Old Lyme Officials Call for Residents to Join Halls Road Sidewalk Effort

OLD LYME, CT – After years of debate and failed proposals, an $800,000 sidewalk project is the only piece of the town’s Halls Road improvement effort moving forward – but officials still need volunteers to help oversee the project.

The Board of Selectmen on Monday formally accepted the Connecticut Department of Transportation funding, which will pay for six-foot-wide sidewalks along the north side of Halls Road to link the commercial span to historic Lyme Street. The grant covers construction costs but not engineering or design work.

First Selectwoman Martha Shoemaker told selectmen only one person has applied to serve on the newly created Halls Road Sidewalk Committee since it was announced earlier this month. She said she was holding off on appointing members to the committee until more applications came in. 

“We really can’t have a meeting with just one,” she said. 

On Feb. 2, selectmen charged the nine-member committee with overseeing development of “safe, accessible and connected sidewalks on Halls Road, including landscaping and related improvements.”

Among the committee’s first decisions will be selecting an engineering firm. The selectmen’s proposed 2026-27 operating budget has set aside $173,250 for the design project, based on a quote from town engineers Nathan L. Jacobson & Associates, Inc. Shoemaker said she will seek additional quotes and explore grant opportunities to help offset those costs while the committee is being assembled.

The sidewalk plan is what’s left of a decade-long push to reenvision the Halls Road commercial corridor, which has been dominated by strip malls going back to the mid-20th century. Sharply differing views over the scale and direction of potential redevelopment have stalled broader changes since the Halls Road Improvements Committee formed in 2015.

A requested amendment to the town’s zoning regulations – which would have created a framework to give property owners the option to build apartments above, or behind, ground-floor businesses set close to the street – was defeated last spring. 

Meanwhile, ownership of key properties on the strip is shifting. 

In December, the Old Lyme Marketplace sold for $11.55 million to a trio of development companies that viewed the property as a “compelling opportunity for revitalization.” 

The Old Lyme Shopping Center across the street is also under contract, according to a listing by Northeast Private Client Group. The listing agent did not return a call for comment Wednesday. 

Shoemaker said she does not know who the prospective buyer is or what plans may be under consideration.

Shoring Up the Shore

Selectmen are seeking two residents to participate in a townwide resiliency planning effort as part of another grant funded initiative.

The $57,900 project is paid for by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and administered by the UCONN-based Connecticut Sea Grant organization, which brought in sustainability consultant SLR International Corporation to guide local volunteers through the planning process. 

Selectman Jim Lampos has said the consultants will help Old Lyme evaluate flooding threats, as well as wildfire risks in forested areas with limited access. He estimated it would take about two years to come up with the plan so the town can pursue new sources of funding to implement recommended solutions. 

Applications to serve on both committees, as well as numerous boards and commissions, are available on the town website and may be submitted to selectmansoffice@oldlyme-ct.gov.