Government

Parking Commission on Locust and Lumberyard: ‘We Need to Tier Those Two Lots’

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The reopening of Town Hall, which started this week and will come in waves through the summer, will exacerbate a shortage of parking downtown—a problem that must be solved by decking the Locust Avenue lot and transferring some municipal employees into the proposed new structure, the head of the New Canaan Parking Commission said Wednesday. New Canaan for more than a half-century has acknowledged a shortage in parking for downtown visitors as well as commuters, and the tiering of Locust and Lumberyard lots is the sensible, minimally disruptive solution—projects that the town should pursue regardless of separate capital projects such as the proposed Saxe Middle School auditorium and classroom expansion, Keith Richey said during a meeting of the Plan of Conservation and Development Implementation Committee. “Both lots fall away from the street so a single tier could be added at street level, negating any serious concern about having an ugly parking structure—a concern I share, by the way,” Richey said during the meeting, held in the Training Room at the New Canaan Police Department. “There is little controversy over the conclusion. There is no need for another study to tell us this would materially improve the situation.”

He continued: “We need to tier the Locust Avenue Parking Lot and the Lumberyard Lot.

Business

Though Prohibited, Sandwich Boards Proliferate Downtown; P&Z to Open Discussion

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Though local zoning regulations explicitly prohibit them, sandwich boards are appearing in front of an increasing number of businesses downtown, prompting planning officials to open a public discussion on the matter. Under Section 6.3.F.7 of the New Canaan Zoning Regulations (page 118 here), “sandwich board and easel type signs” are prohibited. Yet members of the Planning & Zoning Commission “clearly have noticed a dramatic increase in sandwich boards in the past year or so” and will take up the issue at its Feb. 24 meeting, Chairman John Goodwin said. “It is something that we [P&Z members] have said we need to discuss, and personally I do not have a clear view yet of whether my view would be, ‘Look it is an ordinance and we’ve got to prohibit them’ because, on the other hand, we want to do everything possible in town to help businesses, and I am a very strong advocate of that.”

It isn’t clear whether Goodwin and P&Z will seek wider public input on sandwich boards during the group’s regular meeting.

Business

Trash Talking: Town Officials Target Conspicuous, Misused Garbage Receptacles Downtown

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Saying loose garbage bags, conspicuous dumpsters and misused trash receptacles diminish downtown New Canaan’s appearance and charm—if not its sanitation—town officials are searching for ways to help boxed-in businesses dispose of their waste more responsibly. Off-hours visitors to downtown—and Mead Park, for that matter—misuse public garbage bins and commercial dumpsters by throwing their household trash in them, exacerbating the problem in a town that’s seen a steep rise, in recent years, in the number restaurants and attendant waste that requires hauling, officials say. The town must “get a handle of the garbage can view as you arrive from the railroad station—that is the first thing to present itself in New Canaan,” Planning & Zoning Commissioner Laszlo Papp said at a special meeting of the Plan Implementation Committee on Jan. 7. “That entire sidewalk and garden and everything else by Starbucks is incredibly unsightly,” he said at the meeting, held in the Training Room at the New Canaan Police Department.

News

With Success, Pop-Up Park Reaches Crossroads; Organizers Ask: Where Do We Go from Here?

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Launched on a test basis in the summer of 2012 and evolving each year since into a more regular fixture downtown, the Pop-Up Park at South and Elm—host to activities year-round including World Cup Weekend, family gatherings, outdoor concerts and showcases for local eateries—has garnered positive feedback from residents, businesses and town officials. On Wednesday night, the architects and volunteers who organize the popular park—noting that the labor required to set up and break down each summer weekend is not feasible long-term—turned to town planning officials for direction on whether the Pop-Up Park should become a summer-only, more frequent or even permanent feature of downtown New Canaan. “The original concept was, ‘Let’s try it and see if it works,’ ” Pop-Up Park Committee member Arnold Karp said at a special meeting of the Plan Implementation Committee, held in the Training Room at the New Canaan Police Department. “I think we’ve had three seasons to really test it out. It does work, so where do we take it from here?

Business

P&Z Approves Weed Street Subdivision, Mixed-Use Building on Cross Street

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Town planning officials on Tuesday approved a pair of closely followed land use applications—one for a 2-lot subdivision on Weed Street that includes a conservation easement connecting two New Canaan Land Trust properties, and another for a mixed residential-and-commercial structure on Cross Street that’s designed to accommodate future New Canaan Post Office needs. What follows is a summary of each item. Both were approved by the Planning & Zoning Commission at the group’s regular meeting, held in the Sturgess Room at the New Canaan Nature Center. Weed Street
P&Z on six conditions (see below) approved the 2-lot subdivision at 929 Weed St., a 9-acre property whose current structure—a Midcentury Modern—will remain, while two additional lots will be carved out. As part of the subdivision, the property’s owner is granting as a conservation easement along an approximately 425-foot strip of land that connects two parcels long ago given to the New Canaan Land Trust: One that backs up (eastward) into the woods and connects eventually to the New Canaan Nature Center, and another that includes wetlands and fronts Weed Street itself.