
A rendering of “Holley Place” from Millerton Road (Route 44). Illustration from Salisbury Housing Committee
SALISBURY — A Superior Court judge has struck down legal challenges to a proposed affordable housing development on town-owned property at 11 Holley Street in the Lakeville section of Salisbury, known as the Holley Block.
A 19-page Memorandum of Decision, filed by Judge Andrew Roraback on Friday, Feb. 17, paves the way for the construction of 12 rental units for individuals or families at or below 80 percent of the median income level for Litchfield County.
“This is a clear win. We are overjoyed and we look forward to being able to put up 12 affordable housing units in that location,” said Peter Halle, co-president of the Salisbury Housing Committee, Inc. (SHC).
SHC was a named defendant in the lawsuit filed 18 months ago, along with the Salisbury Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z).
SHC’s application for the housing project was approved by the P&Z on May 17, 2021, with numerous conditions and after three lengthy sessions of a public hearing. On June 8, 2021, opponents of the proposal filed a lawsuit to halt the process.
The three plaintiffs in the lawsuit included two abutting property owners, 12 Millerton Road, LLC and RJSHolding, LLC, and an individual, William Muecke, who was an intervenor in the process.
The plaintiff’s attorney, Daniel Casagrande of Cramer and Anderson, wrote in a Tuesday, Feb. 21 email:
“While my clients respect the decision of the court they are obviously disappointed. We are weighing options to appeal.”
The plaintiffs challenged the commission’s actions in approving the application and claimed that it “failed to conduct an inquiry…as to whether there existed a ‘feasible and prudent alternative’ ” to SHC’s proposal.
In his decision Judge Roraback ruled in favor of the defendants.
“The plaintiff’s verified complaint…contains a litany of alleged shortcomings challenging the substance of SHC’s special permit application and alleged abuses of discretion on the part of the commission in reaching its decision to approve that application,” said Roraback.
P&Z chair Michael Klemens said the judge’s decision to dismiss the lawsuits is “affirmation that P&Z conducted a fair, open and inclusive process.”
Klemens said he was pleased that the judge “recognized that P&Z actually listened to the intervenors and imposed conditions that reflected their testimony.”
While pleased with the ruling, Klemens cautioned that it may be just the beginning of a multi-step legal process.
“What it means is that we’ve prevailed in this go-around, but of course the plaintiffs have the opportunity to appeal. I’m not even thinking that this is the end of it.”
He said the process has already been an expensive one for the town.
“It’s cost the taxpayers quite a bit of money, and that’s money that we cannot recover. It was an expense, but it was needed. We had to defend our decision to the best of our ability.”
The process has also delayed the project for the past a year and a half, noted Halle. “Every month that goes by without these 12 units is another 12 families that don’t have a place to live.”
‘Feasible and prudent’ alternatives sought
The Memorandum of Decision notes that the Holley Street property was given to the town in 1967 by the Belcher family. The gift was conditioned on the town agreeing to demolish a large and aging building known as “The Holley Block” that dated at least from the 1880s.
The Belchers provided that if new buildings were constructed on the site, they should have “exterior design in keeping with the Federal or early Eighteenth-Century image of our villages,” according to the legal decision. If no buildings were constructed, the Belchers directed the property be “cleared, graded and landscaped for a town park or attractively landscaped for a parking area.”
At the public hearing, there was extensive testimony and documentary evidence relating to the historical importance of the vacant .31-acre site on which SHC seeks to construct a building containing affordable housing, wrote Roraback.
In his decision, the judge noted that “…the court upholds the commission’s determination that the intervenors did not adduce evidence that was sufficient to require the commission to consider feasible and prudent alternatives.”
The court also ruled favorably to the commission’s interpretation of the regulations as they apply to the permissible front yard setbacks for SHC’s proposed building in the subject overlay zone, and that such interpretation was the result of “honest judgment that was reasonably and fairly exercised.”
In conclusion, Roraback ruled that the decision of the Salisbury Planning and Zoning Commission is upheld and dismissed the appeal.
In 2017, the Salisbury Affordable Housing Commission hosted a series of community forums to seek resident input on housing goals and locations. The Holley Block was voted the most popular site for new affordable housing at these forums. The site once contained an apartment building on it that was demolished decades ago.
The town provided an option to lease the property to the SHC, which has been awarded pre-development funding for the affordable housing project from the state Department of Housing to explore the viability of affordable housing on that site.
On Feb. 6, the Salisbury Board of Selectmen voted unanimously to extend the lease on the Holley Block property to SHC until July 31, 2025.
Halle credited the town’s Planning and Zoning commission, its chairman and town attorneys for making a solid case for the proposed affordable housing project, to be named “Holley Place,” which he said he expects will move forward once state financing comes through.
“P&Z did a thorough job when they ruled for us back in May of 2021, and that is really what carried the day. This is an important win for us. We needed this.”
Cornwall Consolidated School seventh graders Skylar Brown, Izabella Coppola, Halley Villa, Willow Berry, Claire Barbosa, Willa Lesch, Vivianne DiRocco and Franco Aburto presented a group research project on the life of Naomi Freeman Wednesday, April 23. In attendance were U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes, D-Conn., John Mills, president of Alex Breanne Corporation, Cornwall First Selectman Gordon Ridgway, Cornwall Selectman Jennifer Markow and CCS social studies teacher Will Vincent.
CORNWALL — “In Cornwall you have made the decision that everyone here matters and everyone’s story is important,” said U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes, D-Waterbury, to the seventh grade class at Cornwall Consolidated School April 23.
Hayes was in attendance to celebrate history on Wednesday as the CCS students presented their group research project on the life of Naomi Cain Freeman, the first Black female landowner in Cornwall.
To memorialize Freeman, the seventh graders petitioned the town selectmen to rename Great Hollow Road where the Freemans once lived. New street signs for Naomi Freeman Historic Road were created with some help from the town highway department.
“No one in this community, or the state for that matter, will ever forget that this happened here,” said Hayes.
Cornwall Highway Department helped the students create new signs to install on Great Hollow Road.Photo by Riley Klein
Per Cornwall Historical Society records, Freeman’s story began in 1794 when she was born in Vermont. John Sedgwick and his wife Abigail, of Cornwall, adopted her in 1801: an act that protected her from slavery, which was still legal in Connecticut at the time.
Sedgwick included Naomi in his will and she received a dowry after his death in 1820.
Naomi later married Obadiah “Obed” Freeman, a man who had been enslaved in Cornwall. She purchased an acre in Cornwall, becoming the town’s first African American woman to own land, and the two settled on Great Hollow Road in 1828.
Nearly 200 years later, the street itself bears her name.
“We are really proud of the work we’ve done and that Naomi Freeman will continue to be an impactful presence in our town,” said CCS student Vivianne DiRocco.
DiRocco and her classmates Skylar Brown, Izabella Coppola, Halley Villa, Willa Lesch, Willow Berry, and Claire Barbosa discovered Freeman’s story earlier this year while conducting research into important women in Cornwall’s history. The full project will be presented at Troutbeck Symposium May 1.
“One of the archaeologists who excavated the Freemans’ home told us about a gap in Connecticut’s history concerning the everyday life for free African Americans. We hope that we filled that gap a little bit,” said Lesch.
There are no known photographs or portraits of Freeman. The students utilized artificial intelligence to create images of what she might have looked like during her life in Cornwall.
The students created artwork to show what Naomi Freeman, her husband Obed and daughter Sarah might have looked like living in Cornwall.Photo by Riley Klein
“What an incredible example of what happens when young people are given the tools, the encouragement and the space to lead,” said CCS Principal Leanne Maguire. “Thank you for showing us what is possible when curiosity meets courage.”
John Mills, president of the Alex Breanne Corporation in West Hartford, was consulted by the students to help unearth census data and track down living descendants of Freeman. His company researches formerly enslaved people and brings their stories to light.
Mills said he was surprised to see the extensive research that was conducted by the students by the time he was contacted. His company sometimes helps render images for individuals lost to history, but the students had even taken that on themselves.
“I’m incredibly impressed with what you’ve done here,” said Mills to the students. “Now you’re a part of the celebration and civic engagement.”
Town of Salisbury
Board of Finance
Notice of Public Hearing Hybrid Meeting
Wednesday,
April 30th, 2025
7:30pm
A public hearing called by the Board of Finance will be held in-person and via Zoom at 7:30pm on Wednesday, April 30th, 2025 at Salisbury Town Hall, 27 Main Street, Salisbury, CT 06068 with the following agenda:
1. To receive public comment on the proposed Board of Education budget as presented.
2. To receive public comment on the proposed Board of Selectmen, town government budget as presented.
Note: Copies of the proposed budgets are available at Town Hall.
Board of Finance Meeting Immediately following the Public Hearing
1. Final Budget Review; Discussion and possible vote to present the Board of Education and Board of Selectmen, Town Government Budget to the Annual Town Budget meeting, which will take place on Wednesday, May 14th, 2025 at 7:30pm
Please Note: The Annual Town Budget Meeting date has been changed to Wednesday, May 14th, 2025 at 7:30pm.
Topic: Public Hearing on Budgets immediately followed by Board of Finance
Time: Apr 30, 2025 07:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
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04-24-25
Legal Notice
The Planning & Zoning Commission of the Town of Salisbury will hold a Public Hearing on Special Permit Application #2025-0280 by owner Richard Cantele for Structures Located less than Fifty (50) feet from a Waterbody or Watercourse at 204 Between the Lakes Road, Salisbury, Map 58, Lot 03 per Section 404 of the Salisbury Zoning Regulations. The hearing will be held on Monday, May 5, 2025 at 6:45 PM. There is no physical location for this meeting. This meeting will be held virtually via Zoom where interested persons can listen to & speak on the matter. The application, agenda and meeting instructions will be listed at www.salisburyct.us/agendas/. Written comments may be submitted to the Land Use Office, Salisbury Town Hall, 27 Main Street, P.O. Box 548, Salisbury, CT or via email to landuse@salisburyct.us. Paper copies may be reviewed Monday through Thursday between the hours of 8:00 AM and 3:30 PM.
Salisbury Planning & Zoning Commission
Martin Whalen, Secretary
04-24-25
05-01-25
Notice of Decision
Town of Salisbury
Inland Wetlands & Watercourses Commission
Notice is hereby given that the following action was taken by the Inland Wetlands & Watercourses Commission of the Town of Salisbury, Connecticut on April 14, 2025:
Approved - Application 2025-IW-050 by Engineer Pat Hackett to install a new septic system. The property is shown on Salisbury Assessor’s map 59 as lot 09 and is known as 36 South Shore Road, Salisbury. The owner of the property is Noelle G Becker, Trustee.
Any aggrieved person may appeal this decision to the Connecticut Superior Court in accordance with the provisions of Connecticut General Statutes §22a-43(a) & §8-8.
04-24-25
TAX COLLECTOR TOWN OF
SALISBURY CT
LEGAL NOTICE
Pursuant to Sec. 12-145 of the Connecticut State Statutes, the taxpayers of the Town of Salisbury are hereby notified that the fourth installment on the Grand List of October 1, 2023 is due and payable on April l, 2025. Payments must be received or postmarked by May 1, 2025. If said Real Estate and Personal Property taxes are not paid on or before May 1, 2025, interest at the rate of one and one half percent (18% per year) will be added for each month or a fraction thereof which elapses from the time when such tax becomes due and payable until the same is paid. Minimum interest charge is $2.00.
Pursuant to Section 12-173 of the Connecticut State Statutes, unpaid Real Estate tax on the Grand List of October 1, 2023 will be LIENED on JUNE 6, 2025. Payment must be received by 12:00 p.m. on June 6, 2025 to avoid a Lien. Tax Office is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9am- 4pm. Closed 12:30pm- 1 :30 pm.
Taxes can be paid by mail addressed to: Tax Collector, P.O. Box 338, 27 Main Street, Salisbury, CT 06068, There is a drop box in the vestibule of the Town Hall which is available 9am-4pm, Monday-Friday as well as a 24-hour drop slot at the rear of the building adjacent to the parking area. The Town is urging taxpayers to mail checks or use the option of paying by credit card or E-Check. Please see the Town website salisburyct.us for additional information. Dated at Town of Salisbury, CT this 15TH day of March 2025.
Jean F. Bell, CCMC
Tax Collector
Salisbury CT 06068
03-20-25
04-03-25
04-24-25
Experienced horse equestrian: to train three-year-old white Persian Mare for trail riding. 860-67-0499.
Help wanted: Small Angus Farm seeks reliable help for cattle and horses. Duties include feeding, fence repair, machine repair. Will train the right person. 860-671-0499.
The Town of Cornwall has several job openings for the Town Beach: Beach Director, Water Safety Instructor, and Certified Lifeguards. For more details and to apply, contact First Selectman’s office 860-672-4959.
Hector Pacay Service: House Remodeling, Landscaping, Lawn mowing, Garden mulch, Painting, Gutters, Pruning, Stump Grinding, Chipping, Tree work, Brush removal, Fence, Patio, Carpenter/decks, Masonry. Spring and Fall Cleanup. Commercial & Residential. Fully insured. 845-636-3212.
Hay For Sale: Round Bales. First Cutting covered hay, round bales. First cut hay covered with plastic. $25 for bale loaded. 860-671-0499.
PUBLISHER’S NOTICE: Equal Housing Opportunity. All real estate advertised in this newspaper is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act of 1966 revised March 12, 1989 which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation, or discrimination based on race, color religion, sex, handicap or familial status or national origin or intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination. All residential property advertised in the State of Connecticut General Statutes 46a-64c which prohibit the making, printing or publishing or causing to be made, printed or published any notice, statement or advertisement with respect to the sale or rental of a dwelling that indicates any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, marital status, age, lawful source of income, familial status, physical or mental disability or an intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination.
3b/3b home in Sharon:fully furnished, lake access, 3.84 acres. $5000 per month. 860-309-4482.
MT RIGA Two Bedroom LAKEFRONT: Log cabin. Private beach, canoes and kayaks. $1350/Week. 585-355-5245.
Seasonal rental: Very private and comfortable 4B/3B home set back from the road. 6/15-9/15. sun rm/dr, upper and lower decks, ping pong and knock hockey, den, FP, W/D, fully equipped. 15K seas. 917-887-8885.
Sharon Rentals: 1b/1b home on a private lake. Avail 4/1/25. Yearly. $2750/Furnished, weekly house--keeping, garbage, water, ground maint. included. utilities addtl. 860-309-4482.