Government

Moynihan: Town Should Pressure Metro-North Railroad To Restore New Canaan Train Service

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New Canaan’s highest elected official said this week that the town should pressure Metro-North Railroad to return commuter trains to a pre-pandemic schedule before making a decision regarding some parking permit renewals. First Selectman Kevin Moynihan said Tuesday that he wants to pressure the train company before setting a renewal date for commuter lot parking permits. The subways in New York City are reopening 24 hours and “people returning to work in Manhattan may be accelerating,” Moynihan said during a regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen, so that New Canaan can start charging commuter permit-holders earlier than a recommended Sept. 1 start date. Municipal officials have noted that New Canaan is losing $120,000 per quarter in revenue following its suspension of parking permit fees, Moynihan said at the meeting, held both in person and via videoconference.

Chris Schipper

‘We Are Lagging Behind’: Parking Officials Recommend Creation of More Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Downtown

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The New Canaan Parking Commission is recommending that the town install a second electric vehicle charging station at Morse Court and at least one more in the Town Hall lot. Officials also should consider updating the New Canaan Zoning Regulations to require developers in creating multi-unit housing to set aside a percentage of attendant spaces for electric vehicles, or ‘EVs,’ with charging units provided, according to Commission Chair Keith Richey. “We look kind of pathetic now because these other towns have got them, have got more charging stations,” Richey said during the appointed body’s regular meeting, held May 6 via videoconference. 

“We are lagging behind,” he said. Richey and Commissioners Laura Budd, Jennifer Donovan, Drew Magratten and Peter Ogilvie voted 5-0 to make the recommendation to the Board of Selectmen. The selectmen are expected to take it up at their regular meeting Tuesday.

Parking Commission by 4-1 Vote Recommends Charging for Use of Park Street, Playhouse Lots on Saturdays

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Saying it would be more consistent with other municipal lots and would create more revenue for the town, officials are recommending that motorists start being charged for the Saturday use of two lots located behind Elm Street. The Parking Commission at its May 6 meeting voted 4-1 to start charging for the Park Street and Playhouse Lots on Saturdays. “We always try to keep the rules simple, and if we just say ‘parking is free Sunday and you pay on Saturday for all downtown lots’ it’s easier for everyone to remember,” Chair Keith Richey said at the appointed body’s regular meeting, held via videoconference. 

Town officials already charge on Saturday for parking in the Morse Court Lot. Commissioner Peter Ogilvie said the town should have the same policy for Park Street and Playhouse, which are next to each other, as it has for Morse Court. 

Commissioner Drew Magratten agreed, noting that Connecticut and the wider tristate area are on the verge of trying to reopen after more than one year of sweeping restrictions under the pandemic “to get back to some sort of normalcy.”

Consistency is important, Magratten said, “because as you can see from these appeals a lot of people people get confused—different rules [for] different lots.” He referred to ticketed motorists who appeal to the Commission in order to have violation fees forgiven. Richey, Ogilvie, Magratten and Commissioner Jennifer Donovan voted in favor of the recommendation.

Government

Town Upholds $30 Ticket Issued to New Canaan Woman Who Parked in Loading Zone

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Town officials last week upheld a $30 ticket issued to a New Canaan woman who parked in a loading zone downtown. Sara Rehnberg told members of the Parking Commission during an appeal hearing Thursday that she thought the signs on the west side of South Avenue off of Elm Street were meant to prevent motorists from blocking the alley between an antiques store and the former Mackenzie’s space. “That was always my understanding,” she told the Commission during its regular meeting, held via videoconference. Rehnberg was ticketed at 12:16 p.m. on April 21 (a Wednesday) for parking in the loading zone. “I have parked there before, in the past.

Around Town

‘This Is a Paradigmatic Shift’: Selectman Williams Calls on Parking Officials To Assess Post-COVID Demand for Commuter Permits

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Saying demand for commuter lot permits likely will decline post-COVID, Selectman Nick Williams this week called for parking officials to assess the “new normal” for New Canaan. During Tuesday’s Board of Selectmen meeting, Williams called on the Parking Commission to “take a look at the Lumberyard, say, and determine that hey, for the foreseeable future and maybe forever, we are going to see a 20%, 30%, 40% reduction in usage.”

“Because folks just aren’t going into the city as much. I know that if you do go in twice a week or three times a week or once a week, the tendency will be to keep your commuter pass, just so you have the opportunity to use it and not face the hassle of having to find a spot. But this is a paradigmatic shift, I think, for all of us —and when I say ‘us’ I mean commuters. I myself foresee probably going into the office maybe 2.5 times per week.