P&Z regs now cover Lime Rock Park

SALISBURY — The Planning and Zoning Commission voted to adopt amendments to the zoning regulations regarding Lime Rock Park on Monday, Nov. 16. 

The proposed amendments to the regulations were: to add a definition of motor vehicle; to amend section 221.1 (Track for Motor racing Vehicles); and to amend sections 205.2 (Table of Uses — Rural Enterprise; Commercial and Industrial Zones) and 205.3 (Table of Accessory Uses). 

The vote was 4-1; the negative vote was from Mike Flint. (Vice chairman Jon Higgins was not present.)

There were two lengthy public hearings on the proposed amendments, beginning on Sept. 8 and continuing on Oct. 19.

The commission voted to include the language of the injunction as amended in 1988 in section 221.1, “Track for Racing Motor Vehicles.”

Out of the past

Changes to section 221.3 deals with camping. A document distributed to the commission members explains that the camping restrictions are based on a 1979 action, Lime Rock Foundation Inc. vs. Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) of the Town of Salisbury. 

“By setting forth the most recent standards in the Vail action [the 1959 injunction as subsequently amended] and the ZBA action in the regulations themselves, we clarify the exact standards that are the present ‘status quo’ and that have shaped the conduct and reasonable expectation of affected property owners for decades. 

“We also eliminate the possibility that the zoning regulations could be deemed to be amended if there were to be an amendment to a court judgment in the Vail action.”

Those restrictions could be modified, however. “We believe that utilization of the current permitting and amendment process, which requires notice and public hearings, will allow property owners the opportunity to make changes, where appropriate, apart from whether those changes do or do not coincide with what has [been] approved in private civil litigation.”

Only if it’s legal

The last item of the amended regulations, section 221.6, reads “If any portion of this section 221.1 shall be found by a court of competent jurisdiction to be illegal, it is the intent of this Commission [that] no part of section 221.1 shall remain valid, including the amended table of uses adopted simultaneously herewith providing that a track for racing of motor vehicles shall be allowed by special permit in the Rural Enterprise [RE] District; it being the intent of the Commission that, if it is found that the Commission lacks any authority to regulate any aspect of race track use as set forth herein, then a track for racing of motor vehicles shall be found not to be permitted in the RE District, and any race track use in existence at the time of the adoption of these regulations shall have such rights as may exist as a nonconforming use under these regulations.”

Latest News

Rhys V. Bowen

LAKEVILLE — Rhys V. Bowen, 65, of Foxboro, Massachusetts, died unexpectedly in his sleep on Sept. 15, 2025. Rhys was born in Sharon, Connecticut, on April 9, 1960 to Anne H. Bowen and the late John G. Bowen. His brother, David, died in 1979.

Rhys grew up at The Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, where his father taught English. Attending Hotchkiss, Rhys excelled in academics and played soccer, basketball, and baseball. During these years, he also learned the challenges and joys of running, and continued to run at least 50 miles a week, until the day he died.

Keep ReadingShow less
Kelsey K. Horton

LAKEVILLE — Kelsey K. Horton, 43, a lifelong area resident, died peacefully on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, at Norwalk Hospital in Norwalk, Connecticut, following a courageous battle with cancer. Kelsey worked as a certified nursing assistant and administrative assistant at Noble Horizons in Salisbury, from 1999 until 2024, where she was a very respected and loved member of their nursing and administrative staff.

Born Oct. 4, 1981, in Sharon, she was the daughter of W. Craig Kellogg of Southern Pines, North Carolina, and JoAnne (Lukens) Tuncy and her husband Donald of Millerton, New York. Kelsey graduated with the class of 1999 from Webutuck High School in Amenia and from BOCES in 1999 with a certificate from the CNA program as well. She was a longtime member of the Lakeville United Methodist Church in Lakeville. On Oct. 11, 2003, in Poughkeepsie, New York, she married James Horton. Jimmy survives at home in Lakeville. Kelsey loved camping every summer at Waubeeka Family Campground in Copake, and she volunteered as a cheer coach for A.R.C. Cheerleading for many years. Kelsey also enjoyed hiking and gardening in her spare time and spending time with her loving family and many dear friends.

Keep ReadingShow less
Eliot Warren Brown

SHARON — On Sept. 27, Eliot Warren Brown was shot and killed at age 47 at his home in New Orleans, Louisiana, in a random act of violence by a young man in need of mental health services. Eliot was born and raised in Sharon, Connecticut, and attended Indian Mountain School and Concord Academy in Massachusetts. He graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He and his wife Brooke moved to New Orleans to answer the call for help in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and fell in love with the city.

In addition to his wife Brooke, Eliot leaves behind his parents Malcolm and Louise Brown, his sisters Lucia (Thaddeus) and Carla (Ruairi), three nephews, and extended family and friends spread far and wide.

Keep ReadingShow less
Randall Osolin

SHARON — Randall “Randy” Osolin passed away on Sept. 25, 2025, at the age of 74. He was born on Feb. 6, 1951, in Sharon, Connecticut to the late Ramon (Sonny) and Barbara (Sandmeyer) Osolin.

He was a dedicated social worker, a natural athlete, a gentle friend of animals, an abiding parish verger, an inveterate reader, and an estimable friend and neighbor. He was a kind-hearted person whose greatest joy was in helping someone in need and sharing his time with his family and good friends.

Keep ReadingShow less