The town this month received an application to build a 14-unit apartment building on Parade Hill Road under the state’s affordable housing law.
All 14 of the two- and three-bedroom units at 30 Parade Hill Road will be “affordable,” under the state’s definition, according to an application filed on behalf of the property’s owner by attorney Amy Souchans of Hartford-based MacDermid, Reynolds & Glissman, P.C.
South elevation of 14-unit apartment building proposed for 30 Parade Hill Road in New Canaan. Specs by A. Hennessy Architects P.C. of Newburgh, N.Y.
A cover letter in the 215-page submission to the Planning & Zoning Commission said the project — sponsored by Stamford-based nonprofit Garden Homes Fund (philanthropic arm of Garden Homes Management) — is designed “to provide housing in New Canaan for low and very low income families with school-aged children.”
Under a section titled “The choice of New Canaan for affordable housing,” the applicant said: “While the need for affordable housing is dire in Connecticut, it is most needed in neighborhoods of high opportunity. Neighborhoods play a central role in upward mobility and are where children experience socioemotional development, form social ties, and access resources and life opportunities. Maps provided by the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority (CHFA) rate each census tract in the state on a five-point scale ranging from Very High Opportunity to Very Low Opportunity based on factors like school performance, poverty concentration and safety. The mapping is used by CHFA and the Connecticut Department of Housing (DOH) to prioritize funding for affordable housing development in high opportunity areas. Every census tract in New Canaan is rated Very High Opportunity, making it an ideal municipality for housing consisting entirely of affordable units.”
West (rear) elevation of 14-unit apartment building proposed for 30 Parade Hill Road in New Canaan. Specs by A. Hennessy Architects P.C. of Newburgh, N.Y.
Under the state law known by its statute number, 8-30g, developers proposing housing complexes where at least 30% of units are designated as “affordable” may skirt local planning decisions by filing an appeal. In 2022, New Canaan received three applications for 8-30g projects, and the local Planning & Zoning Commission denied each of them. The developer behind those three proposals appealed each denial under 8-30g, and a state Superior Court judge upheld two of the appeals, at Weed and Elm Streets, and more recently, on Hill Street, while denying one on Main Street (which denial informed the design of the three-story apartment building planned for Parade Hill—see below).
The town’s strategy for securing “local control” of such developments has included appointing a committee focused on securing relief from 8-30g in four-year blocks known as “moratoriums” while exploring options for creating more affordable housing. New Canaan did earn a four-year moratorium two summers ago, and appears to have sufficient housing units to chain together another one in 2028.
North elevation of 14-unit apartment building proposed for 30 Parade Hill Road in New Canaan. Specs by A. Hennessy Architects P.C. of Newburgh, N.Y.
Yet, as Souchans notes in the application, the moratorium does not apply to “affordable housing applications for assisted housing in which ninety-five per cent of the dwelling units are restricted to persons and families whose income is less than or equal to sixty per cent of the median income” or “other affordable housing applications for assisted housing containing forty or fewer dwelling units,” under the state law.
P&Z is expected to take up the application at the appointed body’s Feb. 24 meeting (a meeting that wasn’t listed on the municipal website’s government calendar as of the publication of this article).
The .37-acre Parade Hill Road parcel in question was purchased in January 2025 for $1,250,000 (it currently includes a three-bedroom Cape) by a limited liability company. The LLC’s principal is a Stamford resident, Richard Freedman, who is trustee of the Garden Homes Fund and serves on the city’s Board of Finance. Established in 1962, Garden Homes Management owns 9,500 units of rental housing throughout the Northeast, the application said.
Under a section titled “Barriers to non-profit housing development in New Canaan,” Souchans notes that “[a]side from senior housing constructed in 1993 in a former school, New Canaan has no housing owned by non-profits other than its housing authority and, to the best of our knowledge, 30 Parade Hill Road is the first family project ever proposed in New Canaan by an outside nonprofit.”
“While lower Fairfield County has many longstanding housing non-profits, they have developed only in Stamford and Norwalk,” Souchans said in the cover letter, dated Feb. 4. “Multifamily-zoned land is nearly non-existent in New Canaan and the few sites sold are prohibitively expensive for non-profit development. The only path to a viable land cost for affordable housing in New Canaan requires the use of 8-30g, which requires up-front capital that most non-profits do not have, and entails risks that they cannot take. The New Canaan Housing Authority owns two projects, both constructed between the late 1970s and early 1980s. Both have been redeveloped in recent years. That public housing has not been built in a new location in forty-five years illustrates that even the town’s own housing authority faces the same barriers preventing non-profits from advancing projects on new sites.”
Parade Hill Road is a residential street of about 40 homes, including a handful of duplexes, that has a steep hill and sharp curve at its western end. Number 30 is on the southeastern end of Parade Hill Road, which serves as a popular motor vehicle pass-through between state Routes 123 (New Norwalk Road) and 124 (Oenoke Ridge).
The application calls for 16 parking spaces for 14 units, saying “residents will be limited to one car per unit, strictly enforced.”
Under a section titled “Site planning and design considerations,” the applicant notes that “[t]he goal in designing 30 Parade Hill Road was to satisfy the intense need for affordable housing in New Canaan while building to an appropriate scale.”
“To accomplish these goals, the [Garden Homes] Fund looked to New Canaan’s various affordable housing zones in deciding on key parameters like density, height and impervious coverage,” Souchans said in her letter. “The design was also informed by the Court’s decision on 51 Main Street which, in short, said that affordable housing is needed in New Canaan but should be built at a reasonable scale. The proposed design complies with most parameters in the affordable housing zones – easily so in many cases – and, where non-compliant, is only modestly so.”
‘Bout time
It would be interesting to note what financing subsidies the project has received from the state or federal resources. New Canaan’s own housing authority has repeatedly requested housing voucher allocations from the state to create more deeply affordable housing on the 100 percent, forever affordable housing projects that it has created at both Mill Road and Canaan Parish developments. However, New Canaan rarely receives any such project vouchers from the state. It will also be interesting to learn whether the subsidized units created is forever afforable as New Canaan’s own projects are or only subsidized for 40 years. The City of Stamford requires all affordable housing projects to have 99 years affordabilty attached to their decelopments.
Maria–you must be happy that you finally got 100% affordable units to be built. You have railed for years (as the co-founder of 169 strong) that someone should build 100% afforadable units. I assume that your organization– 169 Strong will finally actively support and endorse an affordable housing project in the State of Connecticut.
Let’s see what affordability really looks like.
Is it going to be like the View at 2 million per apartment that Arnold Karp built. And then added an additional floor at the last minute to create such height/ eyesore in town. Apartments in the millions for our small New England town. I guess affordability means different numbers to different people.
I believe these are rentals. The Vue was not constructed as Affordable Housing nor was it intended to be. It is much needed housing which is why it is sold out. Also, the rentals are completely occupied. New Canaan needs housing for people that are not millionaires. It would be nice to see some aesthetically pleasing exteriors for sure. They are now putting the top floor on the Quartier on Burtis/Cherry – why is no one complaining about this in the center of town??
I am very much in favor of this as long as the problems related to Parade Hill are addressed. It is very narrow and windy, there is no sidewalk, and drivers use it to cut over to Rte. 123. At least the project is near the bottom of the street.
When is this madness gonna stop – How does this fit into the neighborhood at all? – This town is slowly being destroyed and soon property values will fall if this madness of overbuilding does not stop. We can barley drive anymore without it taking double the time it use to with all the traffic as is.
Yes…so true. And, the go to excuse is that 830g bill. Outdated and needs to be rewritten.
“24 NJ towns take affordable housing mandates fight
to the US Supreme Court.”
The Governor of CT lives in a beautiful
estate in North Greenwich. Kinda like Weed ST.
I wonder if he would like a 14 unit complex build next door to his property.
Now all for affordable housing but do we lower the value of people properties by putting them anywhere a developer wants? The town will grow as time goes on but it up to P&Z
to figure were to put these High-density projects. Not the State by stupid
laws.
I’m disappointed to see that the aesthetic of the new building is the complete antithesis of anything we have in town. It doesn’t seem like the builder gave much thought to curb appeal or the suitability of the design. Also, piggy backing off earlier comments that I think have since been deleted, New Canaan’s charm seems to be withering away. The Vue’s height is ridiculous and all the big new houses look exactly the same (the white modern farmhouse style with windows that look like they’re wearing too much eyeliner).
Diversity of housing style and stock is a good thing. I personally don’t like how all of the new McMansions look that go up every month, but I respect private property rights and think that people should be able to build what they want on their own land (as long as it doesn’t harm human or environmental health). If you don’t like how something looks, look away! I personally like how this building breaks the New Canaan homogeneity. But bottom line, I really take issue with the arrogance of people who think that their preferred aesthetic is more important than expanding our tax base, growing our economy, and most importantly, allowing 14+ non-Wall Street bankers or nepo-babies to live in a town so blessed with opportunity.
Anthony — you think people should be able to build whatever they want on their property– That’s not how it works for you and
me! If so I could build 14 unites on my property — the answerer is NO!
I own rental property in Stamford do you think they will let me build a 10 story condo building on my property — again NO !
you have to follow the rules (P&Z rules) unless you pull an 830g
This law lets the people like Arnold pick and choose where he can make the big bucks while giving 30% at the altar of the state
mandate
remember well how they sold the project on Park St
for people to be able to own a nice place for $500,000
they sold them for 1-2+ million not very affordable for the young
workers — it’s not what they say it what they do — they don’t give a dam about affordable housing
I have lived in this area all my life — I remember Stamford
projects 6 10 story buildings on the westside of town were for the “poor people” didn’t work out well and they demolished all of them. it wasn’t for lack of caring
Developments like these give me hope! The #1 reason people leave CT is affordability. This project could give 14 families or young professionals a chance to add to our tax base, support our small businesses, and work in our town. It’s high time New Canaan, our town of more than 20K with two(!) train stations on the country’s busiest commuter rail network, quit acting like some rural farming community and be a part of the necessary economic and demographic growth our state needs to be successful. If we aren’t growing, we are dying! Those who oppose change always lose eventually. Always.
I keep seeing your comments that run counter to most individuals in New Canaan. Do you live in New Canaan? Curious what your perspective is.
My grandparents lived in New Canaan, my mother grew up in New Canaan, I grew up in New Canaan and I currently rent there. All I want is the same opportunity my family and I had extended beyond the obscenely wealthy. A town as amazing as New Canaan should be accessible to working-class folks too!
I have had the privilege of working with Richard Freedman and Garden Homes for over 10 years. He is Chairman of the Board of Finance in Stamford and a man of integrity. Richard keeps a low-key profile and is passionate about building and managing affordable housing and he does it well. Garden Homes Foundation helped to initiate Future 5’s College Success program by underwriting scholarship monies for local CT colleges like NCC and he really propelled us beyond high school and into the college success business. Garden Homes also supplies us with affordable housing in Stamford for 6 to 10 students/alums who are working but have no family. There is no one I would trust more to work with the community and to build solid affordable housing that is needed.
I am a resident on Parade Hill Rd. It needs to be addressed how bad the traffic already is on our street. This is not a quiet residential road. It is basically a thoroughfare. People are consistently going 10 to 25 miles per hour over the speed limit, sometimes more. It happens every single day, all day long.
There are no sidewalks at all. There are no crosswalks. Kids and neighbors are on this street all day long going for walks, walking their dogs, biking, playing, and getting on and off school buses, and we are constantly having to dodge speeding cars. I have personally seen cars go around stopped school buses more than once.
I can barely get out of my own driveway because of how fast cars are coming, and there is a blind spot that makes it even worse. I have almost been hit multiple times. I know several neighbors who have had close calls too. This is already happening.
Now we are talking about adding 14 units. If you do the math, two cars per unit, people coming and going several times a day, plus delivery trucks and service vehicles, that could mean several hundred additional vehicle trips on this street every single day.
We have heard talk for years about sidewalks maybe being added, but that has never happened. Police enforcement is extremely difficult here because there is nowhere for them to park to monitor speeding, and drivers know it.
If this has already been approved, we need to understand how pedestrian safety was evaluated before that decision was made. And if it has not been fully finalized, how can we move forward without a serious traffic and pedestrian safety review, especially during school hours?
If we are increasing density on a street with no sidewalks and chronic speeding, then safety improvements need to come first, not after something serious happens. I support affordable housing, but not without first addressing the major safety issues that already exist on this street. Those of us who live here every day deserve to know what safety review was done and what is going to be done now to protect our families.
Notice how these developers live in shoulder communities. The recent project this new interloper/developer did was on Hope Street in Springdale across from the Twin Rinks where he owns many properties – check out this insanely ugly apartment house to see what may be coming to Parade Hill Road. And note how he said he is prepared to fight and sue if any opposition arises. Nice way to intimidate a town he has never supported – watch out New Canaan this is his entree project to additional hideous projects.
IMPORTANT NOTICE
The PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION will hold a SPECIAL MEETING on Monday, March 9, 2026. This hearing is scheduled to be a hybrid meeting and will be both via zoom and in person in the Town Meeting Room at Town Hall, 77 Main Street and virtually at 7:00 p.m.
A presentation on the 14-unit apartment building proposed for 30 Parade Hill is on the Agenda [Item #3 see below]. If you are interested in hearing details about this application, please attend via Zoom or in-person.
To join the meeting via Zoom:
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Meeting ID: 889 1144 0122
Passcode: 456137
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30 Parade Hill Road – Upon application of Amy E. Souchuns, MacDermid; Reynolds & Glissman, P.C., Authorized Agent for GHF Parade Hill Road, LLC, owner(s), for Site Plan approval pursuant to Sect. 8-30g of the CT General Statutes to construct a 14- residential unit structure in the B Residence & Half Acre Zones at 30 Parade Hill Road (Map P, Block 42, Lot 852). 45 Minutes * Note: Preliminary presentation only. *