Town Center Planning Group: There is No Plan!

Budgetary constraints and issues with logistics have long been the hurdles of overhauling the municipal buildings and parking in central New Canaan. But now town planners can tag on another obstacle: public anger.

Some residents voiced their frustration during a Monday afternoon meeting of the Town Center Planning Group (TCPG), a five-person advisory committee charged with devising a strategy for developing major town buildings and parking. 

"I don't think it's our purpose or the people's desire to have a downtown area for the people of Vista, Scotts Corners, Wilton or Bedford Village," said New Canaan resident Roy Abramowitz, referring to the TCPG's ultimate goal of possibly suggesting there should be an increase in parking lots and a restructuring of the town center. Abramowitz expressed his discontent stemming from what he described as "being kept out of the loop."

Public anger toward the TCPG seems to have come to a head in the past week, as group members began receiving e-mails from vexed residents asking them why they had issued a Request For Qualification (RFQ) on July 20.

According to members of the TCPG, the RFQ was issued purely for architectural planning firms to submit their credentials for informational purposes only.

"[The RFQ] doesn't give us any authorization to hire anyone or engage anyone," said TCPG member Jim Beall. "[Any spending] must first go to the Board of Selectmen for approval."

"We are really only asking for firms to submit qualifications. We are not asking for proposals," added TCPG member Christine Wagner.

The RFQ posted by the planning group is seeking firms who can conduct a traffic survey on central New Canaan. The study, among other data, will provide estimates of the best location and necessary square footage for municipal buildings and the library to accommodate New Canaan as it grows into the next decade. 

 The traffic study has already been funded by a $75,000 grant from the state and any additional spending would need to be approved by the Board of Selectmen, according to Beall. 

However, residents are worried the TCPG has forged ahead without approval, already devising a plan to reconstruct the town center.

"The [Outback Teen] Center is gonna be demolished," said Abramowitz. "I heard theyre gonna put [the kids] in the basemenet of the YMCA where it was flooded."

Members of the planning group assured residents these are no more than rumors.

"There is no plan," said TCPG member Mike Hobbs. "Whatever you're hearing about ripping teen centers down is not true. There's no plan to rip any teen center down."

Other concerns raised by residents during Monday's meeting were how long possible construction could take and what effect it would have on downtown storefronts. Both of which are issues the TCPG deemed too far in advance to address during the meeting.

The TCPG hopes to have a list of about six planning firms by August 9, with interviews being conducted by August 16. There will be a public forum in mid-September during which the TCPG will encourage all residents to voice their questions or concerns.