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Council pauses consideration of expanded parking meters after merchants object
Summary
After hearing merchant opposition and legal/process questions, the council agreed to pause any expansion of on-street parking meters outside Elm Street and ask the parking commission and town attorney for additional analysis and a written opinion.
The New Canaan Town Council on April 14 agreed to pause further consideration of expanding on-street parking meters beyond Elm Street, citing merchant opposition and requests for more data and a legal review.
Multiple council members said they had received strong, recent feedback from downtown merchants that installing meters on additional streets could harm local businesses. One council member said a merchant may be at risk of going out of business if meters are added without more study. Another member noted the town charter assigns an advisory role to the parking commission and that the council should follow the commission's recommendation and obtain a legal opinion before moving forward.
Councilors asked staff to circulate the town attorney's letter about the parking commission's advisory role; several members recommended monitoring downtown traffic and parking behavior through the summer and re-evaluating with data in the fall or ahead of next year's budget discussions. No formal vote was recorded to change policy; members described the action as a pause and a request for additional analysis.
