Billy MacLeod

‘Something Is Not Adding Up’: Owner of New Canaan Valet Seeks Clear Answer on Forest Street Proposal

By |

The Police Commission at its most recent meeting put off a yes-or-no vote on a proposal from a New Canaan business owner seeking to operate a valet stand on Forest Street on weekend nights for a trial run, saying there could be legal reasons for denying the request. 

Commission Chair Paul Foley during the appointed body’s Oct. 20 meeting that he’s uncomfortable with the idea of “giving up public parking spaces to a private company.”

“I can’t go along with this, because I cannot give up public parking spaces on our street to a private business,” Foley said during the meeting, held at police headquarters and via videoconference. “I think it works great at a Roger Sherman Inn. I think it works great at a private party, and I think it works great in a parking lot where you have a restaurant and a private parking lot, if you will, at a mall or something where you pull up, you get out of your car and they valet your car. Or you pull up to a hotel, they valet your car.

Footer Featured Widget

Consultant To Study Traffic at Main and Cherry 

By |

Police say they’re working toward solving a longstanding traffic problem in downtown New Canaan. The town has hired a traffic engineer to find a way to keep vehicles moving at Cherry and Main Streets, where motorists seeking to turn left often are held up for multiple light cycles, according to New Canaan Police Deputy Chief John DiFederico. 

“If you travel through during the daytime, if you’re on Cherry Street turning left in either direction onto Main Street, it’s quite likely you’ll get caught in several cycles of the light,” DiFederico told members of the Police Commission during their regular meeting, held Oct. 20 at NCPD headquarters and via videoconference. 

“And so the timing is off. There’s no quick resolution because a lot of that traffic delay is due to pedestrian traffic. Someone comes along, pushes the button, it goes four-way red and then traffic backs up.

Government

Police Commission Chair Vows To Support Homeowner Seeking Wider Curb Cut for Driveway

By |

The chair of the Police Commission said last week that he would sign a letter to the state supporting a New Canaan homeowner’s bid to widen their curb cut along Route 123 by about 30%. 

As it is, the driveway at 507 Smith Ridge Road is 26 feet wide at the curb cut, or four feet wider than what the state Department of Transportation would normally allow, a representative of the homeowner told members of the Police Commission at their Oct. 20 meeting. Saying that traffic on the busy north-south artery often exceeds the posted speed limit, the homeowner is seeking to widen the driveway by eight feet more, to 34 feet total, landscape architect Allan Broadbent said during the meeting, held at New Canaan Police Department headquarters as well as via videoconference. 

Broadbent said his client purchased the property earlier this year “and within several weeks had a few near-misses of almost getting rear-ended.”

“You all know how it is to drive on Smith Ridge,” Broadbent said. “Traffic flies, and so you have to really slam on your brakes to get into the driveway. So I was hired as landscape architect to investigate if we could make that safer.

Billy MacLeod

Local Couple Seeks To Establish ‘New Canaan Valet Services’ Downtown

By |

Municipal officials said last week that they need more information in order to green-light a proposal to set aside some parking spaces in downtown New Canaan for valet services on Friday and Saturday nights. Town resident Billy MacLeod told members of the Police Commission during their regular meeting Sept. 15 that he conceived of New Canaan Valet Services when his disabled 82-year-old mother during two separate visits was unable to find parking in the business district. Stations set up on Main, Elm and Forest Streets would offer to valet-park vehicles with certified disabled placards for free, while also making it more convenient for seniors to enjoy the downtown and improving traffic flow at areas that see frequent double-parking due to a lack of available spaces, MacLeod said during the meeting, held via videoconference. 

“We are just trying to solve problem and willing work with town any way you need us to to make sure that it works for you and it works for the residents,” said MacLeod, a U.S. Navy veteran who has managed valet companies in the past. He added that the local restaurateurs he talked to have said they would validate the $10 valet parking fee for customers—essentially covering the cost for patrons of New Canaan businesses.