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Read. Follow. Verify.Connecticut directs Department of Transportation to convey 9.45-acre parcel to North Canaan for open space and emergency services
Last action · April 23, 2026: House Calendar Number 505
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What This Bill Proposed
The state requires the Commissioner of Transportation to an approximately 9.45-acre parcel of land in the town of North Canaan to the town itself, covering administrative and potential survey costs while restricting the land's use to open space, nonmotorized public recreation, and a nonprofit fire and emergency services facility.
Transfers ownership and maintenance responsibilities of a specific state-owned property to local control, obligating the town to pay ance costs and restricting future commercial development or sale.
- State land conveyances in Connecticut frequently require special acts passed by the General Assembly to transfer property out of the Department of Transportation's inventory. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
town of North Canaan
Acquires ownership and control of the 9.45-acre parcel, assumes responsibility for administrative and survey costs, and becomes subject to specific use restrictions and reversion conditions.
Department of Transportation
Relinquishes care and control of the 9.45-acre parcel and loses the asset while maintaining responsibility for determining the precise size and executing survey requirements.
North Canaan Fire Company
Gains the ability to use and manage a newly constructed nonprofit fire and emergency services facility on up to four acres of the conveyed land.
Housatonic Railroad Company
Maintains an existing easement over the parcel for the purpose of maintaining an abutting railroad spur.
Key Facts
- The Commissioner of Transportation shall convey a 9.45-acre parcel of land in North Canaan to the town at a cost equal to the administrative costs of the conveyance.
- The town of North Canaan must pay for any survey of the parcel deemed necessary by the Commissioner of Transportation.
- The conveyance is subject to the approval of the State Properties Review Board, which must complete its review within thirty days after receiving a proposed agreement.
- The town must use the parcel for open space or low impact nonmotorized public recreation purposes, including an existing greenway trail, or for an emergency services facility.
Show all 9 facts
- If the town fails to use the parcel for the specified purposes, does not retain ownership, or leases it improperly, the parcel reverts to the state of Connecticut.
- Any sale or lease of a portion of the parcel to a nonprofit entity must be for fair market value, with proceeds transferred to the State Treasurer for deposit in the Special Transportation Fund.
- The town may use up to four acres of the parcel to construct a nonprofit fire and emergency services facility to be used and managed by the North Canaan Fire Company.
- The parcel is subject to an easement in favor of the Housatonic Railroad Company for maintaining an abutting railroad spur.
- The land remains under the care and control of the Department of Transportation until the conveyance is executed.
Frequently Asked Questions
What must the town of North Canaan pay for the land?
What happens if the town stops using the land for open space or public recreation?
Can part of the land be used for emergency services?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · passed the Senate · on the House floor.
Procedural history
12 actions- Apr 23, 2026HouseHouse Calendar Number 505
- Apr 23, 2026HouseFavorable Report, Tabled for the Calendar, House
- Apr 22, 2026SenateFloorSenate Passed
- Apr 20, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyFile Number 703
- Apr 20, 2026SenateSenate Calendar Number 434
- Apr 20, 2026SenateFavorable Report, Tabled for the Calendar, Senate
Show 6 earlier actions
- Apr 20, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyReported Out of Legislative Commissioners' Office
- Apr 13, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyReferred to Office of Legislative Research and Office of Fiscal Analysis 04/20/26 12:00 PM
- Apr 7, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyFiled with Legislative Commissioners' Office
- Apr 6, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyJoint Favorable
- Mar 27, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyPublic Hearing 04/01
- Mar 26, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyCommitteeReferred to Joint Committee on Government Oversight
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Special Transportation Fund Revenue Route
Any proceeds from the sale or lease of portions of the conveyed transportation land to a nonprofit must be routed back into the state's Special Transportation Fund.
Connected Entities
Sources
cga.ct.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 25)
- Controversy5Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment0Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz10Current news / social attention level
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