New Canaan housing panel finalizes May 19 workshop plans
Other Committee · Meeting of April 29, 2026
New Canaan housing panel preps outreach ahead of May 19 public forum on affordable-housing sites. The Affordable Housing Committee's Project Development Subcommittee, meeting April 29 with committee Chairman Chris Wilson in attendance, fine-tuned a press release, an FAQ webpage and a slide presentation for a May 19 workshop on four town-owned parking lots eyed for affordable housing: Richmond Hill (18 to 20 units), Morse Court (about 30 units), Locust Avenue (74 to 89 units) and the Lumberyard (128 to 165 units, with a possible 500-car garage). Presenter Kristen Nielsen said the panel needs roughly 150 "Q points," or about 60 to 75 units, to support a third moratorium application under Connecticut's 8-30g law before the current moratorium expires in 2028.
Members approved their April 15 minutes and agreed against livestreaming the May 19 presentation over Zoom.
In the full story:
- The complete report — 728 words
Source: the Other Committee meeting of April 29, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
The Full Article
NEW CANAAN — April 29, 2026 — The New Canaan Affordable Housing Committee's Project Development Subcommittee used a special meeting to fine-tune outreach materials and rehearse a slide presentation ahead of a May 19 public workshop on four town-owned parking lots being studied for affordable housing.
Subcommittee members reviewed a draft press release and a frequently-asked-questions webpage meant to clarify that the panel has no role in pending litigation or applications under Connecticut's affordable-housing statute, known as 8-30g. They also walked through a slide deck covering four sites under consideration, which could hold anywhere from 18 to 165 units depending on the location.
The Full Story
Subcommittee member Kristen Nielsen led members through a draft presentation identifying four town-owned sites for possible affordable housing: the Richmond Hill parking lot, which could support 18 to 20 units; Morse Court, roughly 30 units; Locust Avenue, 74 to 89 units; and the Lumberyard lot, the largest site, which could carry 128 to 165 units alongside a parking deck of up to 500 spaces. Nielsen said the committee narrowed an original field of seven town- and state-owned parcels down to a short list after town staff scored each site on criteria including public ownership, sewer access, walkability and potential environmental impact.
Members discussed the town's standing under 8-30g, which allows developers to bypass local zoning in municipalities where less than 10 percent of housing stock is deed-restricted affordable. New Canaan is operating under its second moratorium from that process, which runs through 2028, and the subcommittee is working toward a third moratorium application intended to cover 2028 through 2032. Nielsen said the town needs roughly 150 "Q points," a state-defined scoring measure, equivalent to about 60 to 75 additional units, to qualify for that next moratorium, while reaching the full 10 percent affordability threshold townwide would require significantly more units.
Much of the meeting centered on getting the word out. Members discussed sending the press release to the New Canaanite and the New Canaan Sentinel in time for publication around May 8, ahead of a May 19 workshop, and coordinating with the town's communications director, identified in the meeting only as Tucker, to post the FAQ page to the town website by roughly May 6. Members also discussed posting to the New Canaan Moms Facebook group and other town-run social media accounts.
The subcommittee modeled the format of its May 19 workshop on a recent Planning and Zoning Commission public session, planning roughly 30 minutes of presentation, a 15-minute break with refreshments, and 45 minutes of breakout discussion at six to eight tables, followed by report-outs from each group. Members agreed against livestreaming or recording the presentation live over Zoom, opting instead to consider posting a separately recorded version of the slides afterward. Amenta Emma, the architecture firm working with the committee, is expected to have representatives identified in the meeting as Miles and Jeremy available during the break to answer detailed design questions.
Members spent significant time revising FAQ language to state plainly that the subcommittee has no involvement in current or pending 8-30g litigation or applications, following what one member referred to as "today's letter" raising public concern about the committee's role.
"I don't need it to be the Kristen Nielsen show, and I'm not sure it should be the Kristen Nielsen show." — Kristen Nielsen, subcommittee member
Why It Matters
New Canaan is under pressure to add affordable units before its current 8-30g moratorium expires in 2028, and the four town-owned sites discussed Wednesday represent the town's main options for meeting that threshold through town-built, permanently affordable housing rather than private 8-30g development. The May 19 public workshop, followed by an online survey, will shape which site or combination of sites the subcommittee recommends to the Board of Selectmen. The Lumberyard lot, the largest option, could alone support up to two moratorium cycles but was also described by members as a potential candidate for a broader downtown master-planning process, meaning its final use remains unsettled.
Key Motions & Votes
- Vote: Approval of the April 15, 2026 meeting minutes Tally: Approved unanimously
No other formal votes were taken at this meeting; the session was a working discussion of outreach materials and a presentation draft.
Source
Town Of New Canaan: Affordable Housing Committee Project Development Subcommittee meeting, April 29, 2026