COVID-19 New Canaan

First Selectman: Parking Enforcement Suspended, Decision To Come on Starting It Up Again

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New Canaan is not enforcing parking regulations and will decide whether and how to do so as the business district reopens, the town’s highest elected official said last week. Parking Bureau enforcement officers are not out in the streets ticketing motorists “nor are police writing tickets,” according to First Selectman Kevin Moynihan. He told members of the Parking Commission at their most recent meeting that they should make a recommendation on what will happen after May 20, when some types of businesses—including restaurants with outdoor seating—can reopen or begin to operate in a more accustomed way. “Are we going to charge parking meter fees?” Moynihan said at the May 7 meeting, held via videoconference. “There is a sense that we shouldn’t.

Government

Divided Commission Rejects Plan To Add 8 Permit Spaces in Park Street Lot

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Saying the spaces should be left to short-term shoppers and diners, members of the Parking Commission last week voted 3-2 against offering eight additional permits for the Park Street Lot. Tucked behind Elm Street near the corner of Park, the 126-space lot already accommodates 36 “commercial permit” holders, 25 individuals with grandfathered permit spaces and about 17 municipal employees, officials say. Issuing eight more permits for those who work downtown would squeeze out those seeking to pay by the hour for spaces in order to visit retail shops and restaurants, according to Parking Commission members who opposed the measure. In addition, those who work downtown should be directed to buy a permit for lots located further from the center of town, such as on Locust Avenue or on the former Center School site along Maple Street, according to Commissioner Chris Hering. “The further out you get, the longer you are able to park,” he said at the March 4 meeting, held in Town Hall.

Chris Hering

Commission Votes 4-1 To Recommend Holding Parking Permit Fees Flat

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Noting that a new sales tax from the state will drive the rates up substantially, municipal officials voted last week to recommend keeping the town’s parking permit fees flat next fiscal year. The Parking Commission voted 4-1 to leave the fees for permits at eight municipal lots flat, though motorists should expect to see a 6.35% sales tax broken out on their annual bills. The state tax “is a sizable increase, much bigger than any increase we have done in my entire term on the Parking Commission,” Chair Keith Richey said at the March 4 meeting, held at Town Hall. “And obviously this huge increase that would go along even if we didn’t increase the rates but just passed along the sales tax,” he added. “That will not add to our permit revenue.

Adam Jacobson

Pet Pantry Warehouse on Grove Street To Install Two ‘Pet Washing Stations’

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A Grove Street pet specialty retailer that long has supported canine-related causes in New Canaan and surrounding towns is expanding its offerings with a new service for dog owners. Pet Pantry Warehouse is installing pet washing stations at the store and hopes to have the new facilities in place next month, according to Executive Vice President Adam Jacobson. Already in place at three of Pet Pantry’s seven area locations, the pet washing stations are specifically designed for dogs, Jacobson told NewCanaanite.com. 

“Our washes are raised washes so people can be standing and not hunching over in uncomfortable positions as if bathing in bathtub or shower at home,” Jacobson said. “So it’s much more comfortable for a client to use. On top of that, we provide all shampoo and towels at no additional charge and we are responsible for cleanup after the dogs are bathed.”

Dog owners are also provided with waterproof smocks so they can wash their dogs, he said.

Chris Hering

Parking Commission Votes 4-1 To Recommend Widening Spaces in Morse Court, Playhouse Lots

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The Parking Commission voted last week to recommend re-striping in two municipal parking lots so that the width of stalls is in line with New Canaan’s own zoning regulations. 

The appointed body’s 4-1 vote recommends widening spaces at Morse Court and one area of the Playhouse Lot to nine feet. Commission Secretary Pam Crum said the parking spaces in the middle area of the Playhouse Lot currently are just 7.5 feet wide. “I have been stuck three times in there where I have been wedged between two vehicles,” she said at the meeting, held in Town Hall. “I’ve had to wait until cars showed up. One time I climbed from the passenger said—barely snuck in the passenger side, and crawled over the center console to the driver’s side.”

In addition to Crum, those voting in favor of the recommendation included Chair Keith Richey and Commissioners Peter Ogilvie and Chris Hering. 

The change likely would result in the loss of about eight parking spaces, commissioners said.