Affordable Housing Committee

Affordable Housing Committee Elects Officers, Hears from Town Officials at First Meeting

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A newly appointed committee charged with identifying properties in New Canaan where affordable housing units could be built, among other responsibilities, on Monday voted to elect a seasoned and widely respected municipal volunteer as its chair. At its first meeting, members of the Affordable Housing Committee voted 9-0 to elect former Planning & Zoning Commission chair John Goodwin to lead the group. 

In nominating him, Committee member Krista Neilson said that Goodwin’s time on P&Z “gives him a lot of insight into the work that we’re going to be doing here.”

“He sat in on approving Canaan Parish and Millport, I’m sure he probably dodged some 8-30g applications that didn’t come to us,” Neilson said during the meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. She continued: “So he’s seen the whole gamut, at least, of how it comes to the town. And also, I think he has great experience being the chair of the Planning & Zoning Commission, which—those of you who haven’t had the pleasure of attending our meetings, can be quite long, quite contentious. I feel if you can chair that, you can chair most anything.

Affordable Housing Committee

Selectmen Poised to Appoint ‘Affordable Housing Committee’

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The Board of Selectmen is scheduled to appoint a new committee Wednesday that will be charged with figuring out how to increase the number of affordable housing units in New Canaan. The Affordable Housing Committee will help “maintain local control of housing development,” in part, by recommending “a plan to maintain successive moratoria,” according to the recently adopted section 4B of the Town Code. “The Affordable Housing Committee shall develop scenarios under which moratoria under Section 8-30g(l) of the Connecticut General Statutes could be achieved and shall measure public support for each scenario,” according to the Code. “Each scenario shall address the type of projects involved, whether they would utilize Town property or require land acquisition, the projected costs of development and maintenance of each project, the impact on infrastructure, the likely sources of funding and the impact on taxpayers.”

The Town Council passed the updated ordinance establishing the Affordable Housing Committee last May. The prior Board of Selectmen tried to appoint members to it in October, but was unable to do so for what the former first selectman described as “political” reasons.

Affordable Housing Committee

Affordable Housing: Judge Grants ‘Co-Defendant’ Status to Developer in Moratorium Suit

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A state Superior Court Judge ruled Tuesday in favor of a local developer’s motion to intervene as co-defendant in the town’s affordable housing-related lawsuit against the state. Despite the town’s objections, Judge Ted O’Hanlan granted intervenor status to the companies that own properties in New Canaan where affordable housing developments are planned. Local developer Arnold Karp is principal at the ownership limited liability companies. 

“The court finds that intervenors have demonstrated a valid interest in intervention in this matter,” O’Hanlan wrote in his order, obtained by NewCanaanite.com. The town in December sued the Connecticut Department of Housing, appealing the state’s decision last fall to deny the town’s application for a “moratorium,” or four years of relief from the state statute that facilitated the affordable housing applications (that suit was dismissed). In June, the town sued again, objecting to a “declaratory ruling” from the state agency that bolstered its earlier denial. 

Attorneys representing Karp in August filed to become a co-defendant in the case, saying, in part, that he will be directly affected if the town is able to overturn the state’s denial of a “moratorium,” which would grant four years of relief from the state affordable housing law known by its statute number, 8-30g.

Affordable Housing Committee

‘There’s Too Many People Making a Political Storm’: Selectmen Unable To Appoint Affordable Housing Committee 

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Though more than one dozen residents raised their hands to serve on a committee that’s expected to guide New Canaan’s affordable housing strategy, town officials said this week that they still can’t agree on which volunteers to appoint. Under a newly written Section 4B of the Town Code, the Affordable Housing Committee is to include one member each from the Planning & Zoning Commission, Housing Authority, Town Council and Board of Finance, as well as five members of the public. 

It would be appointed by the Board of Selectmen. The following people have expressed interest in joining, according to the town’s response to a public records request filed by NewCanaanite.com: 

John Goodwin [Note: Goodwin withdrew his name in early October.]
Dave Harvey
Christine Hussey
Gail Lavielle
Krista Neilson (P&Z member)
Hilary Ormond (Town Council member)
Julia Portale
Robert Strong
Michael Sweeney (Housing Authority member)
Maria Weingarten (Board of Finance member)
Jeff Stein
Jane Stoddard Williams
Jeff Williams
Christopher Wilson

During Tuesday’s Board of Selectmen meeting, Selectman Kathleen Corbet asked when the Committee would be appointed. First Selectman Kevin Moynihan said, “From what I understand, we don’t have consensus aroniud nominees, so I’m not sure how we’re going to move this forward. And for the same reasons we’re talking about, it’s probably better that the new team decide.”

He appeared to refer to the Board of Selectmen that will take office following the local election on Nov.

Affordable Housing Committee

Affordable Housing: Developer Pushes for Historic District Commission Hearing on Main Street Application 

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The owners of a structure in New Canaan’s Historic District where an affordable housing redevelopment is planned are calling for an appointed town body to schedule a hearing on an application or face legal action. An attorney representing the owners of 51 Main St.—known locally as “the Red Cross building” for its former use—on Tuesday noted in a letter to the Historic District Commission that it has 65 days from the date of his client’s application for a “Certificate of Appropriateness” (Aug. 7) to issue a decision. That would put the hearing date, at the latest, at Oct. 11, according to the letter from attorney Tim Hollister, a partner at Hartford-based Hinckley Allen who represents local developer Arnold Karp’s ownership limited liability company. 

“We have had no response setting a date or an explanation about the delay,” Hollister said.