A Michigan Road homeowner is seeking permission from the Planning & Zoning Commission to build a 1.5-story barn in a wooded area of the approximately 6.5-acre property.
Barn planned for 142 Michigan Road. Specs by Country Carpenters Inc.
The 34-by-36-foot post-and-beam barn designed for 142 Michigan Road “will be painted ‘barn red’ and have a cedar shingle roof as does the main house on the property,” according to an application filed on behalf of the property’s owner, Ellipsis Partners LLC.
“It will have multiple windows, a dormer, a cupola and swing-out doors that will provide visual interest and will be in harmony with the features of our home. The land immediately around the barn is wooded and will remain so, and will be lightly landscaped in a natural manner similar to the landscaping on the rest of the property. The barn will have electricity, but no running water or septic, and is intended to be used for storage and will provide visual interest to the southwest side of the property. There will be no signs, and lighting will be minimal and tasteful.”
The application continues, “I believe that the addition of this barn will be a valuable improvement to the land on which it is located, and will be in keeping with the look and feel of neighboring properties on Michigan Road, Father Peters Lane and Summersweet Lane.”
Under the New Canaan Zoning Regulations, a special permit may be issued allowing accessory buildings that exceed 1,000 square feet of building coverage though they must “comply with the yard setback for a principal structure in that zone and if proposed to be located in a front yard, must be at least 150 feet from the street” (see page 54 here). In addition, soil disturbance of an area 10,000 square feet or more is permitted with a special permit.
P&Z is expected to take up the application at its Feb. 22 meeting.
The barn has been designed and will be built by Hebron-based Country Carpenters, according to the application. The property, located in the four-acre zone, includes a 10,000-square-foot home, tax records show. It last was sold in December 2013 for $4,095,000, the records show.
“New Canaan has a number of garages and barns of their design and they are handsome and well built,” the application said. “The barn’s rustic look will fit-in well in the town of New Canaan which has similar structures dotted throughout the town. The barn will be one-and-one-half stories; a maximum height of 22’2” at the ridgeline; and situated below the elevation of the closest neighbor, so will maintain a low profile on the 6.45-acre property. The placement of the barn will be approximately 83’ from the property line of our neighbor to the south and approximately 250’ from her house.”
In addition to the building plans, the application includes a site engineering report and stormwater operations and maintenance plan.