Around Town
New Canaan Field Club, Neighbors at Odds over Proposed Building Expansion
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New Canaan Field Club officials and neighbors of the 11-acre property are at odds about what impact a proposed building expansion will have on noise, visibility and real estate values in the area of Glen Drive and Smith Ridge Road. Opponents of the pool pavilion expansion say the project fails to meet criteria for a Special Permit in the one-acre zone since the structure’s footprint and height would increase significantly—by 85 percent and 12-15 feet, respectively—and new areas within the building indicate a change in use. The opposing neighbors also say that the club hasn’t indicated what new activities will take place there post-expansion. Advocates for the project—including New Canaan attorney David Rucci, who presented the club’s request for a Special Permit—say no new use is planned, just a sorely needed update and the ability for the club to hold indoors activities for which it currently lacks the space. Rucci reiterated during Tuesday’s Planning and Zoning Commission meeting that the scope of the expansion is well within regulations and that the club had tried to speak directly to neighbors on Glen Drive concerned mostly about noise.