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Salisbury Housing Trust opens doors to future ‘land bank’ thanks to small parcel donation
Jul 02, 2025
“My legacy is going to be a beautiful river preserved, put into conservation, and an affordable housing lot. I have left my imprint on the community,” —Michael Klemens
SALISBURY — A 100-foot by 100-foot plot of land at 235 Housatonic River Road recently donated to the nonprofit Salisbury Housing Trust by landowner Michael Klemens is being hailed by affordable housing advocates as an example of how a little-known and often misunderstood state statute known as 8-30g can support affordable housing initiatives in town.
“We’ve been talking about this for years, getting residents to donate small parcels,” through Connecticut General Statute 8-30g, said Jocelyn Ayer, director of the Litchfield County Centers for Housing Opportunity.
“What 8-30g does is that it gives zoning flexibility to affordable housing organizations. Getting a generous donation from that will hopefully encourage other residents to do the same.”
John Harney, president of the Housing Trust, referred to Klemens’ gift as “unbelievably generous,” and is the affordable housing group’s first building site meeting the requirements of 8-30g.
This newly acquired parcel, comprising 9,965 square feet and conveyed by warranty deed from Klemens to the Salisbury Housing Trust, Inc., on June 11, is situated outside of municipal services on a scenic road that runs along the Housatonic River.
Reflecting on his land donation, Klemens, who serves as Chairman of the Salisbury Planning and Zoning Commission, said he had long explored developing the lot for himself, but ultimately decided to donate it for affordable housing.
He explained that “Under current zoning, it’s just not a minimum lot size, so I would have had to get a variance from the ZBA, but with 8-30g, those restrictions go away. I thought about it for a long time, but decided that the real potential is that if somebody built an affordable house under 8-30g, it eliminates the need for a variance.”
Salisbury’s Plan of Conservation and Development, adopted last December, “was quite clear about the benefits of the 8-30g statute,” noted Klemens.
“This is a first for the Housing Trust,” noted Harney. “We have renovated and developed historically where there is town sewer and water, but we need to look elsewhere in the future to find land that will require a well and septic and build on that.”
Harney noted that while the state statute does not directly govern the process of land donation, it does create a favorable environment for relaxing land use regulations and supporting affordable housing initiatives, including the donation of undersized lots.
“Through Michael’s generosity, the housing trust can bank a number of these parcels for the future,” said the SHT president. “Without land, we can do nothing, but with land and with 8-30g, we can do everything.”
Klemens said his gift to the Housing Trust is the final step in protecting and preserving acreage that he and his partner Kenneth Leabman amassed decades ago, all of which is located on Housatonic River Road between the road and the river and includes rare vernal pools and unspoiled views.
That entire swath of land, he said, has since been put into conservation with the Housatonic Valley Association (HVA).
According to Julia Rogers, HVA’s senior land protection manager, the area protected by Klemens’ conservation easements comprise about 15 acres along the Wild & Scenic stretch of the Housatonic River and protects critical habitat for amphibians.
“I wanted to protect that side, with its beautiful vernal pools, the river and not a single house there,” said Klemens. “We put the house lots into conservancy, then there was this scrap of land that was just out there, on the other side of the road. I held onto that small parcel, which was separately taxed, and separately deeded.”
Klemens referred to his donation to the Housing Trust as “the last cog” in his quest to preserve environmentally sensitive land in perpetuity and at the same time allow for a family to be able to afford to live in an area of town which might otherwise have been out of reach financially.
“At last, my legacy is going to be a beautiful river preserved, put into conservation, and an affordable housing lot. I have left my imprint on the community.
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Splash down
Jul 02, 2025
Sharon Town Hall is located on Main Street.
Leila Hawken
SHARON — The Board of Selectmen hosted an informational meeting with the public on Monday, June 24 to discuss a proposed ordinance that would change the town clerk position from an elected role to one appointed by the BOS.
As per an announcement on the town website, the switch is meant to allow the field of applicants to extend beyond Sharon residents, as well as attract candidates who may not wish to participate in the election process. The public notice said the move would protect the clerk’s job security, as there is no limit on repeating terms so long as the position’s requirements and standards are satisfactorily met.
First Selectman Casey Flanagan reported public feedback on the topic was constructive. “The overall sentiment from the room was supportive of the idea to make the transition from elected to appointed,” he said.
One specific comment that may affect the final language of the ordinance suggested the concept of a “hiring committee” be broadened from just the heads of the Democratic and Republican Town Committees to allow the BOS to consult with others during the hiring process who may be familiar with the role, such as the registrars and current town clerk.
Current Town Clerk Linda Amerighi said June 30 that some questions have arisen since the informational meeting, and she emphasized that she is available to discuss the topic with any Sharon voter but not during business hours. “I want to be sure that before any decisions are made that people have an opportunity to understand what this means for Sharon,” Amerighi said.
The BOS is in the process of incorporating the public’s input into its final proposal ordinance that will be sent to town meeting for a vote. A date for the town meeting has yet to be announced.
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Wake Robin Inn is located on Sharon Road in Lakeville.
Photo by John Coston
LAKEVILLE — During a brief meeting midday on Wednesday, June 25, the Salisbury Water Pollution Control Authority voted unanimously to approve the sewer specifications of the controversial proposed expansion of the Wake Robin Inn.
Pending WPCA approval has long been a potential roadblock for the applicant, ARADEV LLC.
During the contentious public hearing sessions before the Planning and Zoning Commission in the final months of 2024, many residents claimed that the increased sewer load and runoff potential from the new development should be reason alone for the proposal’s denial.
P&Z itself has said repeatedly that it would not be able to permit the project without prior approval by WPCA.
At the Wednesday meeting, the Authority briefly reviewed the May 21 report from its third-party engineering consultant, Tighe & Bond, announcing that the study found the town’s sewer system has sufficient capacity for ARADEV’s plans.
WPCA Chair Donald Mayland noted that approval had to be “contingent upon successful ‘I&I’ treatment” demonstrated in the plans, which the Tighe & Bond review affirmed that it was. “I&I” stands for “inflow and infiltration” and refers to a sewer’s ability to handle increased load from stormwater runoff.
The Authority took a brief recess during the meeting while the town’s attorney Rich Roberts drafted a motion of approval, which he emphasized must specify the dates of the material reviewed, as the future of the application remains uncertain considering pending litigation against P&Z and may change details. After reconvening, the motion was read aloud and approved unanimously.
While the WPCA approval marks a milestone for the project, the potential restraining order against the P&Z remains a significant hurdle for ARADEV. P&Z has scheduled its public hearing for Aug. 5 to allow the court time to render a decision on the litigation, which will determine how and if the application is able to move forward.
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