[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6138921,"mediaKeyId","5581905-47f798b5378581e06b988061fd791f72","parentId",5581905,"title","New Canaan committee to send letter to legislators, urges attention to HB 5002's economic impact","audioSeconds",1810,"startMs",1120000,"endMs",2930000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5581905-47f798b5378581e06b988061fd791f72&start=1120&end=2930","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5581905-47f798b5378581e06b988061fd791f72/thumbnail_1120000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6138921/Connecticut/New-Canaan-committee-to-send-letter-to-legislators-urges-attention-to-HB-5002s-economic-impact","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6138921-44e33496fdd577f895bedc69731ccad7/orig.mp4?Expires=1770764549&Signature=Lo1rYop2ZiUJpk0P6deRFQmiIarOvT-kg~4FVTV4Tzt1vineoJoSSt8pfWh41d0QQRJgtBnhW0fxdMp5wvfYyoGrBV9~Ts84~j0coIJYK~KoQDd6vPWM1N~L1ZaUoJVgOeCUP4NcvUvr2KFf~rIza5G9WjIomGSg3h4OwmMjcdTjlQZNY2AqoLtTLF4zVzizC9yqowV1Os9spLjpLCq2i6Tzb1vuL-uNJozEzQF7hWTqZh3-SHo8Qc~NvBUERBCLzfiSWMdv4-1gnO0uviakZiD74pymEgL8UgvISAsx1nb~lOeYUgtJHVTq0B3XiEcWvUjh-l~KaFRu9SA3yGoClQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","New Canaan, CT","date","2025-08-12T12:25:41Z","article","The New Canaan Affordable Housing Committee agreed to circulate a letter to state legislators describing the town's affordable-housing efforts and urging careful treatment of the recently debated HB 5002. Committee members asked that the letter include a specific example: the bill's fair-share allocation, which the group said would have required about 82% of assigned units for residents earning less than $30,000, a level the committee described as unlikely to be built without significant state subsidies.

Maria, Affordable Housing Committee member, suggested adding a sentence to the draft letter calling out the fair-share example and the need for state subsidies to make such units viable. \"The fair share allocation would have required 82% of the units for residents earning less than $30,000,\" Maria said during the discussion; committee members proposed adding a follow-up sentence that states this would be impossible without substantial funding.

Committee members debated whether the letter should also address zoning details such as middle housing and B-res regulations. Chris, Affordable Housing Committee member, said the town has a substantial stock of small multifamily and attached townhome units and is preparing zoning updates tied to the town's Plan of Conservation and Development. Members agreed to keep the current letter focused on the committee's accomplishments and concerns about HB 5002 and to consider a separate, more technical follow-up letter on the bill's economic assumptions.

Several members emphasized economic feasibility. One committee member summarized the objection: at deep affordability levels proposed in the bill, the rent would not generate sufficient net operating income to finance construction without subsidy or voucher support; the committee said that absent clear funding pathways, those units will not be built.

The committee decided to circulate the draft after edits and gather signatures from members not present. The committee did not record a formal roll-call vote on the letter; members on the call verbally indicated support and planned to finalize the text and collect remaining signatures.

Committee directions: edit the draft to add the fair-share example and an explicit statement that the specified deep-affordability levels would be infeasible without state funding; consider scheduling a separate, technical follow-up meeting or memo focused on the bill's economic implications, potentially with input from staff or local housing finance experts.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","New Canaan Affordable Housing Committee August 11, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The New Canaan Affordable Housing Committee agreed to circulate a legislative letter that highlights the town's housing work and urges lawmakers to address the economic feasibility of provisions in HB 5002.","taxTitle","New Canaan, Fairfield, Connecticut","taxId",57946,"location","Connecticut","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6138926,"New Canaan committee approves consultant contract to study three town-owned sites for affordable housing",0,2544000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5581905-47f798b5378581e06b988061fd791f72&start=2544&end=2544","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5581905-47f798b5378581e06b988061fd791f72/thumbnail_2544000.jpg","/articles/6138926/Connecticut/New-Canaan-committee-approves-consultant-contract-to-study-three-town-owned-sites-for-affordable-housing","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6138926-7aff5fdbc21a2b9b6c1a276c4312427b/orig.mp4?Expires=1770764549&Signature=GNoW~qzuzHvCcQmJUPt6w2q7f16GVAQm0TML1D2iHdWuQ8No8Y6Qa0QTkHhQpQ-QwvFn~XpgQLEc8IrD53ncyTj1sMU5OtbUABWxix4flnh3k9S5584--OYxiQkUQxQasYT2J8AP1vXHVXt8D0rqrEruwoZzIbfHg3pjG3JSQWeSGUrK3OY-krkN5tTvHcaRf-6fZBid1dU1iKPWvcdtwer8WGl4TmDR3WuF-V1RqA4WrYwnPKFSFiitEmFqBs5VYEMQ2Uo2PwReKeNgeC4~viNephdgyb~G-HU7LWeleIxRjLnyMSgIQgOZC8zwnGs4PqgPc3W38RNaBK4M35CuIA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The New Canaan Affordable Housing Committee voted unanimously to approve a consultant contract with architectural firm Amenta Emma to study three town-owned sites for possible affordable housing development. Christa, Affordable Housing Committee member, said she will present the committee's support to the Board of Selectmen at its Aug. 19 meeting.

The contract directs Amenta Emma to perform site visits, document base conditions (topography and context), estimate a maximum residential unit count under different parking and massing configurations, and produce simple three-dimensional massing for one preferred option if the committee narrows to a single site. \"I'm happy to answer any questions,\" Christa said, describing the firm as familiar with New Canaan and affordable housing projects.

Committee members focused much of their discussion on the Lumberyard lot, saying its larger size could support a greater number of units and possibly a mixed-use redevelopment. Chris, Affordable Housing Committee member, urged that the consultant's first-phase work be narrow and focused on yield and immediate feasibility, while acknowledging the town may later pursue a small-area plan or a broader redevelopment process if the Lumberyard emerges as the preferred location. \"If that turns out to be something beyond what we ever expected\u0014we should undertake some sort of planning process to reenvision that end of Elm Street,\" Chris said.

Several members raised schedule and program concerns. The committee discussed an internal target of roughly 75 to 80 units as a near-term need and noted a larger metric the committee referenced as \"approximately 150 hue points\" toward a moratorium trigger (term used in meeting discussion). Members warned that a more complex mixed-use master‑planning process on the Lumberyard could delay delivery past the committee's stated 2032 target for completed units: \"You could easily spend four years master planning that site, and you're not gonna have any units CO'd by 2032,\" one member said.

Committee members asked the consultant to assume no net loss of commuter parking where applicable and to report how parking requirements affect unit yield. Christa said the contract will estimate the maximum residential unit count while maintaining commuter parking; the contract does not include detailed architectural design or commercial-tenant analysis.

Formal action: Jane, Affordable Housing Committee member, moved to approve the consultant contract; a second was recorded during the meeting and the motion passed unanimously. The committee recorded unanimous approval and noted staff and Christa will follow up with the Board of Selectmen and with any additional contract steps.

The committee characterized the contract as an initial, limited study meant to identify the \"art of the possible\" for the three sites, not a final design directive. Members said further, site-specific planning, zoning changes or a separate small-area plan could follow depending on the consultant's findings and the town's policy choices.

Questions for follow-up included: the degree to which the Lumberyard study should be considered within a broader Elm Street area plan; how to preserve commuter parking; whether the town should seek to phase development; and what next contracts and public‑process steps would be needed if the Lumberyard or another site is advanced.","The New Canaan Affordable Housing Committee unanimously approved a contract with architectural firm Amenta Emma to analyze three town-owned sites, including the Lumberyard lot, for potential affordable housing capacity and constraints; Christa will present the committee's position to the Board of Selectmen on Aug. 19.","actionData","errors"]

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New Canaan committee to send letter to legislators, urges attention to HB 5002's economic impact

New Canaan committee approves consultant contract to study three town-owned sites for affordable housing