Hikers Explore Area Earmarked for Construction, Hike Precedes ‘Happy Hour ‘at Old Lyme Inn
OLD LYME–On May 7, a group of local residents gathered for the first hike of the season organized by the Old Lyme Open Space Commission and Old Lyme Land Trust,. For many of the walkers, the hike through the McCulloch Family Open Space was their first time visiting the property off Flat Rock Hill Rd. in Old Lyme.
The hike preceded what the hike’s lead organizer Andrea Fenton described as, “a delightful Happy Hour at the Old Lyme Inn.” She emphasized that all are welcome to join these combination hikes and ‘Happy Hours,’ which are organized on a regular basis, stressing that you do not actually need to take the hike in order to enjoy the ‘Happy Hour!’
Affordable Homes Move Closer to Reality
The new, red path that the hikers followed loops around two Affordable Housing lots, which were designated in the original transfer of the property. The process of turning these six acres of the 300-acre McCulloch Family Open Space property into two affordable, single-family homes is moving closer to reality as part of a joint effort between the town and Habitat for Humanity of Eastern Connecticut.
The Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) on Thursday is set for a public hearing on a request from the Old Lyme Affordable Housing Commission that would allow the two proposed houses to share a driveway with two existing houses on Flat Rock Hill Road.
The town in 2019 closed on the purchase of approximately 300 acres from the McCulloch family to be preserved in perpetuity. The sale set aside two parcels, totaling about six acres, for the construction of affordable homes. Voters last year authorized the transfer of the land from the town to Habitat for Humanity of Eastern Connecticut, which will build and manage one single-family house on each parcel.
Variance Needed Before Construction Can Begin
A variance to zoning regulations must be granted before the town can move forward with a plan to bring in Habitat for Humanity to start construction, according to Affordable Housing Commission meeting minutes.
Old Lyme Land Use Coordinator Eric Knapp on Monday said about six acres of land at 130-1 Whippoorwill Road, which were deeded to the town by the McCulloch family for the construction of affordable homes, do not have any direct road frontage.
“So we’re trying to subdivide them out, but can’t without a variance,” he said.
The town’s zoning regulations require 25 feet of road frontage per lot to qualify for subdivision.
The land has deeded rights to a 50-foot wide driveway off Flat Rock Hill Road, according to the ZBA application.
“It’s kind of a unique situation, and that’s what the ZBA is there for,” Knapp said.
State law grants the ZBA the power to grant variances if existing regulations create “exceptional difficulty or unusual hardship” when it comes to using the property.
The other two houses that would share the driveway are on land owned by the nonprofit HOPE Partnership, according to assessor’s records. The houses that sit on the land – built in the 1990s by the Old Lyme Affordable Housing Corp before it merged with HOPE – are sold to low-income households using a community land trust model. The framework limits the profit owners can make if they decide to sell their homes.
The town paid $500,000 for what is now the McCulloch Family Open Space, and $50,000 each for two three-acre areas off Flat Rock Hill Rd. The Affordable Housing Commission in 2022 received a $150,000 grant from the town using federal pandemic-relief funds to reimburse the town for the original purchase price.
But the deed transfer from the town to Habitat for Humanity of Eastern Connecticut is pending the creation of a steering committee to guide the process, April Affordable Housing Commission meeting minutes stated. The committee will be formed once variance is granted by the ZBA.