To the Editor:
Over 100 people attended the OL Zoning Commission hearing on Monday evening. They frequently applauded the many speakers who disapproved of the proposed 11,000 square foot house proposed beside the Smith Neck Boat launch. Speakers described site violations of regulations, excessive water use and un-permitted clearcutting. The CT River Gateway Commission has recommended denial of the zoning application. Over many decades, Old Lyme residents have developed and agreed on our zoning regulations to protect the quality of our environment and the character of our towns.
The Applicant’s architect asserted many surprising defenses as to why they should be allowed to build a house that does not comply with the zoning regulations. One main point was that the other houses in the neighborhood didn’t comply with the regulations but she forgot to add that the other houses were built in the 30’s before the regulations existed.
Perhaps the Applicants most bizarre claim was that the requirement to locate the house behind the crest of the hill doesn’t apply. They actually asserted that the property is not really on a hill, so there isn’t really a crest of the hill, because there can’t be a crest if there isn’t a hill. Anyone with two feet knows that there is a hill and a crest at the boat launch and this house must be located behind the crest according to the regulations.
The hearing reinforced the need for town residents to support the CT River Gateway Commission denial and let the volunteers on the Zoning Commission know that we support them in enforcing our regulations. The hearing process for this Application is closed but Old Lyme’s need for regulatory clarity and compliance is not. The Zoning Commission rules apply to everyone and failure to enforce them puts us all at risk of living in a community with unchecked development, with no hills.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Karter,
Old Lyme.
To the Editor,
How hypocritical of a few Smith Neck Road neighbors who not so long ago built their “McMansions” in what use to be a quant little shoreline access road of smaller homes.
How quickly some forget that nobody protested their homes that were being built in most cases double the square footage of many existing homes of that time!
With that being said, was the availability of adequate well water a concern that they ignored only now to bring up as an issue for a new ‘neighbor’ ?
As a local resident who is concerned with maintaining the character of our wonderful shoreline one couldn’t ask for a better design and design firm as the one being proposed for what has been a blighted property for the past 25 years we’ve lived in Old Lyme
Welcome and All the best to the new home owners !
Keith
I agree that Smith Neck Rd has seen development in the past and we welcome new neighbors. We all followed the rules that were in effect when our houses were built, mostly in the 1930’s. We are requesting that the Applicants for the 43 Smith Neck Rd Special Permit must also comply with the laws and rules in effect today. The Applicant’s lack of regulatory compliance was the basis for the recommended denial of this application by the Ct River Gateway Commission and Old Lyme Zoning Regulations shares the same regulations and we are asking the Zoning Commission to deny the application on the basis of regulatory compliance.
Your other assertion that neighbors have ignored water issues is wrong. The issues around water are of paramount importance to local residents and is a shared resource much discussed by the neighbors. The lot in the Application at 43 Smith Neck Rd was established in the 1920’s and the same family lived there until they sold it 2022. As they often told me, they never converted it into a full-time residence because of the limited water supply. This was especially problematic, after their well location was designated in the FEMA regulated, post hurricane Sandy, 100-year flood zone which would have required meeting a new set of standards. Also, the prominent ledge covering the property precludes burying the water pipes without blasting. Blasting is dangerous for surrounding properties and could disrupt the aquifer. Lack of year-round water was part of the reason the original owners sold rather than retire here. The current applicant had full access to the regulations and the water constraints prior to purchasing the site should not be exempt from them because they are inconvenient. The same rules should be applied to everyone for our mutual protection and the protection of the sensitive environment adjacent to this property.
I agree with your interest in maintaining the character of Old Lyme but that is a very subjective preference. Neither the house design, nor professionals involved in the design are at issue except when they propose ignoring the regulations. For example, they asserted that they could build in front of the crest of the hill by redefining hills. They cited neighboring house locations as justification to ignore the requirement but ignored that the other houses were built in the 1930’s, before current regulations, and have not moved. They didn’t even try to explain how the steep pitched on the roofline and prominent vertical are not similar to the topography of the property as required. These are not design opinions they are violations of regulatory constraints that all Special Permit Applicants must follow.