The New Canaan Affordable Housing Committee on Dec. 8 advanced planning steps for three candidate sites and discussed outreach, parking protections and the town's strategy to secure a future moratorium.

Krista Nielsen, lead of the project subcommittee, said consultants Amenta Emma completed site walks and will return with two schematic site plans for each of the three parking-lot parcels under study. "They've done their homework," she said, and the subcommittee will meet in January to review preliminary proposals before any public rollout.

Nielsen proposed a combined outreach approach: an online survey presenting alternatives and one or two town-hall sessions for live Q&A. Committee members urged careful question drafting to avoid leading respondents and recommended supplementing the survey with in-person sessions to reach less internet-savvy residents.

Scott Hobbs, introduced as head of the town's housing authority, told members the authority has converted 21 units at Riverwood to 80% AMI and reported occupancy back in the mid-90s. He estimated an additional conversion effort to reach moratorium-related targets would cost approximately $6$8 million, depending on bond-financing details and the number of units. "We may need 18 to 20 units at 80% SMI from Riverwood," Hobbs said, and noted limits on what the local affordable-housing trust fund can legally buy.

On site design, the committee told consultants they must preserve every existing parking space at the study sites and plan for roughly 1.5 resident spaces per proposed unit in addition to retained public or commuter spaces. Members repeatedly raised the Lumberyard parcel as politically sensitive and urged that outreach emphasize that the consultant work shows "what's possible," not a formal recommendation.

Budget and next steps: committee members agreed to flag likely budget needs to the board of selectmen in the next budget cycle and to coordinate with WestCOG and Town Counsel on moratorium planning. Krista will circulate a proposed schedule and the subcommittee will set a January meeting date to review consultant materials.

Votes at a glance: the committee approved the Oct. 20 minutes by motion (motion moved and seconded; recorded Aye) and later adjourned on a motion from Hilary Armond, seconded by Maria Weingarten.

Ending: the committee closed with holiday remarks and agreed to reconvene for a January subcommittee review of the Amenta Emma site work and a follow-up discussion after the Jan. 26 library preview.