Housing info session held ahead of Perry Street project completion

Construction is nearing completion for two affordable homes on Perry Street.

Alec Linden

Housing info session held ahead of Perry Street project completion

LAKEVILLE — Two new affordable houses on Perry Street are nearly ready.

Litchfield County Center for Housing Opportunity Director Jocelyn Ayer was joined by representatives of local affordable housing coalitions for an informational session on April 10 to offer an update on the project and several other near-complete projects across the county.

The Perry Street homes, modular units which were placed atop their foundations on April 2, are part of a regional effort from the LCCHO called the Litchfield County Affordable Homeownership Program.

A total of nine 3-bedroom homes — all modular and Cape-style — across five Northwest Corner towns will be the product of the project, built on land owned and managed by the Salisbury Housing Trust, Cornwall Housing Corporation, Foundation for Norfolk Living, and Washington Community Housing Trust.

The Perry Street houses are the first to be delivered — and “they look amazing,” Ayer said.

The project is expected to be ready for residents in May. The deadline for pre-application was April 15.

Two homes on Town Street in Cornwall are next in line, with a pre-application deadline of April 30 and a prospective move-in date this summer.

The LCCHO is also now accepting pre-application forms, which may be received by emailing Lindsay Larson at LindsayL@thehousingcollective.org, for the rest of the properties, although has yet to set deadlines.

Ayer said that the rest of the homes — two more in Salisbury, one more in Cornwall, one in Washington and one in Norfolk — will likely be finished in the fall and winter.

Applicants must be first-time homebuyers and must have an income at or below 100% of the county’s Area Median Income, which is approximately $80,000 for one-person and rises by about $11,400 per additional household member. Strong preference will be given to households of three or more.

The homes are valued between $255,000 and $290,000, but with a down payment assistance loan that will cut $25,000 from that total.

Ayer explained each housing non-profit that owns the properties will continue ownership over the actual land parcel, while the homeowner will own just the actual building and its footprint.

When Ayer opened the floor to questions, several audience members in the Zoom room asked about the unique ownership paradigm, which Ayer explained is a “shared-equity” model that is designed to keep costs down.

The cost of constructing and installing each unit is approximately $500,000 dollars, Ayer said, but the homeowner is only responsible for the taxes of the property directly beneath the house. Karen Sunnarborg, secretary of the Salisbury Housing Trust, maintained that taxes will be based on the purchase price, not construction costs.

Attendees also asked about property improvements and how such projects would fit into the shared equity model, to which Ayer replied that they are possible, but anything substantial, such as a perimeter fence, would have to be reviewed by the non-profit that owns the parcel.

The idea is to keep the property value low enough that the house remains affordable for future buyers — i.e. no pools, she said.

The final question came from Melissa Wagner, who asked whether a chicken coop may be approved to be built on the property. “With this economy, eggs are important,” she said, though Ayer said zoning regulations may have the final say, not to mention bears, foxes and bobcats, added Town Street resident Susan Francisco.

Latest News

Dining with Biden at The Woodland

Former President Joe Biden and his family dined at The Woodland in Lakeville Thursday, May 22.

Photo provided

LAKEVILLE — A fleet of black SUVs maintained a watchful perimeter outside The Woodland Thursday, May 22, as a former president dined inside.

After attending his grandson’s graduation at Salisbury School, Joe Biden and his family shared a meal at the Lakeville eatery.

Keep ReadingShow less
Senator Murphy starts statewide walk in Northwest Corner

U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy walks through Sharon on the first day of his annual statewide walk.

Photo by Ruth Epstein

Decked out in a blue T-shirt, khaki shorts and a UConn cap, the man walking along Route 41 in Sharon Wednesday morning looked like others who just enjoy getting out to commune with nature. But U. S. Sen. Chris Murphy (D) had some other thoughts on his mind.

For the ninth year, he was walking across Connecticut to connect with citizens of the state. This year’s route began May 28 in Salisbury and took him to Sharon and Kent for the day.

Keep ReadingShow less
Marion J. Pedersen

SHARON — Marion J. (Cookingham) Pedersen of Sharon, passed peacefully on May 20, 2025, at the age of 91.

Born in Pine Plains, New York, she lived a life of love and unwavering strength. She was a devoted mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and wife known for her cooking skills.

Keep ReadingShow less
Eleanor Sternlof

LIME ROCK — Eleanor Anne Sternlof (née de Guise) of White Hollow Road passed away on April 25, 2025 at Geer Village in North Canaan, Connecticut. She was 94 and the loving wife of the late Paul William Sternlof, who died on August 12, 2005.

Calling hours will be held on Saturday, May 31, from 11am to 1pm at The Kenny Funeral Home, 41 Main Street, Sharon, CT.

Keep ReadingShow less