
Residents of Kugeman Village speak highly of the homes and state they would not be able to live in Cornwall if the units weren’t available.
Riley Klein
Residents of Kugeman Village speak highly of the homes and state they would not be able to live in Cornwall if the units weren’t available.
The Northwest Corner needs affordable housing. While each town has taken steps to address the issue, the need remains.
Jocelyn Ayer, director of Litchfield County Center for Housing Opportunity (LCCHO), summed it up: “Overall, our communities, these towns just don’t have different housing options for different points in people’s lives. A vast majority of our housing stock was designed for families with children,” said Ayer. “For example, 90% of the housing stock in Salisbury is all one kind of housing: single family detached housing.”
The LCCHO is in its third year of operations, working under its parent company The Housing Collective. Ayer and her coworkers provide project management support to affordable housing nonprofits in Litchfield County.
As part of its public information campaign, LCCHO created the Litchfield Housing Needs Assessment Tool, a guide explaining housing needs in the county with exhaustive data on the 26 towns.
“We all benefit from having housing opportunities in our community for everyone, including volunteers with our fire and ambulance services, young teachers, and older folks who can’t afford to stay in their homes,” said Ayer.
In 2022, the region had 61,000 jobs, in small businesses, volunteer emergency services, and health care facilities, etc. Ayer said, “A lot of the most in-demand jobs in Litchfield County pay under $50,000 a year—that would make all those folks eligible to live in affordable housing if we had it. Still, we have long waiting lists. In Salisbury, there are over a hundred households on the list.”
People have stayed on wait lists for up to five years, leaving many to pay more than the recommended 30% of their income on housing.
LCCHO has partnered with four nonprofits in the county, two of which are in Salisbury and Cornwall, on a 10-unit scattered site affordable homeownership project. “Scattered sites” are a trending use for parcels of land owned by local housing groups. It is a challenge for one or two units to be competitive for funding opportunities, so LCCHO combines these smaller nonprofits under one application to the Department of Housing. The hope is that together the sites will receive funding. It is an attractive model and if more towns see more donations of smaller units of land the LCCHO can attempt further scattered sites.
Below is a breakdown by town of completed projects, ongoing efforts, and remaining need for affordable housing in the Northwest Corner.
Salisbury
Of all the Region One towns, Ayer said, “Salisbury is walking the walk and talking the talk.”
The Salisbury Housing Trust is a nonprofit working toward affordable homeownership. Two of their projects are part of the above mentioned 10-unit scattered site initiative.
The Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) and a town meeting on July 7, 2022, approved plans for the Perry Street project which will have two houses. Ayer hopes to break ground on construction in late fall, so the site can be finished in about a year.
SHT’s Grove Street School Site, now called Undermountain Road, is awaiting approval from P&Z. A continuation of the public hearing was held Monday, June 17, to discuss plans for two single family affordable homes, which resulted in another continuation to be held July 1 (See full Undermountain housing story on Page A4).
After a site is approved by P&Z, a town vote will be held to donate the specified land to the nonprofits. Ayer said, “If it’s not ready, it’s not ready. We can’t build until it goes through the town meeting vote.”
A second nonprofit, the Salisbury Housing Committee Inc., helps with affordable rentals. Sarum Village III is the first of three ongoing projects. There are 10 new units under construction, expected to be ready this fall.
The Dresser Woods site has P&Z approval for 20 units. Salisbury submitted a Small Cities application for infrastructure funding.
A concept to develop 64 units of affordable housing has been proposed for the town-owned Pope property on Salmon Kill Road. Discussions are ongoing with P&Z and the Pope Land Use Committee.
In Lakeville, Holley Place, is 14 units, with P&Z and town meeting approval. It is seeking funding. Also in Lakeville, the occupied rentals in Lakeville Apartments are undergoing renovations.
Cornwall
In Litchfield County, most residents own as opposed to rent. Individuals and families for whom renting is the more accessible financial option often cannot find a rental property. Throughout the county, 75.5% of occupied units are owned, 24.5% are rented. In Cornwall, the split is higher at 79.3% and 20.7%.
A recent regulation approval by P&Z will allow for duplex and triplex homes to be constructed by private developers. Previously only nonprofits could apply to build multi-family homes. By implementing this change, the town is optimistic that more rental units will be built.
The larger scattered site homeownership program, also working with Salisbury, is helping the Cornwall Housing Corporation build on three available lots. The group needs funding for construction and hope to start building this fall.
There are ongoing renovations at the existing affordable rental units at Kugeman Village. Residents of Kugeman speak highly of the village and state they would not be able to live in Cornwall if the units weren’t available.
Last December, Cornwall formed an Affordable Housing Commission to advocate for more opportunities and seek grants.
Ayer said, “They are looking out for other opportunities for their next project.”
Sharon
On Thursday, June 13, nonprofit Sharon Housing Trust got approval for a lease agreement with the Board of Selectmen for their Community Center Building project which will have four 2-bedroom units of affordable housing. The town is working now on a grant application for renovation funding.
A press release from the SHT released further details. If they receive funding in the next 15 months, the lease will be for 99 years, $1 per year, so long as the space is used for affordable housing. On Friday, June 14, the Town of Sharon submitted a Small Cities application for a $1 million grant.
Casey Flanagan, Sharon first selectman, stated, “I am pleased with the thorough process the Town completed to arrive at the decision that the conversion of the Community Center into affordable housing was the best use of the property. We look forward to the day the renovation of the building is completed as it will give an opportunity to people who are in desperate need.”
On a lot adjacent to the Community Center Building site, the trust acquired space has three buildings of six affordable rental housing units. Sharon applied for state funded renovations here as well. The hope is to unify all the spaces into a community with funding.
Kent
Completed in several stages from 2010 to 2020, Stuart Farm in Kent houses 13 rental units. The apartments were developed and maintained by nonprofit Kent Affordable Housing near the town center. Residents qualify by earning less than 80% of the median income for the area.
A town meeting April 26, 2024, approved access for KAH to start on a 10-unit site at the South Common Development. The group needs P&Z approval and an architect to move forward.
This new land is next to the existing South Commons Development for affordable rental housing. Additional renovations there just finished.
KAH is collaborating with the Kent Volunteer Fire Department in hopes of creating new homes for firefighters. LCCHO helped write a funding application for three housing units for KVFD volunteers. It’s a unique case for the emergency service workers.
Ayer said, “If you’re going to build with state or federal funding, you can’t limit it to only volunteer fire department members.”
Falls Village
The Falls Village Housing Trust is the nonprofit in the Town of Canaan. It acquired two houses for a five-unit property for affordable rental housing, and state funding to pay back acquisition loan and cover renovations.
Ayer said, “That’s the first dedicated affordable rental housing in that town.”
The larger River Road Homes for 16 energy efficient rental units got P&Z approval and awaits infrastructure funding. The funding is critical for well and septic, as the town doesn’t have public water or sewer systems. In their attempts to raise money, they recently received a positive environmental review.
North Canaan
In North Canaan, 19.4% of households are paying more than 50% of income on housing: the third highest rate of all the towns in Litchfield County.
As of the 2022 Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD) there were 125 dedicated affordable dwellings in North Canaan. The POCD breaks down that figure:
“40 of these homes are for seniors and disabled at Wangum Village which is overseen by the North Canaan Housing Authority (by a board made up of North Canaan residents.). 34 homes are for seniors at Beckley House on the campus of Geer Village. 37 homes are at Station Place in downtown North Canaan which has 4 3-bedrooms, 24 2-bedrooms, and 9 1-bedroom apartments. 14 of these are homes that received mortgage assistance through the CT Housing Finance Authority (CHFA) or USDA.” (Note: the North Canaan Housing Authority has since dissolved, but Wangum Village remains.)
On May 6, First Selectman Brian Ohler called for plans to reinstate North Canaan’s housing committee to address its lack of affordable housing. The town does not have a housing trust or an alternative nonprofit like other towns in the region.
LCCHO helped write the town’s housing plan, which calls for a housing trust. Ayer said, “I will say, interestingly, if you look at the data, a lot of North Canaan’s households spend more than 50% of their income on housing costs, more than the other towns we are talking about.”
Norfolk
In Norfolk, 51.8% of the houses were built before 1950. Converting such homes into mutiple units for affordable housing requires considerable funding.
The historic Royal Arcanum Building, built in 1902 for the Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department and the Royal Arcanum secret fraternal benefit society, partnered with the nonprofit Foundation for Norfolk Living. The separate Norfolk Foundation, the entity that owns the property, will help the nonprofit with five affordable rental housing units.
Haystack Woods is another ongoing project under the nonprofit for 10 units of single-family homeownership. It will be the first Net Zero community development in the state, fit with solar panels. It’s seeking construction funding.
Charlie Castellanos, left, and Allegra Ferri, right, sitting in the HVRHS library to talk about their experiences in the U.S.
“I would say if you are thinking about doing the program, do it because you get out of your comfort zone and learn so many things...” —Charlie Castellanos
Every year, Housatonic Valley Regional High School welcomes foreign exchange students to attend classes through the AFS Intercultural Programs. This school year, two students traveled to Northwest Connecticut to immerse themselves in American life and culture. Allegra Ferri, a 17-year-old from Italy, and 16-year-old Charlie Castellanos from Colombia sat down to reflect on their experience at HVRHS. As the academic year is coming to an end, they shared a few highlights of their time in the U.S. and offered advice to prospective exchange students.
Allegra: “My favorite part of this exchange year was coming here and experiencing an American high school.”
Charlie: “My favorite part is coming to high school and living the American dream and probably going to ski [for the first time].”
Allegra: “I played volleyball in the fall and I really liked it because everyone was so nice. Then during the winter, I was part of the crew for the musical and now I’m doing tennis. I really enjoy it because it’s a good team. I love how American high school has sports and activities after school.”
Charlie: “I did soccer in the fall, which was my favorite. I did the play in the winter and right now I’m doing track and field. We don’t have school sports in Colombia. This is one of the things I’m going to miss the most.”
Allegra: “I would say do it because living in another country is a great experience to grow and improve another language. It improves your skills of being by yourself.”
Charlie: “I would say if you are thinking about doing the program, do it because you get out of your comfort zone and learn so many things like culture, language and it’s just a completely new experience. It will stay with you your entire life.”
Students from Housatonic Valley Regional High School wrote and produced the inaugural edition of HVRHS Today, a new publication by and for students in the Northwest Corner.
This inaugural issue of HVRHS Today marks the first student-led journalism effort at the high school in several years. The program is a collaboration between the Lakeville Journal, the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation and the 21st Century Fund.
Anna Gillette, Mia DiRocco, Shanaya Duprey, Madelyn Johnson and Ibby Sadeh volunteered to form the first group of students comprising the staff of the HVRHS Today.
The five girls got to work just before spring break, meeting as a group of reporters for the first time at the Lakeville Journal office in Falls Village on Wednesday, April 9. That night, the team hit the ground running throwing out ideas for their first reporting projects and discussing the basics of gathering news and reporting facts.
In the following weeks, the students gathered weekly every Thursday at the Lakeville Journal office to discuss interviewing, writing and reporting and plan their coverage for the paper. The students took the lead at every turn, choosing which topics they would like to cover and deciding what sources were best for each story.
Anna Gillette, of Lakeville, joined the program out of a passion for research writing and a desire to learn about a potential career path. “I don’t really know what I want to do in the future and I don’t know what career I want to pursue,” Gillette said. “So I think that this is a good opportunity to, kind of, test the waters to see if this is something I would be interested in.”
Gillette contributed reporting on the latest production of the high school’s Unwritten Show, a completely student-led annual production written this year by Sara Huber and co-directed by Huber and Alex Wilbur. Gillette also reported on and profiled the winner of this year’s “Next Top Mountaineer” pageant, a senior named Manny Matsudaira.
Madelyn Johnson, of North Canaan, said she joined the program to hone her writing skills. “My English teacher calls me a ‘stupendously boring writer,’” Johnson said. “There’s not much emotion or anything in my writing. It’s pretty much just fact, fact, fact.” This is a good thing, Johnson said, for Advanced Placement tests, but not necessarily for more creative assignments.
The program pushed Madelyn Johnson out of her comfort zone, something she said her mother has spent her whole life teaching her to appreciate. “My mom has always had me facing my fears,” Johnson said. “Even if I didn’t always like them, I was always sort of forced to try new things. So I’m trying to continue that with the new independence I get as I grow up.”
Johnson profiled the seniors of the HVRHS track team that will be going on to run for their collegiate teams after graduation, and Richie Crane, who won a Sondheim Award for his performance of Old Man Strong in this year’s production of “Urinetown.”
Mia DiRocco, of Cornwall, said she wants to pursue a career in journalism after graduation. “I’m really passionate about politics, and now is a great time for that,” DiRocco said. “And I’m really interested in international relations, linguistics — and I love writing — so, it’s a career that I think encompasses all my interests in one.”
DiRocco focused her reporting on the no-longer-imperiled tennis team and sports involvement at HVRHS in general. Her reporting dug into the benefits of the brand new tennis courts and the efforts required to bring back previously dissolved groups — like the recently reformed cheerleading team.
Ibby Sadeh, of Falls Village, said she expected the program to help her with her social skills. “From the first meeting I definitely thought it could be fun and valuable to learn new skills and build on my social skills,” Sadeh said. “And also help with my writing skills. I’ve only done essays and reflections for class. I haven’t actually written in this form before.”
Sadeh contributed the inaugural reporter’s notebook report, reflecting on this year’s trip to Europe. Sadeh also worked with DiRocco to recap the first year behind the scenes with the Bias Education and Response Team, and with Gillette to produce a Q&A with this year’s foreign exchange students — 17-year-old Allegra Ferri from Italy and 16-year-old Charlie Castellanos from Colombia.
Shanaya Duprey, of North Canaan, like many of her compatriots in the program, wanted to seize an opportunity to improve her writing, but for a career in marine biology. “I’ve always been really interested in animals,” Duprey said. “I’ve found a new passion for the ocean. There’s not a lot of attention on marine conservation so I’d like to do that.” Duprey said style of researched, journalistic work she produced for HVRHS Today could help her in a future career as a scientist writing and submitting grant proposals and research papers.
Duprey focused her reporting over the past six weeks on the 21st Century Fund, a nonprofit organization that provides funding for educational opportunities and scholarships to HVRHS students. Her reporting focused on Silas Tripp, a student at HVRHS that could attend multiple educational engineering camps thanks to money from the 21st Century Fund.
HVRHS Today can be found online at www.lakevillejournal.com/hvrhs-today.
WATERTOWN — Housatonic Valley Regional High School girls lacrosse played Watertown High School for the Western Connecticut Lacrosse Conference championship Wednesday, May 28.
The cold, rainy game went back and forth with three ties and three lead changes. Watertown was ahead when it counted and earned a 6-4 victory to claim the league title.
Under the lights in Watertown, both sides displayed defensive discipline in a hard-fought match. It was the third meeting between these two teams this season and Watertown completed the sweep in the title game.
Watertown scored first in the opening minute. Housatonic quickly evened the score when freshman Annabelle Carden tucked a shot past the goalie on a fast break. The first quarter ended 1-1.
Freshman Annabelle Carden, no. 9, scored the first two goals for HVRHS in the title game May 28.Photo by Riley Klein
HVRHS pulled ahead with another goal from Carden in the second quarter. A few minutes before half time, Watertown tied it up again at 2-2 going into intermission.
Watertown regained the lead in the second half before HVRHS answered with a goal by senior Tessa Dekker. With seconds left in the third quarter, the Warriors went up 4-3.
As the sky darkened and rain intensified in the fourth quarter, Watertown built a lead. They scored twice in a row to start the final period and entered clock-management mode to drain time. Senior Lola Clayton scored once more before time was out and the game ended 6-4.
Housatonic's defense held Watertown to six points in the championship game. Watertown, the number one team in the WCLC, averaged more than 12 goals per game this season.Photo by Riley Klein
The championship’s most valuable player award went to Malia Arline of Watertown. HVRHS had five players chosen to the 2025 all-league team: Lola Clayton, Lou Haemmerle, Mollie Ford, Neve Kline and Georgie Clayton.
“Incredible finals. Incredible game to watch,” said HVRHS Coach Laura Bushey to her team post-game. “You should all be very proud of yourselves.”
“Holding a team to six points is something to be really, really proud of. Especially a team that’s as good as these guys,” said assistant coach Erin Bushey.
HVRHS qualified for the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference Class S lacrosse tournament. The Mountaineers got matched against Wolcott High School in round one May 30. HVRHS won 13-6 and advanced to the second round to play top ranked Lauralton Hall June 3 in Milford.
Lou Haemmerle created offensive opportunities for HVRHS in the league final.Photo by Riley Klein
“Some I prefer are the grilled cheese. Pizza’s okay with some sauce. Hamburger too, I guess. The least favorite that I’ve tried is probably the hot ham and cheese. I don’t like that. I’ve started to see that they’re doing French fries, which I kind of like. They should probably start doing more of that.”
“My favorite lunch is probably the mac and cheese and popcorn chicken. I’d like to see it more frequently. Grilled cheese, cheese quesadilla, french toasts sticks, and chicken fajita
can all go.”
“My favorite is beef nacho grande. My least favorite is probably the fajitas.
I wish we had chicken nuggets and mashed potatoes more often.”
“General Tsou’s chicken is my favorite lunch. Also, the popcorn chicken and mac and cheese.
I really don’t like the French toast sticks or that we have pizza every Friday. We need some more variation.”
Photos by Ibby Sadeh and Mia DiRocco