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Gov. Ned Lamont (D) speaks at a press conference on thehousing bill in East Hartfordin November. He has since signed the bill into law.
Katy Golvala / CT Mirror
After months of negotiations and debate, Gov. Ned Lamont has signed a controversial omnibus bill that aims to address Connecticut’s dire lack of affordable housing.
Lawmakers passed House Bill 8002 during the special session in mid November, and Lamont signed it into law on Nov. 26.
The bill expands fair rent commissions, eliminates most off-street parking requirements for smaller housing developments and requires towns to create housing growth plans, among other measures.
Lamont vetoed a similar bill that his office had worked to negotiate in June, after the regular session. The governor said he wanted to see a bill that had more town buy-in and called a two-day special session last month to give lawmakers time to work on revising the legislation.
After months of negotiations, the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities and Council of Small Towns stood alongside Lamont at a press conference a few weeks ago to support the new bill.
“This bill tells mayors and first selectmen ‘What do you want your town to look like in five or 10 years? Start planning accordingly. Where do you want that housing to go? Are you going to zone accordingly? What else do you need? We want to be your partner,’” said Lamont at the press conference.
While some Democratic lawmakers said the negotiated bill wasn’t as strong as the one they originally passed, they think it will go a long way toward addressing the affordable housing need in Connecticut.
Homelessness has increased over the past few years, and rent prices have risen. Most studies estimate the state lacks more than 100,000 units of housing that are affordable and available to its low-income renters.
The bill has sparked fierce opposition from groups that say it weakens local control and puts onerous burdens on towns.
Republican lawmakers voted against the bill and criticized the process of passing a bill in special session, which they said did not incorporate enough input from the public.
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Police Blotter: Troop B
Dec 03, 2025
Police Blotter: Troop B
Police Blotter: Troop B
The following information was provided by the Connecticut State Police at Troop B. All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Route 41 fender bender
On the afternoon of Nov. 17, Carolyn Sirianni, 64, of Sharon was traveling south on Route 41 near the intersection with Beaver Dam Road in Salisbury when another vehicle, a Mini Cooper Countryman driven by Aline Sosne, 77, of Salisbury, turned onto Route 41 without granting right of way. This caused Sirianni’s Suzuki Kizashi Sport to collide with the rear of Sosne’s vehicle, causing minor damage. Neither driver was injured and both vehicles were able to be driven from the scene. Sosne was issued a written warning for failure to grant right of way at a highway junction.
Deer in roadway leads to rear end accident
On the evening of Nov. 18, Thu Do, 53, of Millerton, New York was traveling north on Route 361 in Sharon when a deer in the roadway caused her to come to a complete stop. As she did, Janay Gregory, 21, of Sharon, who was driving a Mazda CX-5, collided with the rear of the Mercedes Benz ML350 that Do was driving, causing minor but functional damage to both vehicles. Neither driver was injured in the incident. Gregory was found to be at fault for the accident and was issued a written warning.
Driver flees parking lot accident
Just before 11 a.m. on Nov. 22, Dianna Dahoney, 58, of Falls Village, was inside Lakeville’s Cozy Spa & Nails when her phone alerted her that her car’s alarm was going off as it was parked in the lot behind the building. She was able to see footage of another vehicle, which she identified as a red 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt with the Virginia plate number TCX5562, backing into the rear of her own vehicle, a Tesla Model Y, leaving paint and scratches on its surface. She also stated she saw the driver of the Cobalt get out of his car, inspect the damage, and then leave the scene. As per the report, the vehicle is stated to belong to “Sebatian Choc Cac” of Winchell Mountain Road in Millerton, New York. Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact Trooper Begley #868 at Kathleen.Begley@ct.gov or the Troop B main line at 860-626-1820.
Single car pole strike
At around 10:30 p.m. on Nov. 22, Bruce Clark, 64, of Sherman, Connecticut was driving east on Route 4 in Cornwall near the intersection with West Drive when he veered into the other lane, ultimately striking a utility pole and coming to a rest atop a metal guardrail. Clark stated he was not injured, though the responding EMT crew advised medical transport to evaluate his head, neck and spine, and he was brought to Waterbury Hospital. His Honda CRV sustained disabling damage to the fender, hood and undercarriage. Clark was issued a citation for failure to maintain lane and failure to keep right on a curve. The case remains active, pending further investigation.
Disorderly conduct arrest
At approximately 5 p.m. on Nov. 24, troopers were dispatched to a North Street address in Norfolk on a report of suspicious activity. Upon arriving, troopers placed Andrew Crawford, 42, into custody for disorderly conduct charges. Crawford was ultimately released on a $2,500 non-surety bond and was scheduled to appear at Torrington Superior Court the next day.
Single car accident
Midday Nov. 27, Ellen McMahon, 79, of Bronxville, New York was traveling north on Route 7 in Cornwall when she lost control of her Subaru Forester, striking a rock embankment on the shoulder. She was evaluated for injuries but declined medical attention. Her vehicle was disabled in the incident and had to be towed. She was issued a written warning for failure to maintain lane.
The Lakeville Journal will publish the outcome of police charges. Send mail to P.O. Box 1688, Lakeville, CT 06039, Attn: Police Blotter, or email editor@lakevillejournal.com
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Fresh pine is bound into wreaths by attendees of Housatonic Valley FFA’s holiday production night Monday, Nov. 24.
Kellie Eisermann
FALLS VILLAGE — The Housatonic Valley FFA kicked off its annual wreath-making tradition with the first of two holiday production nights on Monday, Nov. 24, at Housatonic Valley Regional High School.
Students, alumni, families, teachers and friends gathered to help create wreaths for the FFA holiday store, which opened Saturday, Nov. 29.
Wreath-making unfolded in several steps. Pine boughs were trimmed from tree limbs on the garage floor, then passed along to teams of bunch-makers working at tables in the FFA garage. The tied bundles were handed off to the final assemblers, who crafted the finished wreaths.
Organizers say the production nights give students and advisors a jump-start on preparing for the holiday store while filling the FFA shop with “light, laughter and teamwork.”
The second production night was scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 3, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the Ag Ed wing.
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SALISBURY — Despite a difficult final year marked by the contentious Wake Robin Inn application, longtime Planning and Zoning Commission Chair Michael Klemens said he looks back with pride on 15 years of work to safeguard Salisbury’s livability, affordability and ecological health. But he emphasized that the town’s challenges are far from over as he steps down.
“Salisbury is one of the most beautiful, biologically diverse towns in the state,” Klemens told The Lakeville Journal last week. Nevertheless, he added, “We have tremendous pressures.”
Klemens, who had formally announced his retirement at the Nov. 3 P&Z meeting — two years before his term was set to expire — is currently in Tucson, Arizona, where he plans to remain for at least a year.
While the past year — his 19th since joining the Commission as an alternate in 2006 — was clouded by controversial applications to expand the Wake Robin Inn, he maintained his decision to resign was primarily personal.
A move to the desert
In his resignation letter, Klemens wrote that the Aradev applications, which pertained to the proposed Wake Robin expansion, had “unleashed, from certain individuals within our community, a level of vitriol and bigotry that was, in my experience, unprecedented.”
While the unpleasantness had expedited his move, he said that he had long been considering a life change to account for health issues and housing difficulties he’d been experiencing in Salisbury.
“At this point in my life, I had to do what was best for my well-being,” he said. He noted that the humid, often chilly climate of the Litchfield Hills has aggravated various joint issues, which have been compounded by chronic Lyme Disease he’s had since the 1970s. Plus, as a herpetologist — a biologist of reptiles and amphibians — Klemens said the move brings him closer to a “whole new professional circle” of wildlife and plant experts.
Additionally, the desert lets him pursue his longtime passion for succulents, an interest he developed while working in Tanzania as a MacArthur Fellowship–funded research fellow with the American Museum of Natural History, where he has been associated since 1979. His work there, done in partnership with government officials and the University of Dar es Salaam, aimed to broaden biodiversity studies in East Africa beyond “the animals that tourists came to see,” he said.
Zoning as balance
That same holistic outlook carries into his philosophy of zoning, in which no one element of town planning should be weighed without being balanced with other important considerations.
Klemens said that across his career, which includes positions with the Wildlife Conservation Society, The Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Adirondack Wild, Scenic Hudson, the Connecticut Siting Council and his own private green development consulting practice, among other roles, his approach to land use has “always been about balancing human needs with a healthy environment.”
Among those needs is diversified and affordable housing, which, although a major focus of Klemens’s while on the Commission, was ultimately one of the contributing factors to his leaving town.
“Salisbury is not the Salisbury that I knew 20 years ago,” he said, referring to affordability.“It’s very, very difficult to find reasonably priced housing.”
He pointed to the “Poland Report,” a 2010 study by planner Donald Poland, which concluded that Salisbury’s land-use pressures more closely resembled those of “very wealthy towns in southwestern Connecticut” than of a typical rural northwest community. “And the real estate has only gotten much more valuable in the 20 years I was serving on the Commission,” he added.
“I think basically we have to really think about a community that is welcoming as a place for many different types of people,” Klemens said, emphasizing that beyond strictly “affordable” designated options, a diversified market should account for multi-generational housing and residences for seniors, too.
Tenure highlights
While the continued housing struggle in town was a factor that contributed to his departure, Klemens maintained that some of his high points on the Commission were breakthroughs in bringing more affordable options to town.
The addition of two housing overlay districts in downtown Salisbury and Lakeville to the town’s zoning regulations in 2019 was a breakthrough, Klemens said. He is also proud of his Commission’s close and productive cooperation with the Salisbury Affordable Housing Commission since its inception in 2010.
The newly updated Plan of Conservation and Development, which was adopted late last year after painstaking development and editing by P&Z and the Land Use Office, further encodes the town’s commitment to housing affordability, Klemens added.
Overall, though, Klemens expressed that his legacy is best defined by his role in building the “special development of an independent land use office” that is staffed by “two very, very skilled individuals,” referring to Land Use Director Abby Conroy and Land Use Technical Specialist Miles Todaro. But the volume of work required of them is comparable to that of a larger town with 4-5 employees in the land use office, said Klemens: “They need more assistance.”
An appeal to courtesy, participation
As a final note, Klemens advocated for civility and public participation as Salisbury continues its march into the future.
“I think people should be kind,” he said. “Think twice before going after the Board of Selectmen, the Planning and Zoning Commission, the Wetlands Commission. All these people work very hard. They may not be perfect, but they’re taking on responsibilities that a lot of people just don’t want to do.”
He encouraged younger people who may be put off by drama and controversies to view public service as an opportunity to make a positive change: “Despite all the nastiness and the battles, at the end of the day it’s an incredibly satisfying thing to try and make where you live a better place.”
A new panel of executives will be voted in during P&Z’s Dec. 10 meeting.
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