New Canaan adopts new planning-and-zoning fees including $150 change-of-use charge

The Board of Selectmen voted June 15 to approve changes to the town’s Planning & Zoning fee schedule that take effect July 1. Sarah, a Planning & Zoning department representative, said the package adds a $150 administrative "change of use" application for simple tenant turnovers and a new parking‑needs assessment review fee prompted by a state statutory provision.

Sarah said the $150 fee "is a new fee because it's a new process," explaining the new administrative path will let staff — rather than the commission — approve the least‑intensive changes and avoid duplicative site‑plan reviews. She said the town retained higher fees for more complex filings and that the change is intended to balance cost recovery with not discouraging small business activity.

On the parking item, Sarah said a state provision effective July 1 increases the work required of staff and the commission; the new fee is aimed at compensating for that extra review time. Board members asked for clarifications about which tenant changes trigger the fee (for example, restaurant conversions rather than ordinary retail tenancy) and were told existing retail-to-retail moves are not subject to the change‑of‑use charge.

The board moved and approved the fee schedule changes unanimously. The changes were presented as part of the normal budget and fee‑review process; Sarah said the items were not on the November/December radar and staff brought them forward now to meet the statutory effective date.

Next steps: the new fees will be posted before the July 1 effective date; staff said they can provide additional written guidance on which projects are routed to staff versus the commission.