Affordable Housing Committee finalizes plans for May 19 forum
Other Committee · Meeting of May 11, 2026
New Canaan's Affordable Housing Committee locks in plans for a May 19 public forum on potential housing sites. Meeting Monday, the committee approved its April 13 minutes on a motion from Krista Nielsen, seconded by Jane Williams. Nielsen outlined a forum format at the Lawson Center: a 30-minute presentation, a 15-minute break, then 45 minutes of breakout groups discussing sites developed with architecture firm Amenta Emma, saying the committee will stay "at, I would say, 30,000 feet" on detail.
Williams reported outreach through the town website, Facebook, Instagram and the First Selectman's newsletter, with member Hillary Ormond contacting local outlets. The room holds 80 people; a recent Planning and Zoning forum drew 45. The committee has not yet designated a point person to field public emails.
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Source: the Other Committee meeting of May 11, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
The Full Article
NEW CANAAN — May 11, 2026 — The New Canaan Affordable Housing Committee approved its April meeting minutes and finished preparations for a May 19 public forum where residents will review potential sites for a town affordable housing project.
Meeting Monday night, the committee heard a detailed update from member Krista Nielsen on next steps for the site search, including a matrix comparing candidate sites against evaluation criteria and a resident survey the committee hopes to launch shortly after the forum. Committee members also discussed outreach efforts, including notices to local media and the Republican Town Committee, and agreed to designate a single point of contact to field questions from the public.
The Full Story
The committee opened Monday's meeting with a roll call and approved the minutes of its April 13 meeting on a motion by Nielsen, seconded by member Jane Williams. The bulk of the meeting was devoted to a report from Nielsen on the Project Subcommittee's preparations for a public forum scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 19, at the Lawson Center.
Nielsen said the forum will open with a roughly 30-minute presentation on the committee's site search, followed by a 15-minute break and about 45 minutes of facilitated breakout groups, with results reported back to the full room at the end. Committee members will serve as facilitators for the breakout groups, and Nielsen said the committee may ask other volunteers to help staff tables if turnout is high. The presentation will be developed with the architecture firm Amenta Emma, which has been asked to bring boards illustrating site design concepts for attendees who want more detail than the main presentation will offer.
"We're kind of staying at, I would say, 30,000 feet, maybe 20,000 feet, throughout most of the presentation," Nielsen said of the forum's level of detail.
Committee members also detailed a broader public outreach push ahead of the event. Williams said information about the forum has gone out through the town website, Facebook, Instagram and the town calendar, and is expected to appear in the First Selectman's newsletter this week. Member Hillary Ormond, according to Williams, has been contacting the New Canaan Sentinel, the New Canaanite and New Canaan Moms about coverage, and Nielsen said she personally notified the Republican Town Committee and distributed flyers around town.
"I think we're in pretty good shape," Williams said of the outreach effort.
Nielsen told the committee she has requested the Lawson Center room starting at 6 p.m., an hour before the forum begins, to allow time for setup, and said the planning department has agreed to help with refreshments, supplies and printing. She also said she is preparing a follow-up resident survey that mirrors the questions posed at the forum, which she hopes to post online the day after the event, though she cautioned that timeline depends on the committee reaching agreement on the survey's content.
Committee members discussed how to handle inquiries from the public after receiving an email question from a resident earlier in the day. Nielsen said she had already referred that resident to the Housing Authority's website, which lists contacts for each of its affordable housing sites. The committee agreed to designate a point person to respond to future public emails rather than have multiple members respond separately, with further discussion planned for later in the week.
Members also weighed how to prepare for uncertain turnout at the forum, noting the room holds 80 people and that a recent Planning and Zoning Commission forum on zoning regulations drew 45 attendees. One committee member said the group is not concerned about being overwhelmed but wants a plan to collect names and contact information if the room fills up. No members reported any update from the committee's finance subcommittee, which has not met recently. No members of the public were present to offer comment, and the meeting adjourned on a motion by member Maria Weingarten.
Why It Matters
The May 19 forum marks the first major opportunity for New Canaan residents to weigh in directly on specific sites and design concepts under consideration for an affordable housing development, following months of behind-the-scenes work by the committee and architecture firm Amenta Emma. The committee's plan to launch a follow-up survey shortly after the forum suggests the site selection process is moving toward a narrower set of options in the coming months.
Residents who cannot attend the May 19 session at the Lawson Center will still be able to weigh in through the planned online survey and by submitting questions through the committee's public email address, which the committee is working to staff more consistently going forward.
Key Motions & Votes
- Vote: Approval of the April 13, 2026 meeting minutes Tally: Approved unanimously
- Vote: Motion to adjourn the meeting Tally: Approved unanimously
Source
Town Of New Canaan: Affordable Housing Committee meeting, May 11, 2026