Residents — SAY NO

They can't manage grades 5-12 on one campus.

The school is pocketing the tennis court parking, which was added without permit. It’s been assumed they should be allowed to keep that capacity. Does that mean that, if people start parking cars on their tennis courts, they’ll have a better chance of getting a permit for their “solution.”

People only have so much energy. They get fatigued on bad private development and it harms the town’s real priorities.

My wife and I found out about this after comment closed. New Canaan is fresh air. We want birds not cars.

We didn't protest when the football field was put in illegally, but now this shows you that if you don't put up a fight, the limits on every permit become meaningless over time.

It's a one-story building that's open on three sides.

Greenwich Planning and Zoning would have laughed this out of the room. I hope it happens here.

We’re being asked to sacrifice ourselves for a school where most of the families come from other towns that wouldn't allow this garage.

It's inexcusable. Lighting a garage that large at night, it's inexcusable when Silver Hill manages just fine with normal parking.

If you include parked and idling cars snaked in the aisle, it's probably more than 200.

None of the support letters showed any understanding that the garage is above ground, open and will be seen and heard by the neighbors.

I assume the cantilevered garage will be earthquake proof?

We're just learning of it, but after attending the POCD meetings in the fall, I can tell you that our current town government has never been more focused on the 100 year plan for New Canaan's environment. I have confidence they'll do the right thing.

For years the school has said they save NC money by educating kids who would normally go to NC high. I think they believe it, but it's nonsensical. In every town, a certain number of families pick private school or boarding school, but there’s no evidence that if the kids didn’t go to St. Luke’s then they would go to Saxe or NC high. Private school’s don’t save municipalities money.

This isn't good for the community.

We are in a wooded area of northern New Canaan, animals set off motion activated lighting all the time, I can't imagine what this will look at 3:00 AM with an animal wandering around inside.

“One of the most repeated suggestions from students was that the Vista Bus should run back to the lot at 3:00, instead of just at 6:15. This schedule would be more convenient for many students, and would allow the students who participate in after school activities to retrieve their cars from the Vista Lot and drive them to school before practice begins.” (NC Advertiser, Jan 2023)

Our neighbor told us about the garage after all the hearings. We are worried about the sound, you can hear tire cars screech in garages half that size. We can hear things that happen on the field, so now all the sounds in this garage will assault us twice a day or more.

We support the school's goals and hope they listen to the community.

Preservation is multidimensional. Sound, light, natural resources. Replacing a field with a parking garage is not what New Canaan voters asked for in the POCD.

The neighborhood is quiet and dark. This garage will facilitate night time events and more intensive use of the campus.

The football field was originally put in illegally. In an after-the-fact permit they changed the wetlands setback, but now they want to build an overhang of a mega-structure.

I've lived here for 40 years, I’ve seen a lot, but this is a new level.

130 St. Luke's students are from New Canaan. 466 students come from Greenwich, Westport, Darian and 38 other towns in CT .

We can hear everything on Briscoe road, the construction and resulting building will be too much.

We're being told what Greenwich and Darian parents want and then asked to argue for why they shouldn't get it.

Let's get these kids a new field. Let's not change residential zoning for parents from Greenwich and Westport.

We like St. Luke's and think they are doing great things but they're struggling to understand how they are perceived by the community.

It appears that St. Luke's parents are unaware they're being asked to put their names to an illegal structure. None of them grasp that the school community is advocating for a change in residential zoning for all of New Canaan. The donor wall on this garage will be a wall of shame.

The school disavowed every single assertion they made in their December hearing after they failed their peer review. It's wildly dishonest. If I fail a test and then get to change all my answers that doesn't mean I passed the test.

A good rule to live by: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." I find it unlikely that anyone supporting this garage would want to live near it.

Maybe 15% of their students come from New Canaan.

Referring to a 200 car garage as a "retrofit" of a field is misleading, minimizing the environmental and community impact.

The 3pm traffic problem is annoying, but it clears quickly. The school is using the traffic "problem" to get what they want, which is to host more events and eventually expand to their LLC owned properties

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Don't change the law for a private school.

Open space means open space.

When we bought our home it was a small residential school. It's turned into a college campus. The town's approach to lighting enforcement is tragic, you used to be able to see the Milky Way on a clear night.

I went to public school and took the bus. The school's traffic problem is of their own making and now they're asking the town to solve it.

Parents at the school should not tell neighbors what’s good for them over those neighbor’s objections.

24 hour lighting will destroy our neighborhood.

The water company contradicted 100% of their water treatment and wetlands testimony. So the school fell over the themselves to correct the errors and admit that PFAS contamination is a threat to water sources. They made bare minimum changes to their plans, choosing a water treatment with a high-failure rate. It’s embarrassing.

The school vice principle spoke with heart about her involvement and I believe she cares deeply about the school, but this application does not reflect her values.

SLS is overcrowded and is using a traffic problem THEY created as an excuse to expand and enroll more students.

One of the few parents who wrote to support the garage also wrote a letter to fight against Weed Street. So he’s all for development, unless it’s in his backyard.

The school told me it was an underground parking garage.

Richey Tower had a guy willing to put his name on it. They want this garage but no one at the school wants to be associated with it.

The school should look to other sites as an opportunity. They can increase enrollment and revenue bringing in more families and alumni. They shouldn't try to fundraise by talking about their problems--like parking--they should stake out a positive vision and work towards accomplishing it.

Our grandchild attended the school, but we're against it.

I moved here for the quiet. Our woods are totally serene, this is crazy.

I talked to a board member who had no idea this project was going on. The parents who want this are from Greenwich and Westport.

St. Luke's is neither kind nor honest so it would just be easier on everyone if they took that off the website.

The PFAS Runoff will go into Grupes Reservoir

The school doesn't listen, they've ignored our lighting complaints for years.

The Norwalk Watershed association did PFAS testing of Grupes reservoir and found that the School’s four turf fields are likely contaminating the reservoir which serves thousands of people.

Their pattern of property acquisition and increasing enrollment contrasts with the considerate approach of other educational institutions.

We support the school and hope they are studying the issue before moving further.

The garage's design to hang over a wetlands setback is unprecedented. It's completely irresponsible. Drinking water advocates in Norwalk oppose the project.

I support the school but don't think this is a good direction.

Big capital raising projects can be exciting if you aim high. A parking garage? Over wetlands?

Looking back, we see they tried to get this huge text change going right before the holidays and January when no one would notice.

St. Luke's charges kids $1400 to take the bus to their satellite parking lot. They financially disincentivize group transportation.

So first they build a garage to lower the traffic load. Then they marry the house lots that they have purchased in order to increase their acreage, followed by increased building and enrollment.

This is not a “retrofit” of a field but a one-story above ground building.

I’m wondering when someone is going to ask the brand of PfAs free synthetic turf, so far as we know it’s imaginary.

A new turf field won't be on the table forever. With new guidelines, it will be grass.