3 thoughts on “P&Z Approves Final Preservation Plan for 1913 Library Building

  1. Though the Library’s Nov P&Z presentation was to include details missing from the Oct meeting, it was just another purely graphic PowerPoint presentation. No details of demolition plans around the 1913, no structural details of how to cut the building in half and no drawings by the movers on how it can actually be moved.

    P&Z just pushed forward an approval, yet there are many conditions to be hashed out. And who has the Chairman of P&Z assigned to resolve them? Our town planner! Chairman Goodwin basically said to Lynn Brooks-Avni, don’t come back to the commission unless you must.

    So our town planner will be making decisions on the Salant Room murals (they are murals done by the same artist who did those in Town Hall that were preserved); the final landscaping plan (which is still not set because of drainage not yet shown); the resolution with the Library as to who owns the fence at the Gulf Station; ensuring that contact be made with the Gulf Station, an abutting neighbor on two fronts (a cause for denial of the applicant presenting right before the Library at this meeting); the town engineer’s unresolved issues, and on and on …

    Chairman Goodwin said he has been doing his homework and speaking to people on preservation. Who has he been speaking with? The Historical Review Committee, our town-chartered preservation group, requested that P&Z pause on this approval, stating it did not follow preservation standards and requested that P&Z have actual preservation professionals review cutting the building in half and moving it. Commissioner Goodwin chose to ignore not only this request, but all other previous communications by the HRC.

    Commissioner Krista Nielsen said that she was not sure she would have made the same decision last December and even in July 2021 had she known then what she knowns now about historic preservation …. but that it wouldn’t be fair for P&Z to change paths now.

    It might actually be fair to the Library’s largest donor: the thousands and thousands and thousands of New Canaan residents who have kept the Library solvent with their tax dollars for over 100 years.

  2. This is clearly setting a precedent on how applications for our historical buildings will be reviewed in the future. (A precedent that I do not agree with). The proposal for the Red Cross building is substantially similar and falls under 8-30g! At least the tax payers won’t be responsible to foot the bill for that one!

  3. Now it’s going to become a 2.5 million dollar, rundown eye sore. Good job P and Z for being conned by 100 old treehuggers. What a waste.

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