New Canaan panel drops Locust design, adds Morse Court option
Other Committee · Meeting of March 25, 2026
New Canaan's affordable housing subcommittee dropped one Locust Avenue design and eyed adding Morse Court to its public options. Chaired by Kristen Nielsen, the panel reviewed new drawings from architecture firm Amenta Emma showing a Locust Avenue scheme with a 251-space garage wrapped by 74 units, routed entirely through Heritage Hill Road to avoid fire-department objections to Locust Avenue access. A Morse Court concept would add 30 units and 35 parking spaces to the lot's existing 81 spaces.
Member Jeff Williams argued cost figures, based on assumptions of $30,000 per parking space and $550,000 per unit, should be dropped from public materials because "you get what you pay for." The subcommittee approved its March 11 minutes 5-0 with one abstention and is targeting a public meeting the week of May 18, followed by a resident survey.
In the full story:
- The complete report — 913 words
Source: the Other Committee meeting of March 25, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
The Full Article
NEW CANAAN — March 25, 2026 — The Affordable Housing Project Development Subcommittee voted Wednesday to eliminate one of three proposed building layouts for a Locust Avenue affordable housing site and tentatively agreed to add a fourth site, the Morse Court parking lot, to the options it plans to present to the public this spring.
Meeting for a special session, the seven-member subcommittee also approved the minutes of its March 11 meeting, 5-0 with one abstention, and reviewed new architectural sketches and a color-coded comparison chart intended to help residents weigh trade-offs among four potential sites for meeting the town's obligations under Connecticut's 8-30g affordable-housing statute.
The Full Story
Chair Kristen Nielsen opened the meeting by adding an unplanned agenda item: a rundown of feedback the subcommittee received from architecture firm Amenta Emma after its March 11 session with town staff. Nielsen said Amenta Emma recommended the Lumberyard lot as the town's best option for a stand-alone parking garage, one large enough to potentially replace parking now spread across several downtown lots while still leaving room for mixed-use housing on the site.
Amenta Emma also produced new sketches for the long-discussed Morse Court lot, showing an L-shaped, four-story building fronting Main and Cherry streets with about 30 residential units above a two-story parking structure. The plan would replace the lot's current 81 spaces with 116, a ratio of 1.2 spaces per space removed. Members debated whether to include Morse Court as a formal option, citing concerns about additional traffic through an already difficult intersection at Main and Cherry.
"I also feel a little guilty because that was my assignment. It was Morse Court and I didn't fight really hard for it," said Jane Williams, a subcommittee member, noting that walkability consultant Jeff Speck had previously called the site well-suited to housing.
On Locust Avenue, Amenta Emma delivered a third design option showing a 251-space parking garage wrapped on three or four sides by 74 residential units, with all vehicle access routed through Heritage Hill Road rather than Locust Avenue itself, addressing concerns the fire department had raised about additional traffic on Locust. Members agreed unanimously to drop the original Locust design, which relied solely on a Locust Avenue entrance, and to present only the two newer layouts to the public.
Much of the meeting focused on a two-page color-coded chart, compiled by Nielsen, comparing each site against criteria including projected 8-30g housing unit equivalent points, project cost and density. Members debated removing a cost column that listed dollar estimates based on assumptions of $30,000 per parking space and $550,000 per unit, worried the figures would overshadow other trade-offs.
"I think there's a part of this where you should get what you pay for," said Jeff Williams, a subcommittee member, arguing that cost differences mainly reflect project size rather than design quality. The group agreed to remove specific dollar figures from the public-facing chart and instead explain cost assumptions in narrative form during the presentation.
Nielsen also reported that Town Planner Sarah Kerry had calculated development density for each site, finding that Locust Avenue and the Lumberyard site would reach 58 to 67 dwelling units per acre, roughly double the density of the town's existing multifamily developments.
"There isn't a slam dunk here. Each of these has its upsides and its downsides," Nielsen said of the comparison chart, adding that she plans to simplify the two-page document before the next meeting.
The subcommittee outlined a public engagement plan built around a roughly two-hour public meeting targeted for the week of May 18, likely at the Lapham Community Center or the New Canaan Library, followed by an online survey using the town's SurveyMonkey account. Members also discussed a pre-meeting outreach push, including a possible podcast appearance and newsletter items from the first selectman's office, to explain the town's 8-30g moratorium requirements before residents are asked to weigh in on specific sites.
The subcommittee set a weekly Wednesday meeting schedule at 7 p.m. beginning April 15 and running through May 13, ahead of the targeted public meeting. No members of the public remained by the time the meeting reached public comment, and the panel adjourned unanimously.
Why It Matters
The subcommittee is trying to identify a site, or combination of sites, that would let New Canaan build enough affordable units to qualify for a four-year moratorium from further 8-30g development applications, the state law that lets developers bypass local zoning in towns below an affordable-housing threshold. The choice affects how much new housing, traffic and parking change in the areas around Locust Avenue, the Lumberyard lot, Richmond Hill and Morse Court.
With a public meeting targeted for the week of May 18 and an online survey to follow, residents will soon get their first formal chance to react to specific building designs rather than general concepts. The subcommittee's April 14 town budget vote will also determine funding available for further outreach and survey work beginning in July.
Key Motions & Votes
- Vote: Approve March 11, 2026 meeting minutes Tally: For: 5, Against: 0, Abstain: 1, Total: 6 - Action: Eliminate original Locust Avenue design (Scheme 1) from public presentation, retain Schemes 2 and 3 — Approved unanimously - Action: Remove specific dollar-cost figures from public comparison chart, address cost narratively instead — Approved unanimously - Vote: Adjourn meeting Tally: Approved unanimously
Source
Town Of New Canaan: Affordable Housing Project Development Subcommittee meeting, March 25, 2026