The Town Council is expected to vote on undertaking a master plan study for New Canaan, as proposed by the Long Range Planning Committee at its April 13 meeting. This vote will come after 28 publicly held committee meetings, two public sessions in November and January, public presentations before the Board of Selectmen and Board of Finance, a presentation before the Town Council, and a second presentation and public hearing before the Town Council.
New Canaans boards of Selectmen, Finance and Education, as well as the Town Council came together in multiple sessions, more than two years ago, and focused on improving town budgeting. These task forces concluded that the successful practice of government budgeting should include a goal-driven approach that includes planning that takes into account a long-range and comprehensive perspective of capital expenditures and better prioritization of those expenditures.
New Canaan also is faced with immediate spending decisions on most of its municipal facilities. A review of the February 2010 Savin Engineering report demonstrates that the recommendations in the report are intended to restore decay, deterioration and damage; improve inoperable functions, deficiencies and obsolescence; reduce health and safety issues; and attain building code compliance. The report does not (nor was it intended to) address building function, best highest use of our facilities or operation efficiencies. That is the work of a master plan.
The master plan study, as presented by the Long Range Planning Committee and its consultants, had significant input from the public in determining what will be studied in the plan. As examples of public input, the study will include a review of energy use and sources at town facilities to reduce overall energy costs and produce more energy-efficient buildings, and a review of Town Hall operations to determine suitability of its functions in various locations. Operational efficiency is of particular importance because some current Town Hall functions are dispersed because of lack of space, overdue maintenance, code violations and drainage problems that led to flooding. The Master Plan study will be comprehensive because it is what the Long Range Planning Committee, its consultants and the public requested as being in the best interest of the town. Our consultants have undertaken hundreds of plans and brought to New Canaan their professional background and expertise, which has been successful in other communities. A Master Plan for New Canaan can help provide a consistent point of reference for making more informed decisions, more predictability regarding budgeting, better use of limited resources such as revenue and land, and a means to preserve community character.
There are still some lingering misconceptions that our town has many plans sitting on shelves simply waiting to be undertaken. This is not accurate. Though the town has undertaken many studies going back decades, many were undertaken to address growing student populations, development of large tracts of land for housing, and an increase in overall population. More recent studies include the 2002 Downtown Business District Study, which proposed solutions primarily for parking issues, a significant number of which were undertaken, such as converting long-term meters to short term in Morse Court.
Another important study is the 2003 Plan of Conservation & Development, which Planning & Zoning, or the appropriate body, comprehensively reviewed and examined or undertook all of the recommendations. Some of the items in the 2003 plan are a renovation for the high school, Lapham Community Center and Town Hall; dredging of Mead and Mill Ponds; and a public facility for safety that would include police, fire and EMS. The high school and Lapham are complete, a new EMS facility was built, some renovations took place at the Police building, and Mead and Mill Ponds were dredged. That plan also included many recommendations for Parks & Recreation that were undertaken. Additionally, it recommended an investigation of alternatives for future options for Town Hall and senior housing needs, additional parking for the library, future business development and a recommendation to implement a planning study of a combined public safety facility. These are either under way or awaiting approval.
Building on the 2003 Plan of Conservation & Development, two studies were undertaken. The first, the Downtown Strategic Plan by Fitzgerald & Halliday, addressed downtown issues. But again, as with the 2002 Downtown Business District Study, it focused on parking spaces and parking management. Second, the Perkins & Will study proposed various schemes for Town Hall, Police, and EMS. Some of the work for Police was completed. Other work, particularly the space programming for Town Hall, will be incorporated into the Master Plan so as not to repeat work completed. According to the planning and zoning commission chairman and the town planner, New Canaan has never undertaken a master plan study and should do so.
New Canaan is faced with land use, capital expenditure and chronic parking decisions whether a plan is undertaken or not. There are improvements needed for many municipal facilities, including Town Hall, Waveny Mansion and the Powerhouse. Projects should be examined comprehensively and publicly so as to prioritize work and not allow the towns direction to be dictated by a minority of participants, the first proponents to arrive with a project or lawsuits. Decisions are then made in a vacuum. The problems the town faces will not go away because it does not plan appropriately. Understanding what the town faces allows decision makers to make the most informed choices and understand their impact and consequences.
Finally, it is economical to undertake this master plan now as the work will significantly offset the cost of a state mandated 2013 plan of conservation and development.
Christine Wagner
Long Range Planning Committee Chairwoman
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