Halstead’s Engel is year’s ‘Realtor Citizen’ for service to Town (Dec. 26, 2018)

Halstead’s Engel is year’s ‘Realtor Citizen’ for service to Town

DECEMBER 26, 2018 BY NEW CANAAN ADVERTISER

John Engel is this year’s ‘Realtor Citizen’ for his service to the Town of New Canaan. The New Canaan Board of Realtors’ Realtor Citizen of the Year is John Engel, center, with with board President Janis Hennessy, left, and realtor Jeanne Rozel.

John Engel has been selected Realtor Citizen of the Year for 2018 by the New Canaan Board of Realtors. The award is given to a New Canaan Realtor who exemplifies the qualities of professionalism, ethics, and willingness to devote time and energy to the real estate community and to the community at large, according to the New Canaan Board. 

“Halstead is proud to have John Engel on its team of professionals, and his service to our community is just exceptional,” said Sharon Daley, Executive Director of Sales for Halstead New Canaan, according to the announcement. 

Engel is an award-winning agent with Halstead, where he is part of the Engel Team that includes his mother Susan, a previous winner of New Canaan’s Realtor Citizen of the Year award. 

He has been a member of the New Canaan Town Council since 2011 and was elected chairman of the Council in 2017. He has been a board member of the New Canaan Land Trust since 2013, is a board member of Staying Put in New Canaan and an advisory board member for the New Canaan Historical Society. He is also a long-time member and past president of the New Canaan Rotary Club, was a board member for the New Canaan Outback Teen Center, and was on the New Canaan Zoning Board of Appeals from 2007 to 2011.

Engel who lives in New Canaan with his wife and four children, was a captain in the U.S. Army and served in the Persian Gulf War. He is a member of the New Canaan Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 653.

Realtor Jeanne Rozel, a past president of the New Canaan Board of Realtors said in the release, “I worked with him on the board of appeals and I know what he has done for the town, so I’m glad that he’s being recognized for all he does for people.”

Chairman’s View: Expect a High-Density Development on Pine Street, column for July 12, 2018

Chairman’s View: Expect a high-density development on Pine Street

JULY 12, 2018 BY JOHN ENGEL

By John Engel

Town Council Chairman

The Beval Saddlery building at 50 Pine Street and two adjacent brick buildings may have been sold to a developer.

My purpose is not to report on a rumor. But, if it has not sold then it will likely sell in the not-too-distant future. Don’t be surprised. It is logical to expect the eventual buyers to propose another high-density development in this location. 

There will be hand-wringing about the changing character of our town. What is the best use for Pine Street? Some say New Canaan’s “Magic Circle” loses its magic every time it is diluted by the addition of storefronts on Pine, Grove, Cross and Vitti streets. Others say we must evolve, and new, dense development is consistent with the POCD (Plan of Conservation and Development) and adds to the tax base in a way that makes New Canaan a more complete shopping and dining destination.

Both are correct. I would suggest that we talk about what healthy change looks like in our downtown instead of simply opposing whatever represents change. It is good to remember that we are unlikely to solve any perceived current issues (not enough variety in housing stock, not enough senior-friendly housing, too many retail vacancies, etc.) unless we are willing to consider changing what we currently permit.

Two residents, each in town for at least three generations, stopped me last week with diametrically opposed opinions on whether the Merritt Village project is good for New Canaan. 110 condominiums in 4 buildings on 3.5 acres. One of them cited its consistency with our POCD’s intention to encourage senior-friendly housing within walking distance of train and town.  The other said it was too dense, too ugly, and not in keeping with the character of our town.

The three Pine Street lots represent nearly two acres in the BUS-A zone. Our assessor appraises them for nearly $12 million, currently $140,576 in property taxes. Therefore, there is a good chance that we will see a proposal for development that spans all three lots, is built to the height limit of 40 feet, possibly with parking underneath to maximize building size and make use of the slope. While this should clearly raise the taxable value of the property, do we want more dense housing, possibly senior or workforce housing, maybe mixed-use with retail on the bottom at that location? 

One difference: we won’t see the 8-30g threat as a retaliatory tactic by developers who don’t get their way with Planning and Zoning. New Canaan has been working on a multi-phase plan that already exempts us from the 8-30g threat for the next three years and will hopefully lead to up to eight additional years.

50, 58 and 70 Pine have style. They do not loom. They are set back from the road with green space in front. The parking is hidden. The old bricks are warm with character. 

Almost anything new is better than a vacant building, but, please, let’s actively try to encourage the most benefit for the Town as a whole from these unique buildings.

Chairman’s View: Support a Ban on House ‘For Sale’ Signs on MAY 8, 2018

Chairman’s View: Support a ban on house ‘for sale’ signs

MAY 8, 2018 BY NEW CANAAN ADVERTISER

The overwhelming majority of New Canaan citizens want to eliminate real estate signs. In a recent poll at the Advertiser Coffee 95% support a ban. They are a blight on our town. The signs would be gone except for the fact that every year a few Realtors object because it is a cheap form of advertising. 

Remember, we are residents first and Realtors second. We want our town to look beautiful, not like a town-wide tag sale. These signs cheapen New Canaan. If we act like our real estate is at a premium then maybe people will begin to regard it that way.

Greenwich and Tokeneke are our high-end sisters that prove the ban works. Greenwich P&Z regulations, section 6-163 (b) prohibits signs that “Direct attention to a business, product, service or other commercial activity, offered or existing elsewhere than on the premises where such sign is displayed.” New Canaan banned commercial signs with the exception of real estate. Nancy Healy, president of the Greenwich Board of Realtors when they enacted their sign ban said, “If New Canaan is going to make this step they’ll find out … it’s a good thing. It took the clutter off our streets. We are used to it now.”

Why now? What has changed? We have more houses on the market than ever before. In March 2008 New Canaan had 155 houses on the market. Ten years later we have 266 houses on the market, up 42%. That’s not the worst of it. The busiest time of the year for signs is coming up. Expect 358 for sale signs this June. That’s over 5% of the whole town. Nationally, houses sell on average in three weeks. In New Canaan some signs stay up for years, a semi-permanent scar. Signs are harming our ability to sell some streets in this town. Buyers now say, “What’s wrong with this street, why is everything on it for sale?”

The New Canaan Board of Realtors is considering the question. Board President Janis Hennessy absolutely supports the ban. Former presidents Joe Scozzafava and Becky Walsh agree we should take down the signs. Past President Arlene Bubbico disagrees, citing the national statistic that 7% of purchases come from signs. However, those statistics reveal 99% of Millennials and 89% of Boomers search online.

The first selectman supports the ban. We Town government leaders want the support of the Board of Realtors before either taking it to Planning and Zoning for a text change or to the Town Council for an ordinance. 

If you want to take back your town and enhance our real estate values then join me in supporting the ban. Call a Realtor and tell them it’s OK to take down the signs.

— John Engel is chairman of the New Canaan Town Council.