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Planning & Zoning sets public workshop April 21 to preview zoning regulation updates
Summary
New Canaan's Planning & Zoning Commission and consultants said they will post draft redlines and the workshop presentation online before the April 21 public workshop, which will include a 30‑minute presentation and table‑based breakout sessions on business zoning, parking and inclusionary housing ahead of a June 2 public hearing.
The New Canaan Planning & Zoning Commission on April 9 outlined a public engagement plan for proposed zoning regulation updates and asked staff and consultants to post draft redline text and presentation materials online in the days before a workshop scheduled for April 21 at the Lavam Community Center. The commission scheduled a debrief for May 12 and a formal public hearing on the proposal for June 2.
Consultants from BFJ and town staff described a workshop format that will begin with about a 30‑minute plenary presentation and then move to roundtable discussions. Staff recommended at least six tables with a notetaker and a volunteer spokesperson at each table; commissioners agreed to preassign topics so elected members can prepare. Materials that are technical in nature will be made available as handouts at the workshop and posted online to give residents time to review them in advance.
Why this matters: the draft revisions consolidate business/retail zoning categories, update area and bulk standards including a proposed downtown height alignment, revise parking requirements consistent with national guidance, and implement state‑mandated middle‑housing provisions. Consultants stressed plain‑English framing for the public presentation and a short slide that explains in clear terms why the town is proposing each change.
Staff and consultants also explained how members of the public can participate: the project website will host redline text and a Google Q&A form (linked from a QR code shown at the workshop). Staff said periodic answers to submitted questions will be posted online between the workshop and the June hearing. The office gave assurances that online Q&A submissions can be anonymous to address privacy concerns. Commissioners were asked to tell staff by April 13 whether they prefer to sit at a particular table/topic during the workshop.
The commission’s next formal steps are to post the updated drafts early next week, finalize the workshop slide deck with simplified public language, hold the April 21 workshop with table reports, and then conduct the June 2 public hearing to consider formal adoption.
