor@newcanaanite.com. 

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As small business owners, we are writing to alert the New Canaan community to an urgent Planning and Zoning Commission (“P&Z”) matter with broad implications for New Canaan’s downtown Village District. If approved on October 29^th, a proposed mixed-use retail and residential development at 112 Main St. will set a precedent that holds the potential to forever change the beloved and unique village atmosphere of New Canaan.   

Before the vote happens, we urge concerned parties to email the Town Planner, Sarah Carey (sarah.carey@newcanaanct.gov), requesting P&Z to allow more time for the public to weigh in on the long-term impact that approval of this development will have on the priceless image, charm and defining character of New Canaan’s Magic Circle, as well as the devastating implications for local businesses and parking throughout downtown.

The applicant’s proposal to P&Z is complex and requires a significant change to the regulations of Retail A Zone (i.e., the Village District of Elm & Main known as the “Magic Circle”), designation of the project as an historic preservation, and approval of two Special Permits.  Specifically, the applicant seeks:

• An increase in the building’s height from two and a half stories to four.
• An increase in the allowable size of a residential dwelling from the current level of 750 square feet/max of 1 bedroom to 2,600+ square feet/3 bedrooms.
• An allowance to permit residential dwellings on street level (currently residential dwellings are only allowed on the second floor or higher in Retail Zone A).

Many in New Canaan will agree that the renovation of 112 Main St., with its tired 1960s aluminum facade, would benefit the community.  However, a precedent-setting four-story luxury rental apartment building in the very center of town, predicated on significant changes to zoning and approval of Special Permits, may not be the answer, and there are other zones designated for such use. The existing building is already the tallest building (or one of them) and with the addition of a 4th floor it will tower over its neighboring buildings.  If approved, more mixed-use developments will likely follow in the Magic Circle, and New Canaan’s pedestrian-friendly, village lifestyle will be forever changed.

We look forward to many more years of serving the community of New Canaan.  At the October 29^th Town Hall hearing, we will respectfully ask P&Z to deny the applicant’s request for Special Permits. Your support by writing in advance to the Town Planner or attending the P&Z hearing in person will help prevent the approval of a precedent-setting, dramatic change to the heart of downtown without further study on impact and public input that is reasonably warranted.    

Further Details

Complete application materials, proposed zoning change, and video of the September 24th P&Z meeting can be found on the Town’s P&Z applications page (see all documents for tabs dated 9.24.24 and labelled 112 Main, Retail A Text Amendment, and Planner’s Memo): Welcome to New Canaan CT

Currently, the 2.5 story building at 112 Main St. houses street-level retailers CT Muffin, No. 299 and The Spice and Tea Exchange and other long-term office tenants on the second floor. For the proposed mixed-use rental apartment building application to be approved, a separately requested text change amendment to Retail A Zone must first be approved to set aside, under proposed conditions, the current restrictions which prohibit all residential dwellings on street level and any dwellings above street level in excess of 750 sq. ft. and/or with more than one bedroom. Ground floor dwellings would inexplicably reduce retail space in the Magic Circle — this very small, yet core retail zone. In addition, the applicant seeks to increase the size of the building by approximately 10,000 sq. feet by replacing a 2.5-story structure with a four-story structure under a zoning loophole for an “historical preservation” and through inclusion of affordable housing, in this case on the street level. Stories 2 – 4 would be luxury rental apartments. Importantly, P&Z acknowledged at the September 24^th meeting that this project is not a renovation or a restoration (it is a new building), which would seem to disqualify the development’s request for “historic” designation.

P&Z has long provided careful and thoughtful oversight in preserving the character of town while doing the hard work of keeping up with current times and regulations.

The project is described as one which will advance the goals of the Town’s Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD), yet this premise is highly questionable. While POCD goals include the provision of alternative housing choices in and near downtown (an area which encompasses but is much larger than Retail A), the POCD also aims to preserve the unique character of downtown and at no point suggests replacing ground level retail space with dwellings, nor building four-story structures in the Retail A Zone.   

The recent and constant improvement work on the downtown roads, sidewalks and infrastructure has been very challenging to retailers both big and small, albeit critical to the downtown. Many of us can recall how the necessary renovation of Town Hall impacted businesses on Main Street. A construction project of this magnitude in the center of town and expected to last over a year at a minimum, involving NYC-style scaffolding, cranes, construction vehicles and noise will be a disaster for parking, shopping and dining.

If approved, existing retailers at 112 Main will be gone but one. The applicant proposes to shrink the depth of the ground floor retail units to under 30 feet to make room for three apartments, two of which would be affordable housing units. The very small size of the resulting retail units would diminish their marketability to a wide range of retail businesses.  Imagine if all retail space in the Magic Circle followed suit.

Sheila Grow and Jackie Fucigna