An Open Letter to the People of Old Lyme:
Dear Neighbor,
Guided change will allow Halls Road to better serve Old Lyme in the 21st century.
The proposed Halls Road Overlay District allows the private investment needed to create a new, mixed-use town center there, scaled to the needs of Old Lyme:
- Smaller scale housing for down-sizing seniors and young families,
- Browse-able retail street,
- Walkable, bikeable, living neighborhood,
- A viable alternative to Halls Road being dominated by highway services – its likely future without HROD.
For the full details on the Halls Road Overlay Zoning, please go to Town of Old Lyme website at https://www.oldlyme-ct.gov/343/Halls-Road-Improvements-Committee .
Halls Overlay Zoning has been fully reviewed and approved by the Old Lyme Planning Commission, carefully reviewed by the Old Lyme Economic Development Commission and the Old Lyme Zoning Commission has reviewed at several meetings and is now scheduled for its Final Zoning Hearing.
Opponents of Halls Zoning are ‘flooding the zone’ with wild exaggerations and outright lies. We need your help to show such scare tactics cannot work in Old Lyme.
PLEASE TAKE ACTION
Come and show your support for a better future for Old Lyme.
- SHOW UP at Zoning Hearing.
- BRING FRIENDS to show that people care about this.
- SPEAK UP at the Hearing.
WHAT: Old Lyme Zoning Hearing
WHEN: Thursday, 6:30pm February 27, 2025
WHERE: Old Lyme Middle School Auditorium
If you cannot attend please share this email with like-minded friends. Also please submit a Support Letter (Either copy, sign and email/mail this Support Letter or use it to write your own.)
Send via email or mail to below:
Postal: (must arrive before February 27)
Old Lyme Zoning Commission
52 Lyme Street, Old Lyme Memorial Town Hall
Old Lyme, CT 06371
Eric Knapp <[email protected]>
cc: Craig Bonatti <[email protected]>
Thank you for your time and your consideration of this important matter.
Sincerely,
Edie Twining,
Old Lyme.
Editor’s Note: The author is the Halls Road Improvements Committee Chair
The vast majority of opposition comments are derived or directly quoted from the HROD proposal. “no more than 40 dwelling units shall be built per 1 acre of land”. (HROD website 11/18/24), or from Bill Sweeney’s sales pitch from the hearing on 1-15-25. Listen to the recording. 200’ buildings fronting Halls Road, with 20,000sf footprint; (x3 stories = 60k on 3 floors with a 15’ MAXIMUM setback from route 1. And the area(s) behind the Qualifying Projects have murkey development limits, but would necessitate 3 story parking garages; what’s that tell you?
It’s a developers dream, never mind all the window dressing…….
The proposed plan is well thought out and sensible. We’ve had over ten years of “tweeking” the details. I have confidence that the board has done an exemplary job and that our zoning board will also look out for the town’s best interests.
Old Lyme needs other forms of housing, retail space that fits our changing times and a walkable downtown with such a mix. We are the one town in the shoreline that is a laggard in this area. I strongly feel that it will only add to our quality of life.