Guest Commentary: Old Lyme Marketplace Owners Respond to Criticism

Editor’s Note: This guest commentary was submitted by Old Lyme Marketplace LLC principal Jason Hess in response to a July 25 Connecticut Examiner editorial by Gregory Stroud, “It’s Just Business in Old Lyme.” The views expressed in this commentary are those of the author. The piece has been updated with a response from Gregory Stroud.

It was with great alarm that we, the owners of Old Lyme Marketplace, read Gregory Stroud’s July 25, 2026, editorial titled “It’s Just Business in Old Lyme.” Mr. Stroud’s editorial contains objective falsehoods and attempts to attribute unethical methods and motives to a company that cares deeply about the success of Old Lyme Marketplace. To speculate as to why Mr. Stroud has unilaterally decided to pick this fight would be unproductive, but his allegations should not go unanswered. What is most concerning is the complete unprofessionalism that Mr. Stroud has demonstrated by failing to even do a cursory investigation before publishing his editorial. Had Mr. Stroud even attempted to reach out to anyone at Zelco to confirm or refute the claims he made in the editorial, he would have been immediately disabused of his allegations.

By way of background, we purchased Old Lyme Marketplace with the intent of putting much-needed tender love and care into what we consider to be a wonderful amenity to the Town of Old Lyme. We are pleased to count local members of the community as investors who share the same vision. It is with the intent of maintaining and attracting high-quality tenants that we have spent considerable sums to improve the landscaping by removing dead trees to improve the visibility of the tenants, fix the electrical problems and repair the parking lot. It is also why we are evaluating whether to proceed with, among other improvements, a major façade renovation. We have also committed funds to help improve the interior of the premises of those tenants who are also willing to commit to the center for the foreseeable future.

We see a real opportunity to reimagine and improve Old Lyme Marketplace for the benefit of the community as a whole and the tenants committed to its long-term success. Going forward, we intend to consider every viable option to strengthen the center and its tenant mix – whether that means consolidating or reconfiguring underutilized spaces, growing our partnership with tenants who are already contributing positively to the center, or introducing new tenants and uses that bring needed services to the community. Our efforts will continue to be pursued through the proper channels, as they have been to date. It’s not just business, as Mr. Stroud puts it, it’s about building community and investing the capital and care in what is needed to do so.

But to Mr. Stroud’s allegations. First, we are not in the early stages of planning hotel development in the plaza or pitching a food court and other changes. What we are doing is marketing the property to those interested in investing in being part of the Old Lyme community and who we feel will add services that are needed in the Town of Old Lyme. Unfortunately, many potential tenants have expressed reluctance to commit, citing the acrimony they have read about between various government officials, as well as editorials like the one Mr. Stroud published. This kind of coverage has made leasing space more difficult, since many prospective tenants feel that they may not be wanted and thus, may not be treated fairly. We continue to assure the folks that the in-fighting will not have any effect on them. Finally, as for Mr. Stroud’s claim that there has been “no public announcement” – our marketing efforts are, in fact, public and widespread. They are not hard to find.

Second, we have never met with Paul Orzel behind “closed doors.” That claim is simply false. We met once with Mr. Orzel, along with other members of the Economic Development Committee, before formally acquiring the center – not behind closed doors, but to coordinate a press release with the Town and to understand if they were aware of interest from businesses in filling the vacancies at the center. Aside from that single meeting, we have had no other contact with Mr. Orzel. However, we would be remiss if we also did not point out Mr. Stroud’s claim that in his “experience, these meetings just aren’t done.” We will charitably assume Mr. Stroud simply lacks experience, because meetings like this are conducted all the time and are perfectly appropriate. Having government officials that answer questions on rules, regulations, policies and procedures is an essential function of government. Regardless, those meetings about which Mr. Stroud complained just didn’t happen here. We have, in fact, followed with interest the fiasco surrounding the Halls Road Overlay. However, to date, we have not participated on the record or off the record in advocating one way or another with respect to the Halls Road Overlay.

Third, it is abundantly clear why Mr. Orzel has not offered any detailed account of the alleged “private” meetings. There were no private meetings. And in furtherance of that, there were no “assurances” made by or requested of Mr. Orzel. 

Mr. Stroud’s irresponsible editorial attempts to besmirch the stellar reputation that Zelco and its partners have built over many decades of creating successful projects. We will not let this stand.  We pride ourselves on our ability to work with communities and turn around otherwise struggling properties by investing time, energy, creativity, and money. We will continue to pursue these goals in Old Lyme and will consider all options to do so. We look forward to engagement with the community and government on how to improve Old Lyme Marketplace.

Old Lyme Marketplace LLC
Jason C. Hess
Principal

Response from Gregory Stroud, Editor of CT Examiner
The following response was submitted by Gregory Stroud after publication of the guest commentary. The views expressed are those of the author.

To date, Zelco has not asked CT Examiner for a clarification or correction of the record regarding the editorial, “It’s Just Business in Old Lyme,” no doubt because the piece is accurate and true. I have not questioned the business ethics or actions of Zelco, but I will say that their response in the form of an opinion piece only serves to muddy the waters and fails to respond to specific factual claims made in my editorial. I stand by my writing.