Seniors may fill Inn’s vacancy

Written by Andrew Kersey, Assistant Editor
Sunday, 01 November 2009 05:10

Reflecting changing in-town needs and a slump in hotel traffic, the historic Maples Inn may be converted into “senior-friendly” housing next year.

Developer Andy Glazer of Glazer Group presented a plan to the Planning & Zoning Commission on Tuesday that would make over the century-old building into a similarly-sized 11-unit complex, though with a detached garage space double its current footprint. “It would not be terribly different in mass or appearance, but it would be brand new,” said Glazer of his intention to strip the structure down to its skeleton, reinforce it and give it “new skin.”

The inn first served as a summer retreat for visiting New Yorkers, before being named the Hamilton Hotel at the turn of the century.

A few years later, the hotel sustained damage due to a fire and the entire structure was torn down and rebuilt on the same footprint. It was renamed The Hampton Inn.

Next, it underwent a temporary rechristening as a girls’ school in 1926, before reverting back to an inn by the late 1940s.

Glazer said he spoke with Commission Chairman Laszlo Papp earlier in the year and asked what kind of development New Canaan needed. Papp’s reply, he said, was “senior housing.”

“The senior quotient is important,” Glazer told the commission, adding, however, that “’senior’ is a relative term.”

Younger single men or women would also be welcome, he explained, though the dwellings — which will range in price from $700,000 to around $875,000 — are not intended for families.

A caretaker would live on-site to tend to the grounds and the tenants.

Glazer also presented his plan as a potential boon to the neighboring Roger Sherman Inn.

“We’re taking 22 rooms off the market,” he said. “The goal is to help them prosper.”

He said a portion of the property’s lawn would be turned into a large garden, yielding produce and flowers for the restaurant.

A few neighbors voiced their worries about lighting, traffic and drainage issues, though they acknowledged that Glazer is “working with our concerns.” For example, the planned layout of the garage structure was changed to hide the street-view of its entrance.

Owners of the Maples Inn did not return requests for comment.

The proposal was tabled until the commission’s next meeting and Secretary Jean Grzelecki requested that Glazer bring back a landscaping plan.

“This property, when done, will be a landmark property that Oenoke Ridge deserves,” Glazer told the commission. “That may sound like developer talk, but anyone who knows my work will tell you the same thing.”