News

Property Owner Sues Town After P&Z Denies Affordable Housing Proposal

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The Summer Internship Program is sponsored by the New Canaan Racquet Club. The applicant behind a proposed 14-unit affordable housing development on Parade Hill Road is suing the town following the Planning & Zoning Commission’s unanimous decision to deny the application. The Commission voted June 23 to reject the proposal for 30 Parade Hill Road after determining it did not qualify as “assisted housing” under Connecticut’s affordable housing statute, known as 8-30g. Because of that finding, commissioners concluded the project was not exempt from the town’s active affordable housing moratorium. The proposed development drew concerns from neighbors and commissioners during public hearings over its size and compatibility with the surrounding neighborhood, as well as traffic, public safety, flooding, noise, aesthetics and screening.

Government

Town Voids $60 Elm Street Parking Ticket Issued to Woman Who Hadn’t Been to New Canaan Since Meters Installed

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The Summer Internship Program is sponsored by Karp Associates. A Stamford woman who said she had not visited downtown New Canaan since the town installed parking meters had her $60 ticket voided unanimously by the Parking Commission at its most recent meeting, after raising a pointed question about the visibility of the signs on Elm Street. Catherine Galvin received a ticket at 2:49 p.m. on March 30 on Elm Street. The base ticket amount of $30 had since escalated to $60 due to nonpayment. In a written appeal submitted to the Commission prior to its July 8 meeting, she said she had come to town to shop and walked directly into the store in front of her without noticing any signage.

Government

Notice of Intent To Demolish

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Notice is hereby given that an application for a permit to demolish has been filed in the office of the New Canaan Building Official and is currently pending and is available for public inspection. 

Name & Address of Structure: 90 Douglas Road, New Canaan, CT 06840

Name and Address of Owners: Veronica Plasencia, 90 Douglas Road, New Canaan, CT 06840

Age of Structure: 1950 (76 years)

Square Footage: 2,546 sf

Board of Selectmen

Town To Be Reimbursed $73,500 to Drain and Refill Steve Benko Pool After Crash During NCHS Graduation

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The Board of Selectmen voted unanimously at its regular meeting last week to approve a $73,500 contract with Stamford-based company for the emergency draining and refilling of the Steve Benko Pool at Waveny, following the June 16 incident in which a man drove into the pool during the New Canaan High School graduation ceremony. 

Superintendent of Parks Ryan Restivo presented the request, noting that the work had already been completed and that the town was seeking approval for payment. He said the expense would be included in the town’s insurance claim for reimbursement from the driver’s insurer. The process of draining the pool turned out to be more complicated than simply opening a drain, Restivo said. “It wasn’t draining fast enough,” he said at the July 21 meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. “They had to haul.

Government

Referendum Fails; Summertime Ban on Gas-Powered Leaf Blowers Takes Effect

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New Canaan’s summertime ban on gas-powered leaf blowers is now in effect, following a referendum vote Saturday. Though more local electors voted in favor of nixing the ban, not enough people came to the polls to overturn the Town Council’s 8-4 vote in May in favor of a new ordinance whose full text can be read here under “Exhibit A” (scroll down). According to unofficial results released Saturday night by head moderator Bob Mantilia, 1,471 people voted “No” and 1,033 voted “Yes” on the following question:
“Shall the May 20, 2026 action of the Town Council approving an ordinance entitled ‘Gas Powered Leaf Blowers,’ which sets certain restrictions on their usage, be upheld?”
In order for the “No” votes to carry, two thresholds had to be met. Not only did more people have to vote “No” than “Yes,” but also 15% of the electorate as of the last completed voters’ list (which is 2,179 out of 14,526 people) had to vote “No.”

One advocate for the new ordinance, New Canaan resident John Seel, said when asked for his thoughts that “this was a very positive outcome.”

“As I’ve been saying, it upholds the democratic process in New Canaan,” Seel told NewCanaanite.com after the tally came in. “The decision of the Town Council back in May was an accurate reflection of the will of the people of New Canaan, as expressed through their democratically elected representatives.