New Canaan will need to add more housing units and options to deal with a growing senior population, according to a new study.
Members of the Senior Health Care and Housing Policy Development Team discussed their Phase II report with the Board of Selectmen on Tuesday.
According to the report, New Canaan seniors like where they live and want to stay in the community as long as possible. The report urges that the town work on providing "diverse and meaningful housing that is more affordable and more senior-friendly" over the next 10 to 20 years. To that end, New Canaan should add between 165 and 275 new units specifically for seniors, the report states.
"People want to be in town," Jim Lisher, chairman of the Housing Police Team, said. "They want to be able to access all the wonderful attributes."
The report also urges New Canaan to look at affordable housing. "Affordability is a big issue," Lisher said. "I'm not an economic forecaster, but it's going to be very critical."
While there has been discussion about building a continuing care retirement community (CCRC) facility in Waveny Park, the policy team recommends exploring a "three-tier senior community" facilities for independent living, assisted living and skilled nursing care. Because traditional CCRCs include approximately 200 units, a New Canaan-based CCRC would draw most of its occupants from out of town. Lisher said a full-fledged CCRC should not be built now, but should be reconsidered in the future. "Traffic [market forces] alone will drive the additional housing needs for seniors," he said.
The report also recommends that senior housing include wireless infrastructure to improve safety and security. Baby boomers heading into retirement will expect to have wireless technology as they get older, Lisher said.
The Board of Selectmen will further discuss the results of the study at its December meeting.
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