Salisbury Housing Trust proposes affordable homes to mixed response

SALISBURY, Conn. — The Planning and Zoning Commission held a public hearing on the application from the Salisbury Housing Trust (SHT) on Monday, June 3. The hearing was continued to Monday, June 17.

SHT’s plans propose building two affordable housing single family 3-bedroom homes at 26 and 28 Undermountain Road.

P&Z chair Michael Klemens began by saying that the commission had discussed concepts with the housing trust, but that concepts are not the same as plans in an application for a special permit.

He said that when the P&Z did an “8-24 review” to determine if the SHT’s concept was consistent with the town’s Plan of Conservation and Development, the commission found that building two homes at the site was consistent. Preserving the existing park is also consistent with the POCD, Klemens added.

Jennifer Kronholm Clark gave the presentation for the SHT.

She said consultant Pat Hackett had prepared two options. Option one keeps the informal parking lot in the front of the property, adds two houses, and has a small open space in the rear.

Option two removes the parking area off Undermountain Road and puts the first house there, with the second house and a larger open space in the rear.

She said the housing trust prefers the second option.

Public comment was mixed. Robin Roraback, who lives near the site, said the parking lot is used regularly by White Hart employees and during events such as the recent Salisbury Handmade artisans sale.

She said the housing would make the neighborhood more crowded and noisy. She also mentioned a pair of 300-year-old oak trees on the property.

Other neighbors were okay with the housing but concerned about the oak trees.

Another neighbor, Holly Leibrock, preferred “Option three: Neither.”

She said the parking is also used by the Salisbury Volunteer Ambulance Service and the existing park should be expanded, not reduced.

Other residents expressed their belief that affordable housing is important to the town and favored the idea.

Klemens sent a memo to the housing trust with a list of additional information for the next session of the hearing. The list includes: an arborists assessment of the health of the two old oak trees, confirmation that the two lots that make up the site have been legally merged and that there are no deed restrictions, an A2 survey, complete engineering details, 14 aspects of the site plan that need to be completed, a clarification on the special permit application, and a request to address the question of whether the existing parking area is impervious by compaction.

All of these materials are on the town’s website under Planning and Zoning Meeting Documents.

Latest News

County legislature candidates lay out their priorities

Contested seats in the Dutchess County Legislature are close to home this election season, with Districts 19 and 25 covering the rural towns across the northern and eastern corners of the county. Though the candidates bring distinct experiences and perspectives, they share common ground on some of the biggest challenges facing local communities, including emergency medical services and affordable housing.

Here’s a look at the candidates.

Keep ReadingShow less
Classifieds - October 23, 2025

Help Wanted

Weatogue Stables has an opening: for a full time team member. Experienced and reliable please! Must be available weekends. Housing a possibility for the right candidate. Contact Bobbi at 860-307-8531.

Services Offered

Hector Pacay Service: House Remodeling, Landscaping, Lawn mowing, Garden mulch, Painting, Gutters, Pruning, Stump Grinding, Chipping, Tree work, Brush removal, Fence, Patio, Carpenter/decks, Masonry. Spring and Fall Cleanup. Commercial & Residential. Fully insured. 845-636-3212.

Keep ReadingShow less
An interview with Bestor Cram: filmmaker discusses ‘Tiananmen Tonight’ and the power of the press
Filmmaker Bestor Cram
Provided

On Thursday, Oct. 30, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., the Norfolk Library will host a free public screening of “Tiananmen Tonight,” a film by Bestor Cram and Michael Streissguth about the 1989 student uprising in China and the daring coverage by Dan Rather and CBS. Director Cram will introduce the film.

A documentary filmmaker whose life was forged in the fire of Vietnam, where he served as a Marine, Cram earned the Navy Commendation Medal. He returned home to become a conscientious objector and leader of Vietnam Veterans Against the War. After working in the MIT Film Studies Program, he founded Northern Light Productions in Boston, producing media for museums, and has made more than 30 feature documentary films.

Keep ReadingShow less
Vincent Inconiglios brings ‘Face Time’ to Hunt Library
Artist Vincent Inconiglio’s show “Face Time” opens Oct. 25 at the Hunt Library.
L. Tomaino

Abstract artist Vincent Inconiglios' love and enthusiasm for color and form are evident all around him at his Falls Village studio, where he has worked for 25 years. He is surrounded by paintings large and small, woodcuts, photographs, collages and arrays of found objects.

The objects Inconiglios has found while out walking — in Falls Village, near his studio on Gansevoort Street in New York City, and in other places throughout the world — hold special importance to him. Appreciation of them, he says, comes from “seeing while exploring. I am always finding things.” His particular delight is finding objects that look like faces, many of which will be featured in the ArtWall show at the Hunt Library.

Keep ReadingShow less