NEW CANAAN, CT — Plans to turn the former New Canaan home of both actor Richard Gere and musician Paul Simon into a nine-lot subdivision were recently submitted to the town, however some neighbors have expressed concerns about the proposal.
The nearly 32-acre property located at 82 Brookwood Lane was previously owned by Gere after he purchased the land from Simon and his wife, Edie Brickell, in the summer of 2022.
Simon and Brickell had owned the property for 20 years before selling to Gere and his wife, Alejandra Silva.
At one point, the "Pretty Woman" actor sought to turn part of the property into a private farm and even attended a Planning and Zoning Commission meeting in August 2023 to discuss the couple's plans.
Gere ultimately decided to move his family to Spain and sold the property last fall to Brookwood Hills LLC, which is registered to James Hoffman of SBP Homes, a general contracting and real estate development company with a portfolio of 75 houses around the country, according to the New Canaan Advertiser.
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Plans submitted to the Planning and Zoning Commission by Darien-based Rucci Law Group, LLC on behalf of Brookwood Hills LLC, accessible on the town website, indicate the owner seeks to create nine new lots, four of which will be accessed off of Brookwood Lane and five of which will be accessed off of a new shared driveway off of Brookwood Lane.
The plan's narrative also notes the proposal is only an application for the subdivision of the property; no site development is being proposed at this time other than the construction of the new shared driveway.
"The applicant believes that this is an appropriate plan of development for the property and the neighborhood," the narrative reads.
The sizes of the proposed lots range from about 2 acres to nearly 5 acres, according to the plans.
The commission's first meeting of 2025 is scheduled to take place Jan. 28, however an agenda for that meeting was not immediately available.
A petition for intervention was also filed with the town's Inland Wetlands Commission in December by two Brookwood Lane neighbors, Spencer Grimes and Robert Fraiman Jr., both longtime New Canaan residents with "substantial and specific concerns" about the proposed development presented in the application.
"We believe that the proposed scope of work is reasonably likely to have a significant impact on wetlands and watercourses," the petition, also accessible on the town website, reads.
Specific activities concerning to neighbors listed in the petition include "filling wetlands to expand the existing driveway," "clear-cutting of trees and vegetation within proximity to wetlands and watercourses" and "impacts to off-site resources," including the Five Mile River located downstream.
"These activities, as detailed in the application, are likely to unreasonably pollute, impair, or destroy the public trust in the natural resources of our state, specifically wetlands and watercourses as it relates to the jurisdiction of the IWC, and irrevocably alter their health and hydrological functions, potential increase for flooding, modification in nutrient cycling, increased potential for pollution, and habitat degradation for wetland dependent wildlife," the petition reads.
A petition for a public hearing for the development project that garnered 26 signatures from Brookwood Lane and nearby residents was submitted to the Inland Wetlands Commission in November.
The commission is currently scheduled to hold its first meeting of the year on Jan. 27.
Gere is best know for his roles in acclaimed films such as "An Officer and a Gentleman," "Pretty Woman," "American Gigolo," "Runaway Bride" and "Chicago," the latter for which he won a Golden Globe Award.
Arguably one of the most acclaimed musical artists of all time, Simon was part of the iconic duo Simon & Garfunkel who produced hit songs such as "Mrs. Robinson," "The Boxer," "The Sound of Silence" and "Bridge Over Troubled Water."
He also found major success as a solo artist, boasting a catalog of hit songs such as "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard," "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" and "You Can Call Me Al."