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Lumberyard schemes could deliver most units but committee flags construction staging and commuter parking as major hurdles
Summary
The subcommittee reviewed three Lumberyard variants that could yield 128–163 units and replace surface parking with decked parking, but staff warned that temporarily relocating commuters during construction would be "nearly impossible," making staging a critical constraint.
At the March 4 meeting, the New Canaan Affordable Housing project development subcommittee focused extensive discussion on the Lumberyard site as the option with the greatest capacity to deliver affordable units.
Krista Nielsen summarized Amenta Emma's layouts: scheme 1 places a large parking garage against the rail line and could consolidate existing commuter parking into a covered structure while enabling phased construction; scheme 2 wraps parking with residential frontage to hide the deck; scheme 3 blends features and reduces density. Depending on the variant, the designs produced estimates ranging from roughly 128 to 163 units in the materials reviewed.
Town staff notes read to the committee (from Stacy and Tucker) highlighted a practical obstacle: current commuter permit counts and daily usage of the Lumberyard lot are high, and staff judged that relocating commuters temporarily during construction would be extremely difficult. Tucker is quoted in staff notes saying there are no reasonable short‑term options to move commuters during construction; the committee discussed a phased approach (building the garage first and then the residential units) as a mitigation tactic but acknowledged this still displaces some parkers temporarily.
Committee members also discussed tradeoffs: the large site allows phasing and design flexibility and may qualify as transit‑oriented development adjacent to the train, but proximity to the rail line raises noise/safety issues for residences and may require coordination with state transportation authorities if station parking is affected. The group flagged potential impacts on nearby uses including 220 Elm Street (board of education leased space), office light access on Pine Street and displacement of the farmers market as items to resolve.
Next steps: the subcommittee instructed staff to get clearer utilization data from permit administrators, to explore phased construction sequencing with the consultant, and to identify potential temporary parking solutions before advancing a public presentation.
