Housing info session held ahead of Perry Street project completion

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

Construction is nearing completion for two affordable homes on Perry Street.
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.
The HVRHS boys rejoice around Jackson McAvoy after he scored the game-winning goal against Shepaug with just two minutes left to play.
WASHINGTON — Housatonic Valley Regional High School’s boys varsity soccer team advanced to the Berkshire League tournament final after a 1-0 win over Shepaug Valley High School in the semifinal game on Friday, Oct. 24.
Jackson McAvoy scored the game-winning goal with just two minutes remaining.
The victory marked HVRHS boys soccer’s first victory over Shepaug since 2020.
“Finally,” said HVRHS Coach Adolfo Portillo after the game.
HVRHS will play top-ranked Nonnewaug High School in the BL final. Nonnewaug advanced to the title game by beating Northwestern Regional High School in penalty kicks (4-3) after a 1-1 draw in regulation time.
The championship game will be played at Nonnewaug beginning at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28.

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Students dressed in neon lined the soccer field for senior night under the lights on Thursday, Oct. 16. The game against Lakeview was the last in a series of competitions Thursday night in celebration of Homecoming 2025.
As homecoming week reaches its end and fall sports finish out the season, an air of school spirit and student participation seems to be on the rise across Housatonic Valley Regional High School.
But what can be attributed to this sudden peak of student interest? That’s largely due to SGA. Also known as the Student Government Association, SGA has dedicated itself to creating events to bring the entire student body together. This year, they decided to change some traditions.
Spirit week from Oct. 14-17 was unlike those of the previous years. From wearing Housatonic merch to Boomer vs Baby day, this year’s spirit week held a little friendly competition to see which grade could participate the most.
“I think that students are bored of the same old activities and events, so it’s good to switch things up even slightly to incentivize interest within students,” said SGA president and senior Mollie Ford. “Plus the point system is super beneficial because it gives students a reason to participate.”
The school spirit sentiment can be seen outside of just the school. Senior Simon Markow is known for his photography throughout the community, and has dedicated time to help Housy sports teams’ social media posts.
“Since I’ve started photography, I think school attendance [at sports games] has gone up,” Markow said. “I feel this year, students will be more aware of games and are more likely to be at the games.”
Whether it’s a pink-out volleyball game or an under the lights soccer match, it’s likely you’ll see some familiar faces.
Social media has played a large role in this over the years. Almost every student organization at Housatonic has an Instagram account, and it’s helped reach students more efficiently than a poster or email would.
“The increase of social media use, with the help from me but as well as the teams themselves has definitely increased student interest,” Markow said. “With Housy teams posting more about their upcoming games, and my help showing the cool goals, spikes, or touchdowns, it’s enlightened students to watch the games themselves.”
In a small school, promoting pride has proven to be a challenge. But this year’s senior class has made some adjustments in the hopes to change that.
“The SGA community has spent the last few years really focusing on student participation, because we think it’s the students who contribute to a better climate,” Ford said. While Housatonic’s student body may be small in size, it seems they certainly aren’t small in spirit.