Wetlands panel backs Waveny hearing, offers charter feedback

Other Committee · Meeting of January 26, 2026

New Canaan's Inland Wetlands Commission set a February 23 public hearing on removing 50 Norway maples from Waveny Park and used a joint session with the Charter Revision Commission to push for clearer charter language. Chair Angela Jameson said current charter text omits key details, like the first selectman's ex officio tie-breaking vote, that exist only in an older town ordinance. Members unanimously backed a hearing on application 25-53677, covering tree removal, native replanting and new footpaths near Anderson Pond.

Commissioner Beth Sanford said "I don't even see how a political party influences how we vote," backing a proposal to cap any party at a bare majority of seats. The commission declined a $3,000 website chatbot, with Jameson saying, "We're not doing it," and approved the December 15 minutes unanimously.

In the full story:

• The complete report — 900 words

Source: the Other Committee meeting of January 26, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

The Full Article

NEW CANAAN — January 26, 2026 — The New Canaan Inland Wetlands Commission spent the first half of Monday's meeting advising the Charter Revision Commission on how the 10-year-old charter language governing the commission could be clarified, then convened its own regular meeting, where it voted unanimously to schedule a public hearing on a Waveny Park tree removal project.

Commission Chair Angela Jameson led members through a joint session with Charter Revision Commission Group One before gaveling in the panel's own business, which included unanimous approval of the December 15 minutes, an agent's report on two administrative permits issued in December, and a lengthy discussion of how to raise public awareness of wetlands regulations, including a proposed website chatbot the commission decided not to pursue because of cost.

The Full Story

Charter Revision Commission Group One, meeting virtually and led by a chair addressed during the session as Mr. Lee, invited the Inland Wetlands Commission to comment on how the town charter treats the panel, which was first written into the charter a decade ago. Jameson told the charter panel she supports keeping the commission in the charter but said the document does not spell out that the first selectman sits as an ex officio member with a tie-breaking vote, or that the town engineer sits ex officio without a vote, details that currently exist only in a separate, older town ordinance. She also flagged a conflict between the charter and the ordinance over whether a commissioner who holds a state government position may serve.

Commissioner Sandy Redden and a commissioner identified during the discussion only as Dan, who said he has served on the commission more than 30 years, both raised the commission's size, currently seven regular seats plus two alternates, as an obstacle to recruiting volunteers. Jameson countered with a separate proposal: barring any single political party from holding more than a bare majority of seats on any town board or commission, up from the current cap of five of seven. Commissioner Beth Sanford said she supported the change, noting that after four years on the commission she has never seen party affiliation affect a vote. All members who spoke, including Dan and Redden, said they preferred the commission remain appointed rather than elected, citing the cost and time of running campaigns. Members also discussed lengthening two-year terms to four years and creating a non-voting junior seat for high school students, an idea commission staff director Kathleen Holland said already has a basis in the charter.

After the charter panel logged off, Jameson called the commission's regular meeting to order at 7:40 p.m. Members approved the agenda and the December 15 minutes unanimously and reported no new wetlands applications pending. The commission voted unanimously to reschedule a site visit to Waveny Park, previously postponed by snow, to February 18. Members then voted unanimously to hold a public hearing at their February 23 meeting on application 25-53677, a request from the Waveny Park Conservancy to remove roughly 50 Norway maple trees ten inches or larger in diameter near Anderson Pond and replant native species in spring 2026, along with new stone steps and footpaths. Holland reported she issued two administrative wetlands permits in December for pool-related construction projects.

Members also continued a December discussion on informing residents about wetlands rules. Redden reported that adding a chatbot to the town website would cost $3,000 up front plus about $3,000 annually, and that only one of eight surveyed Fairfield County towns, Greenwich, currently offers one. Jameson said the commission would not pursue it. Holland told members a January 13 presentation to about 50 real estate agents at Town Hall went well and generated several follow-up inquiries about wetlands on specific properties. Dan said he is researching outreach practices in other Connecticut towns and plans to report back at the March meeting.

"I think that including a commission like the inland wetlands commission in the town charter is a good thing." — Angela Jameson, Chair, Inland Wetlands Commission

"I don't even see how a political party influences how we vote. We work as a team." — Beth Sanford, Inland Wetlands Commission member

"We're not doing it." — Angela Jameson, Chair, Inland Wetlands Commission, on pursuing a website chatbot

Why It Matters

The Waveny Park public hearing, set for February 23, gives residents a formal chance to weigh in before the commission decides on removing roughly 50 mature Norway maples from the town's largest park. The charter feedback, meanwhile, feeds directly into the Charter Revision Commission's report to the Town Council, which could eventually put proposed changes, including altered political-party balance rules for boards and commissions and longer commission terms, before voters at the next general election.

Key Motions & Votes

- Action: Charter Revision Commission Group One review of prior meeting minutes — Continued to next regular meeting - Vote: Inland Wetlands Commission January 26 meeting agenda Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Approval of December 15, 2025 Inland Wetlands Commission minutes Tally: Approved unanimously - Action: Waveny Park site visit, previously postponed for snow — Continued to February 18, 2026 - Vote: Scheduling a public hearing on application 25-53677 (Waveny Park tree removal) for the February 23, 2026 meeting Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Motion to adjourn Tally: Approved unanimously

Source

Town Of New Canaan: Inland Wetlands Commission meeting, January 26, 2026