Wake Robin developers return with modified plan

Wake Robin Inn is located on Sharon Road in Lakeville.
John Coston
Wake Robin Inn is located on Sharon Road in Lakeville.
SALISBURY — At its April 28 meeting, the Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission approved a modification to a permit it issued last year for an application to redevelop the Wake Robin Inn.
It was the first public presentation of applicant ARADEV LLC’s amended proposal since withdrawing its initial application to the Planning and Zoning Commission in December 2024.
“Generally, it’s a pullback in the intensity of development,” said Mark Arigoni, a Landscape Architect with SLR Consulting who has represented the applicant, ARADEV LLC, since its first submission. Arigoni said the new plans were meant to respond to calls from the public and P&Z to scale down and lighten the impacts of the project after an extended public hearing late last year.
The major changes include reducing the number of newly-built cottages from twelve to four. The event barn, which was a highly contentious aspect of the initial proposal, moved from its previous position as a standalone structure to instead being a part of the expansion of the existing Inn building. The spa building was adjusted so it sits closer to the main structure and further from the wetland.
After presenting the updated plan, the Commission levied several questions towards the applicant regarding the new project. Commissioner John Landon noted that the new cottages look larger than those initially proposed. Stephen Cohen, of ARADEV, confirmed that they are approximately 2,000 square feet, compared to the previous buildings which topped out at around 1,100 square feet.
After several other questions regarding storm water management, a state-listed species relocation, and alterations to the cottage parking and access schemas, the IWWC concluded its examination. Chair Vivian Garfein clarified that the IWWC was reviewing an alteration, not a new application.
“We are not reissuing a permit,” she said, “We are asked to approve a minor modification that we have already approved.”
The Commission voted unanimously to approve the modification. ARADEV was to reappear in the town Zoom room on Monday, May 5 to present its modified application to P&Z.
One of the entries in this year’s Community Day Scarecrow Contest, Ichabod Hiccup, at left, seems to be particularly enjoying the solo performance of Wil Greenstreet, whose strolling pop-up saxophone performances delighted visitors to the village on Saturday, Sept. 20. For more photos, turn to Page A8.
A popular feature of the Millbrook Library lawn area was a carpet of children’s books being given away for free. Appealing to little Julien Gulbrandsen, 3, of Pleasant Valley was the story of a pancake, being read by her mother Lauren Gulbrandsen. It is likely that the little book went home with them.Photo by Leila Hawken
Family fun and community were the order of the long-planned Community Day, on Saturday, Sept. 20, as village turned out to welcome visitors from throughout the region for a day of activities, contests, parades, displays, sales and the joy of being together.Photo by Leila Hawken
Top row, left to right, Caroline Kinsolving, Christopher McLinden, Dana Domenick, Reid Sinclair and Director Hunter Foster. Bottom row, left to right, Will Nash Broyles, Dick Terhune, Sandy York and Ricky Oliver in Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap.”
Opening on Sept. 26, Agatha Christie’s legendary whodunit “The Mousetrap” brings suspense and intrigue to the Sharon Playhouse stage, as the theater wraps up its 2025 Mainstage Season with a bold new take on the world’s longest-running play.
Running from Sept. 26 to Oct. 5, “The Mousetrap” marks another milestone for the award-winning regional theater, bringing together an ensemble of exceptional local talent under the direction of Broadway’s Hunter Foster, who also directed last season’s production of “Rock of Ages." With a career that spans stage and screen, Foster brings a fresh and suspense-filled staging to Christie’s classic.
The Playhouse’s casting includes Dana Domenick of Falls Village who leads the cast as Mollie Ralston, the newlywed innkeeper with a secret. Reid Sinclair of Norfolk plays Giles, her husband and partner in hospitality — and maybe in something more sinister. Will Nash Broyles from Lakeville plays the eccentric and enigmatic Christopher Wren, and Sandy York of Sharon will play the role of the imperious Mrs. Boyle. Dick Terhune (Litchfield), Caroline Kinsolving (Salisbury), Ricky Oliver (Pawling), and Christopher McLinden (also Lakeville) round out the cast as the play’s increasingly suspicious guests — and one very determined detective.
As always, Sharon Playhouse has gathered a top-tier creative team to match its cast. The Swader brothers (Christopher and Justin) return with their signature scenic designs, while Kathleen DeAngelis’s costumes and Bobbie Zlotnik’s wigs promise to anchor us firmly in postwar England, even as the plot spirals into timeless psychological suspense. Lighting by Wheeler Moon and sound design by Graham Stone will help turn the cozy theater into a stage crackling with tension.
If you’ve never seen “The Mousetrap,” here’s what you need to know: it’s the murder mystery that truly defined the genre. Premiering in London’s West End in 1952 and still running strong over 30,000 performances later, Christie’s ingenious puzzle unfolds in a snowbound manor house where everyone has something to hide, and no one is safe from suspicion. Its final twist is famously kept secret by audiences — a tradition of theatrical discretion that only deepens the sense of shared experience.
“The enduring success of ‘The Mousetrap’ lies in its suspense, yes, but also in its structure,” said the Playhouse’s Artistic Director Carl Andress. “It’s a masterclass in storytelling. And with Hunter Foster leading this incredible cast of local artists, we know our audiences are in for an evening of mystery, laughter, and yes, plenty of gasps.”
Tickets are available now at SharonPlayhouse.org.