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Members of the appointed body that oversees municipal parking lots in New Canaan are asking town officials to carefully balance the number of disabled spaces needed downtown with sorely needed 15-minute spaces.
Parking Manager Stacey Miltenberg told members of the Parking Commission during their July 10 meeting that disabled spots would be delineated along with the 15-minute parking spaces along the northern edge of Morse Court, as part of a new striping plan for the lot. (Currently, the parallel-parking 15-minute spaces are not lined out.)
Commissioner Nancy Bemis noted that the block of parking may be more useful if left unpainted — for example, because smaller cars wouldn’t take up a full space — and also raised a question about a plan to add a disabled space to the row.
“My concern is that by adding the handicapped spot, is it going to lead to any confusion?” Bemis said at the meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference.
Commissioner Katie O’Neill questioned the purpose of adding another disabled spot to the area.
“Those 15-minute spots are very popular, we have adequate … [disabled] spots along the [Mobil] gas station, so I would be curious to know their reasoning,” O’Neill said.
The discussion arose during a general update from Parking Manager Stacy Miltenberg on parking lot paving projects. The Planning & Zoning Commission recently issued a positive referral for the Morse Court plan, though the appointed body did ask whether a disabled space could be lined out along the Morse Court curb.
Bemis noted that the town has talked about converting some regular 2-hour spots on nearby Elm Street into 15-minute spaces.
“We need to resolve the whole Elm Street parking issue and understand which of those spaces are going to become the 15-minute spaces that we’ve all talked about,” she said.
Bemis questioned whether or not a disabled space had been removed due to bump-outs along the street. Miltenberg said that none had been eliminated, though one disabled space had been moved to the opposite side of the street.
Bemis said, “We’re not opposed to the idea at all of a handicapped space, it’s just a question of resolving where those 15-minute spots are going to land on Elm Street – in front of Dunkin perhaps, in front of Franco’s, and other spots where people tend to need. They can always go in and add a handicapped spot to that area but perhaps we postpone it until we figure out the Elm Street configuration.”
O’Neill asked whether there’s a required number of disabled spaces based on a formula that weighs total spots in a lot or on a street.
“Have the parking attendants ever observed that all the handicapped spots are just always full and therefore even though it’s higher than the normal ratio we would have we need another spot there?” she said.
Miltenberg deferred to Director of Public Works Tiger Mann, saying she would ask him to attend the next meeting.
Updates to other parking lots around town were also discussed during the meeting, namely improvements to Lumberyard Lot, Locust Lot, Morse Court, and Train Station Lot.
“Lumberyard and Locus Lot have been repaved and restriped,” Miltenberg said. “We are very, very happy with all of that. We’re progressing wonderfully and this is a great start.”
Commissioners asked whether the number of spaces in Lumberyard will change.
Miltenberg said, “No, they followed the original pattern of the space markings. We had made a suggestion and talked to Tiger Mann about maybe moving where they put the mopeds and motorcycles, but he said that the layout that was originally done was the most effective layout in regards to how many spaces that lot would get.”
With regard to Morse Court Lot, Miltenberg said that the Planning & Zoning Commission had made a positive referral regarding the new striping and traffic flow plan, as required under state law.
DPW officials hope the new parking configuration in Morse Court will be “done before the end of the summer,” Mitlenberg said.
“That is the best time, so I’m hoping that as well,” she said.
Another update includes the approval of a contract by first selectman Dionna Carlson for improvements to Train Station Lot.
“First Selectman Dionna Carlson approved the contract so they’re working with the contract so they’re working on a schedule with a contractor that is also hopefully going to be done before the end of the summer,” Mittlenberg said.
In response, Commissioner Katie O’Neil asked, “Was it decided if those spaces were going to be made wider?”
Miltenberg replied, “I don’t believe so, I think it’s just redoing that whole lot”
She added, “Basically the update on everything is that we’re moving and it’s really nice to see.”
It is important to the merchants and landlords in town who continue to lose parking to the restaurants and traffic calming devices that parking is readily available and accessible for their customers.