Dear Editor and Citizens of New Canaan: With all the new residential development projects going on in town we need to pause and ask: How will higher density development affect our school district? It is a question that has been raised in recent P&Z public hearings and among concerned parents and taxpayers but has yet to be properly addressed. For a moment, let’s consider just a few of the high density developments being built or considered: Mill Apartments (near completion) = 62 new units Merritt Village (before P&Z) = 78 new units Cross and Vitti Apartments (approved) = 12 new units Roger Sherman Inn (discussion) = 8 new units With 160 new units in play, if an average of two children lived in each of these units that would translate into 320 school-aged children entering our town’s school district. What are the costs to educate an additional 320 children? What would the capital costs be to expand our school buildings to accommodate these children? What are the social costs of re-districting as South and East will not be able to absorb all of the influx? Are we potentially creating a scenario where the construction crew at Saxe will have to quickly cross the street and start building a new wing at South Elementary and then East? How big do we want our schools to get? As an elected official, I field phone calls and emails everyday from parents of school-aged children and taxpayers who are very concerned about the future of our school district and the potential tax ramifications resulting from high density development. You can see why I am compelled to write this letter to formally place a spotlight on this issue and to request that independent school impact studies be conducted for each and every current and future application that seeks a zoning amendment for higher density development. Sincerely, Christa Kenin Town Council KeninTownCouncil@FB