Neighbors voice concerns over Wake Robin Inn expansion

SALISBURY — Public comment was uniformly negative at the first session of the Planning and Zoning Commission’s public hearing on the renovation and expansion of the Wake Robin Inn, held online on Tuesday, Sept. 3.

The hearing was continued to Tuesday, Sept. 17, 6 p.m. (online only).

The plans include renovations to the existing Inn, removal of existing detached motel buildings in favor of a new events barn, 12 new guest cottages, renovation of one existing cottage, a new spa/gym building and associated amenities, landscaping and buffer enhancements, removal and restoration of former inground pool, removal of the existing main structure at 53 Wells Hill Road in favor of a new pool house, inground pool, renovation of one existing garage for storage on the Wells Hill property, one new storage shed on the Inn property and associated walkway, driveway and parking improvements throughout the property.

Mark Arrigoni of SLR Consulting in Cheshire handled the bulk of the presentation.

He began by noting there are two parcels involved: The existing Wake Robin Inn at 11.3 acres, and 53 Wells Hill Road, currently a residential parcel at 2.3 acres.

Plus AT&T’s contractor is planning to begin construction on a cell phone tower on a leased portion of the Wake Robin property Nov. 1, Arrigoni said.

Steven Cohen of Aradev LLC gave an overview of the plan for the Wake Robin, saying the intention is to bring it “back to what it was many years ago,” a full resort with numerous recreational activities.

The plan is to expand the hotel to 71 rooms, add 12 new guest cottages built above ground and under the tree canopy as much as possible, a new spa and gym building, a new pool with an associated bar, and an events barn.

Arrigoni said he is in the process of responding to a third party engineering study of the plan. The applicant is also currently before the Salisbury Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission.

During public comment many concerns were raised. They included: Water flowing off the inn property into neighboring properties on Sharon Road; light pollution; noise, especially if events go as far into the evening as 2 a.m. (despite the applicant’s assurance that all activities will be moved inside by 9 p.m.).

The Wells Hill Road neighbors were particularly vocal about the idea of a pool and gym plus parking interfering with their neighborhood’s quiet nature, both visually and aurally.

Angela Cruger said that she had only received notice of the hearing in late August, and had hired an attorney. She said she did not have time to study and prepare for the hearing.

P&Z chair Michael Klemens assured Cruger (and her attorney) that the hearing would be continued and that extending the deadline for closing a hearing is routine.

After public comment the commissioners discussed what they would like the applicant to address on Sept. 17, including: a tree preservation plan, more about noise mitigation, the lighting plan, more detail about the parking on the Wells Hill Road side of the project, and more information on water runoff on the Sharon Road side.

Klemens asked the commission if a third party should be hired to do a peer review on the applicant’s traffic study, and the commission agreed.

Latest News

Sharon Dennis Rosen

SHARON — Sharon Dennis Rosen, 83, died on Aug. 8, 2025, in New York City.

Born and raised in Sharon, Connecticut, she grew up on her parents’ farm and attended Sharon Center School and Housatonic Valley Regional High School. She went on to study at Skidmore College before moving to New York City, where she married Dr. Harvey Rosen and together they raised two children.

Keep ReadingShow less
‘Garland Jeffreys: The King of In Between’ at the Moviehouse

Claire and Garland Jeffreys in the film “The King of In Between.”

Still from "The King of In between"

There is a scene in “The King of In Between,” a documentary about musician Garland Jeffreys, that shows his name as the answer to a question on the TV show “Jeopardy!”

“This moment was the film in a nutshell,” said Claire Jeffreys, the film’s producer and director, and Garland’s wife of 40 years. “Nobody knows the answer,” she continued. “So, you’re cool enough to be a Jeopardy question, but you’re still obscure enough that not one of the contestants even had a glimmer of the answer.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Haystack Book Festival: writers in conversation

The Haystack Book Festival, a program of the Norfolk Hub, brings renowned writers and thinkers to Norfolk for conversation. Celebrating its fifth season this fall, the festival will gather 18 writers for discussions at the Norfolk Library on Sept. 20 and Oct. 3 through 5.

Jerome A. Cohen, author of the memoir “Eastward, Westward: A Lifein Law.”Haystack Book Festival

Keep ReadingShow less