Commission approves Weed Street, moves to deny Parade Hill project

Planning and Zoning · Meeting of May 26, 2026

New Canaan Planning and Zoning approves 102-unit Weed Street project, moves to deny a second 14-unit affordable housing plan. Commissioners voted 8-1 Tuesday, with John Engel dissenting, to approve the court-ordered 751 Weed Street development after a Connecticut Superior Court remand dated July 1, 2025. Separately, the commission reached unanimous straw-poll consensus to deny a 14-unit Garden Homes Fund project at 30 Parade Hill Road, with Commissioner Eric Nolles arguing the developer's sales-tax exemption and five-of-14 vouchered units don't satisfy the state's 8-30g "assisted housing" moratorium exemption.

Applicant Richard Freriedman called the project "100 percent affordable from conception to completion." A formal denial vote is expected June 23. The commission also unanimously approved banners at 63 Park Street and an accessible addition at First Presbyterian Church's 1880 Bliss House.

In the full story:

• The complete report — 896 words

Source: the Planning and Zoning meeting of May 26, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

The Full Article

NEW CANAAN — May 26, 2026 — The Planning and Zoning Commission voted 8-1 Tuesday to approve a court-ordered 102-unit development at 751 Weed Street, closing out a four-year legal fight, while signaling in a separate hearing that it intends to deny a 14-unit affordable housing project on Parade Hill Road.

Chairman Dan Radman presided over a five-application agenda that also included unanimous approvals for exhibition banners at a Park Street museum, a handicap-accessible addition to a historic Presbyterian Church building, and a swimming pool on Smith Ridge Road. The commission reached a unanimous straw-poll consensus to draft a formal denial of the Parade Hill Road proposal, with a final vote expected June 23.

The Full Story

The commission's vote on 751 Weed Street followed a Connecticut Superior Court memorandum of decision dated July 1, 2025, that remanded the matter back to the commission with instructions to approve it. Town Planner Sarah Kerry told commissioners the applicant had removed a previously proposed sidewalk connection to Kimberly Place and relocated a sewer connection through a private easement at 313 Elm Street, both changes ordered by the court, along with an updated stormwater drainage design. The panel approved the 102-unit building and an accompanying rezoning to a Transit-Oriented Multifamily Zone without discussion or public comment, as directed by the court. Commissioner John Engel cast the lone dissenting vote.

"It's just unfortunate that an acceptable compromise was not able to be met," Radman said, describing the vote as "an incredibly hard vote and decision" following what he called "four years of agony" over 8-30g applications in town.

Separately, the commission spent much of the night on 30 Parade Hill Road, a proposed 14-unit building from the nonprofit Garden Homes Fund that would set aside five units for tenant-based housing vouchers. Attorney Amy Sugins and Garden Homes representatives Richard Freriedman and Brian Daly fielded extensive questioning on parking, after the chairman of the New Canaan Housing Authority wrote that a comparable 110-unit development the authority operates has no spare parking capacity most nights. Freriedman's team argued the 16 proposed spaces, paired with a one-car-per-unit lease restriction, were adequate.

Commissioners ultimately focused less on parking than on whether the project legally qualifies for an exemption from the state's affordable-housing moratorium under Connecticut General Statutes 8-30g. Commissioner Eric Nolles argued the developer's sales-tax exemption does not constitute "government funds" under the statute's legislative history, and that only five of 14 units carry a government-backed voucher rather than the full building. Commissioner Kristen Nielsen added that the arrangement lacks an ongoing governmental partner with enforcement authority. Town Attorney Nick, participating by phone, recommended a denial resolution built around those points rather than site-safety concerns.

"I commend what Mr. Freriedman and his organization are doing," Nolles said, "but taking out taxpayer money as equity and then taking on debt to basically site-specific affordable housing, while it's a good tool, it shouldn't be the only tool."

Freriedman, in a closing statement, said the project carries no financial motive for his family's company. "There is no ulterior motive behind this project," he said. "It is 100 percent affordable from conception to completion." The applicant agreed to extend the commission's deliberation deadline to June 23.

Earlier in the meeting, the commission unanimously approved a site plan allowing the Onero Foundation to hang two 8-by-4-foot exhibition banners at 63 Park Street, and a special permit allowing First Presbyterian Church to build a 500-square-foot accessible ramp and bathroom addition connecting to its historic Bliss House, built around 1880. Commissioner Eric Nolles recused himself from the church vote. The commission also approved a pool and patio at 1313 Smith Ridge Road and told town staff that flat-roofed attic spaces do not qualify for the zoning code's "half story" exemption, which the regulations illustrate only with sloped roofs.

Why It Matters

The Weed Street vote adds 102 units near downtown and the train station after years of litigation the town ultimately lost. The Parade Hill Road case will test how New Canaan interprets "assisted housing" under the state's 8-30g moratorium exemption, a legal question with no clear court precedent. If the commission formally denies the project June 23, Garden Homes Fund could appeal to state court, as happened with Weed Street, extending a fight over how small-scale affordable housing developments qualify for zoning relief in single-family neighborhoods.

Key Motions & Votes

- Vote: Site plan approval for two exhibition banners at 63 Park Street (Onero Foundation) Tally: For: 9, Against: 0, Abstain: 0, Total: 9

- Vote: Special permit for historic designation and 500-square-foot coverage increase at 178 Owenoke Ridge (First Presbyterian Church) Tally: For: 9, Against: 0, Total: 9 (Commissioner Nolles recused)

- Vote: Special permit for pool and patio at 1313 Smith Ridge Road Tally: For: 9, Against: 0, Abstain: 0, Total: 9

• Action: Straw poll consensus to draft a resolution denying the 30 Parade Hill Road 14-unit development — Continued to June 23, 2026, for formal vote

- Vote: Court-ordered approval of 102-unit development and rezoning at 751 Weed Street Tally: For: 8, Against: 1, Abstain: 0, Total: 9

- Vote: Grace Farms summer court schedule, June 1-Aug. 31, 2026 Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: April 28, 2026 meeting minutes Tally: Approved unanimously

Source

Town Of New Canaan: Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, May 26, 2026