Business

Gower Road Ranch Demolished; Embody Fitness Gourmet Plans $125,000 Interior Fit-Out on Forest

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The New Canaan Building Department on Monday issued a demolition permit for the new owner of a 1949 ranch on Brooks Road to raze the house. The .28-acre lot was purchased for $850,000 in September by a limited partnership out of Greenwich. It isn’t clear what will replace the home that had stood there—the town has not yet received a building permit application for the parcel. The contractor on the $30,000 demo is AC&S Excavating Contractors out of Pound Ridge, N.Y.

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The developer of the mixed-use retail-and-residential complex ‘Heritage Square’ that’s going up on Forest Street on Tuesday put in for a $125,000 interior fit-out for the future home of Embody Fitness Gourmet. The healthy foods provider will occupy one of two retail spaces on street-level in the high-demand complex—Pet Valu will occupy the other.

Around Town

Kiwanis Club of New Canaan Is Now Accepting Local Nonprofits’ Requests for Funding, Feb. 29 Deadline

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A local civic organization whose mission is “serving the children of the world” announced Wednesday that it’s opening its annual season for funding requests from nonprofit organization. The Kiwanis Club of New Canaan will be able to allocate up to $2,000 per applicant and will take applications through the end of this month (Feb. 29—it’s a Leap Year). “Those interested should submit a letter with the agency name, contact information, mission statement, detailed description of program, proposed use for funds and amount requested,” Kiwanis said in a press release. “Explanations of how your mission fits within the Kiwanis mission.”

Last year, with funds raised mainly through its summertime Zerbini Famiy Circus—presented in partnership with the New Canaan YMCA—Kiwanians gave a total of $16,000 to 16 local nonprofit organizations.

Around Town

Did You Hear … ?

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Welles Lane House Christmas 2015

Uploaded by Michael Dinan on 2015-12-22.

We got an inside tip to go check out the Griswold-worthy Christmas decorating that one spirited homeowner did at 54 Welles Lane. Wow (see video above). We’re hearing that this dedicated celebrant blew at least one circuit with all the lights, plus nine inflatables and more to see on the property—don’t miss it. ***

A “Match-A-Thon” online fundraising campaign launched Monday to benefit Chabad New Canaan Jewish Center already had passed the halfway mark toward a $54,000 goal by 10 p.m. Donor dollars are automatically tripled as part of the campaign, thanks to a general local (and anonymous) family, the campaign says. The online campaign continues through most of Tuesday.

Government

‘Try To Have a Dialogue’: Following Complaints, P&Z Urges Talks Between YMCA, Neighbors

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Officials are urging the YMCA and neighborhood residents to communicate directly with each other and regularly, after some who live near the facility lodged complaints with Planning & Zoning that conditions of a major renovation, now underway, are not being met. Specifically, residents of eight homes on Surrey Road, Putnam Road and Danvers Lane told P&Z in a recent letter and in person Tuesday night that the Y now that construction is underway isn’t complying with conditions regarding sidewalk repair, safety monitors, screening, drainage and traffic. P&Z Chairman John Goodwin during the group’s regular monthly meeting that the town “can’t police everything” and asked the parties “to try to have a dialogue and see if you can’t work out a lot of these things.”

“My own personal take from reading the respective letters is that technically the Y has not done certain things, but on the other hand there is logic as to why they have not done some things here and now,” Goodwin said at the meeting, held in a Town Hall board room. P&Z in April 2014 approved the Y’s estimated $20 million project on 37 conditions (see meeting minutes here). Construction started about three weeks ago, and is expected to last about 18 months.

Business

YMCA Applies for Building Permit; Project Scope Reduced from Original

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The New Canaan YMCA has applied for a building permit application that, if approved, will allow the South Avenue facility to start work on a widely anticipated renovation and expansion. The project will see demolition of an existing family pool and pool building, interior renovations of the existing building locker rooms, a new café and office spaces, as a new pool building and family/recreation pools are built, according to an application filed Sept. 22 with the town. In all, 14,350 square feet of new construction is planned, the application said. The figure is down more than 40 percent from the 24,617 net increase in square footage that the Y had been seeking when the Planning & Zoning Commission approved its project (on 33 conditions) 18 months ago.