New Canaan committee outlines town-build and land-bank strategies, seeks $30,000 consultant to evaluate Riverwood conversions

Acting chair (name not specified) convened the New Canaan Affordable Housing Committee on Feb. 10, where Krista Nielsen, chair of the Project Development Subcommittee, outlined two primary strategies to grow the town’s affordable housing supply and recommended a consultant to analyze costs and site feasibility.

Nielsen said the subcommittee has identified two approaches: a “town build” strategy using underused municipal parcels (the top three candidate sites listed were Richmond Hill, Locust Avenue and the Lumberyard parking lot) and a “land bank” approach to acquire or hold property for future conversion. "I think the acquisition of Riverwood was a very strategic and smart move on the part of the town," Nielsen said, adding that the Riverwood (formerly Avalon) purchase bought time but will not by itself guarantee another moratorium without additional acquisitions or new construction.

Nut graf: The group focused on how to meet moratorium thresholds now and through 2032. Nielsen said the town can reach the moratorium set for 2028 using carryover points and planned conversions, but for the 2032 application the town will likely need to convert additional Riverwood units or acquire/build more units. The subcommittee recommended funding a consultant (estimated at about $30,000) to analyze the “Goldilocks” number of Riverwood units to convert, site feasibility for town‑led projects, and a land‑bank acquisition framework.

Nielsen summarized the current moratorium path: carryover points from prior projects plus conversion of 15–20 units at Riverwood could yield the roughly 151 points the subcommittee said are needed for the moratorium through August 2028. She noted that census adjustments and litigation over other 8-30g projects could change future point requirements. "That number might change slightly," she said of the moratorium threshold, citing the town’s built‑out status.

On the town‑build option, Nielsen said the subcommittee surveyed town‑owned and state‑owned parcels and privately owned sites larger than five acres, applying draft site criteria that included sewer availability and walkable amenities. The top candidates are largely underused municipal parking lots, she said, but the committee lacks technical capacity to perform deeper due‑diligence work such as title history, deed restrictions, infrastructure capacity and conceptual design. Nielsen said the subcommittee would want rough cost estimates and conceptual drawings to assess whether sites are better suited to all‑affordable projects or mixed‑income development.

For the land‑bank approach, Nielsen said the town would need clearer acquisition criteria (for example, tax‑foreclosed properties, naturally occurring affordable housing, commercial conversions, or buying down units in multi‑family buildings) and an entity to hold and manage properties. The subcommittee discussed creating an interactive priority map and establishing policies for when the town would convert, hold, or dispose of banked parcels.

On cost and timing, Nielsen and committee members agreed the finance subcommittee should build a financial model for Riverwood conversions. "It's not free," said Maria Weingarten (committee member), noting conversions or buy‑downs will require subsidy; the group discussed modeling debt service, loss of market rent, and per‑unit subsidy scenarios. The Burdis Street project — now under construction — was mentioned as adding roughly three affordable units under the town’s Inclusionary Zoning Policy; the subcommittee said those units would contribute 3–4.5 points depending on tenure and income targeting.

Nielsen recommended that the committee ask the Board of Selectmen to authorize hiring a consultant to refine both strategies and to analyze Riverwood conversion scenarios; she suggested a ballpark budget of $30,000 to start. "I think $30,000 would be a good number to get us started," Nielsen said, adding that the figure came from sampling scopes posted on a state planners listserv and similar engagements.

Amy (Board of Selectmen member) advised how to proceed through the town’s budget process: the Board of Selectmen has finalized its budget take and the committee should present a specific request to the Board of Finance, which can add items before the town council reviews the budget. Amy also noted that contracts under $50,000 can often be approved without bonding and may be handled as operating rather than capital expenditures.

No formal vote was taken on hiring a consultant during the meeting; the committee agreed to draft a funding request and submit it to the first selectman and the Board of Finance in the coming days to meet upcoming budget review dates. Acting chair said the committee will prepare the request and copy selectmen; Krista Nielsen and staff planned to circulate the subcommittee presentation and to pursue a more detailed cost model ahead of the committee’s next meeting.

Votes at a glance: - Approval of minutes (Nov. 11): motion by Krista Nielsen; second by Hillary Ormond; outcome: approved (no roll‑call tally recorded in the transcript). - Adjournment: motion by Michael Sweeney; second by Hillary Ormond; outcome: approved (no roll‑call tally recorded in the transcript).

Ending: The committee agreed to keep its second‑Monday monthly cadence for 2025 and to publish a meeting schedule; members said monthly meetings can be canceled if no agenda items appear. Krista Nielsen and staff will prepare the consultant request and supporting materials for the Board of Finance review this month.