Cornwall reconsiders minimum lot size due to lack of new construction

CORNWALL — The Board of Selectmen, at its meeting on Feb. 18, approved sending a letter to the Planning and Zoning Commission asking for revisions to the regulations.

The board requested the commission address two sections listed in the town plan: allowing people to build on smaller lots and revising buildable area requirements for any new houses, noting that Cornwall’s present requirement of three to five-acre minimum lot sizes is the largest in the region, if not the state.

In making the suggestion, the selectmen speak of the inflation that has caused a housing crisis here and nationally.

“The median price of houses sold in Cornwall last fall was reported to have soared to over a million dollars, up from $350,000 four years ago,” the letter reads. “There are also few houses and properties for sale in town. The impact of this housing shortage is large and immediate in Cornwall. Young people have to leave town or live with parents, young families are prevented from moving here, school populations go down and elderly residents are moving out after many years in the community.”

The selectmen also pointed out the lack of construction is causing the tax base to stagnate at a time when demand for services is increasing. This year saw a decline in the grand list.

“We believe that allowing people to build on smaller lots will help alleviate this housing supply problem,” the selectmen wrote. “It should make it easier for people of ordinary means, who the town relies on, to live here.”

The letter was also signed by Jill Cutler, chairman of the Affordable Housing Commission.

Latest News

A scenic 32-mile loop through Litchfield County

Whenever I need to get a quick but scenic bicycle ride but don’t have time to organize a group ride that involves driving to a meeting point, I just turn right out of my driveway. That begins a 32-mile loop through some of the prettiest scenery in northern Litchfield County.

I ride south on Undermountain Road (Route 41 South) into Salisbury and turn right on Main Street (Route 44 West). If I’m meeting friends, we gather at the parking area on the west side of Salisbury Town Hall where parking is never a problem.

Keep ReadingShow less
Biking Ancramdale to Copake

This is a lovely ride that loops from Ancramdale north to Copake and back. At just over 23 miles and about 1,300 feet of elevation gain, it’s a perfect route for intermediate recreational riders and takes about two hours to complete. It’s entirely on quiet roads with little traffic, winding through rolling hills, open countryside, picturesque farms and several lakes.

Along the way, you’ll pass a couple of farmstands that are worth a quick visit. There is only one hill that might be described as steep, but it is quite short — probably less than a quarter-mile.

Keep ReadingShow less
Taking on Tanglewood

Aerial view of The Shed at Tanglewood in Lenox, Mass.

Provided

Now is the perfect time to plan ahead for symphonic music this summer at Tanglewood in Lenox, Massachusetts. Here are a few highlights from the classical programming.

Saturday, July 5: Shed Opening Night at 8 p.m. Andris Nelsons conducts the Boston Symphony Orchestra as Daniil Trifonov plays piano in an All-Rachmaninoff program. The Piano Concerto No. 3 was completed in 1909 and was written specifically to be debuted in the composer’s American tour, at another time of unrest and upheaval in Russia. Trifonev is well-equipped to take on what is considered among the most technically difficult piano pieces. This program also includes Symphonic Dances, a work encapsulating many ideas and much nostalgia.

Keep ReadingShow less
James H. Fox

SHARON — James H. Fox, resident of Sharon, passed away on May 30, 2025, at Vassar Brothers Hospital.

Born in New York, New York, to Herbert Fox and Margaret Moser, James grew up in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. He spent his summers in Gaylordsville, Connecticut, where he developed a deep connection to the community.

Keep ReadingShow less