Government

‘A Great Asset to the Town’: Selectmen Appoint New Canaan Chief Building Official To Next Four-Year Term

By |

Officials on Tuesday appointed to a new four-year term New Canaan’s chief building official, an award-winning veteran municipal employee who oversees land use matters for the town. In his position here for 12 years, Brian Platz “is definitely our and has been recognized for his knowledge of the state’s building code,” First Selectman Rob Mallozzi said during a regular meeting of the Board of Selectman. “Last year, he received the highest honor from his peers, the Connecticut Building Officials Association for his work,” Mallozzi said at the meeting, held in Town Hall. “He also was elected president of that same group years back. Brian has stepped up in his managerial duties, he has taken a lead on budgetary and workflow issues, most recently bringing to our attention the delta between the actual land use fees and projected revenue sources.”

The board—Mallozzi together with Selectmen Beth Jones and Nick Williams—voted 3-0 for Platz’s appointment, through April 2021.

Government

Chief Building Official: ‘Pattern’ at Grace Farms of Working Without Required Permits

By |

Town officials are urging Grace Farms to secure permits for electrical and gas work already underway at its Lukes Wood Road campus—the most recent lapses in what amounts to a pattern for the organization since opening to the public last fall, according to those in charge of the New Canaan Building Department. Permits are needed for a propane tank and fuel line serving a generator that Grace is installing near an administrative building, as well as for an electric service change that already has been completed, New Canaan Chief Building Official Brian Platz said. Asked to put the non-permitted work into context—for example, whether the problems represent an isolated problem for Grace Farms, Platz said: “It absolutely is a pattern.”

Without securing a permit, Grace Farms did extensive work at a Lukes Wood Road house it had acquired, Platz said, installed a barbecue pit without a permit and opened facilities including a dining area without required Certificates of Occupancy. “They have demonstrated a disregard for any local authority, certainly with Planning & Zoning, Building and Health [Departments],” Platz said. Asked about the non-permitted work by NewCanaanite.com, Grace Farms officials spoke to a permit that the organization did obtain (last month, for a generator).

Around Town

With Drop in Revenue from Building Permits, Town Department Streamlines Staffing

By |

Fees collected through building permits have seen an overall decline recently, so the town department that issues them will operate with fewer staff members than usual for now, officials said Tuesday. The New Canaan Building Department will hold open a full-time position once an inspector leaves at year’s end and a part-time worker’s hours have been reduced from 20 to 10 per week, Chief Building Official Brian Platz told members of the Board of Selectmen during their regular meeting. First Selectman Rob Mallozzi and Platz both have seen a steady decline in the issuance of those permits that generate revenue for the town and worked together on a plan to staff accordingly. “We certainly have not fallen off any cliffs,” Platz said during the meeting, held at Town Hall. “I don’t think there is any cause for alarm.”

Total fees collected through building permits through the first three quarters of this calendar year are down nearly 30 percent from the same period in 2015, from about $1 million to $708,000, according to Building Department data.

News

‘A Great Fit for New Canaan’: Meet Steve Palmer, Our New Town Planner

By |

Officials on Wednesday approved the hiring of a longtime Planning & Zoning director in Bethel and, since in April, in Westport, to fill the recently vacated position of town planner for New Canaan. The Board of Selectmen voted unanimously in favor of hiring Steve Palmer for the job. He is scheduled to start Nov. 14. During an interview at his Westport office, Palmer said he was “very excited to begin” working in town.

Government

Six Candidates To Undergo First-Round Interviews for New Canaan Town Planner Job This Week

By |

Officials say they received a strong response to the open town planner job in New Canaan, and will commence interviews with six final candidates on Thursday and Friday this week. Active town planners in nearby communities are among those conducting the first-round interviews, according to Cheryl Pickering-Jones, director of human resources for the town of New Canaan. “We are trying to move quickly,” Pickering-Jones told NewCanaanite.com. Town Planner Steve Kleppin, whose last day is Thursday as he takes the same job in neighboring Norwalk, will continue to advise New Canaan in a consulting position, she said. Given that New Canaan has received major applications in recent weeks and months—for example, the Merritt Village proposal, (recently modified) Roger Sherman Inn redevelopment plans and effort from Grace Farms to amend its operating permit—Kleppin’s institutional and historical knowledge, and ready familiarity with New Canaan Zoning Regulations, are important assets, officials say.