OLD LYME — The Old Lyme Zoning Commission meeting, originally scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 27, in the Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School (LOLMS) Auditorium, has been rescheduled to Wednesday, April 9, at 6:30 p.m. in the Lyme-Old Lyme High School (LOLHS) Auditorium. The Zoning
The capacity of the LOLHS auditorium is 550 in contrast to that of the LOLMS auditorium at 225.
The agenda for the Feb. 27 meeting included an item under both the Continued Public Hearing and Old Business as follows: Petition to Amend the Old Lyme Zoning Regulations, Section 5.15-creating a Halls Road Overlay District [HROD} allowing, among other items, mixed zoning use along Halls Road and the entire C-30S Zoning District, with associated architectural design guidelines.
The applicant in both cases was the Halls Road Improvement Committee.
It is assumed the same item will be on the April 9 agenda.
Old Lyme First Selectwoman Martha Shoemaker explained the reason for the postponement in her weekly newsletter sent Friday, Feb. 28, to residents as follows, “One reason for this request was to provide more time to review the additional exhibits that were recently submitted. While it was not included in the letter that was posted on social media, an additional reason for the request to postpone directly relates to potential occupancy. I am aware of the strong interest in the topic of the Halls Road Overlay District proposal.”
She continued, “After consulting with other town officials, there was a concern that the Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School auditorium (with a capacity of 225 people) could be too small for this meeting to take place. Given the importance of having adequate time and space for every citizen of Old Lyme who wishes to attend and/or be heard, we felt it appropriate to make a change. I asked Land Use Coordinator, Eric Knapp to plan for the Lyme-Old Lyme High School Auditorium (with a capacity of 550) for a future date.”
In her original letter dated Feb. 25, in which Shoemaker had requested postponement of the Feb. 25 meeting, she had stated, “The Halls Road Improvement Committee and I acknowledge that the Zoning Commission has received many additional exhibits and request additional time to review them. We would like to request to postpone the meeting of February 27, 2025, until late March 2025. This will provide the committee with additional time to review the exhibits.”
That letter was addressed to Paul Orzel, Chairman of the OL Zoning Commission, and copied to Eric Knapp, Old Lyme Land Use Coordinator; Edie Twining, Chair of the Halls Road Improvement Committee, and William R. Sweeney, Attorney for the Halls Road project,
Summary Given of All Related Communications Received by LymeLine
OLD LYME—On Thursday, Feb. 27, the Old Lyme Zoning Commission will hold Public Hearings and a Special Meeting starting at 6:30 p.m. in the Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School Auditorium.
Zoning Commission Chairman Paul Orzel notes that the Middle School has a hard “close” time of 9 p.m., which the Commission intends to honor.
The agenda notes an item under both the Continued Public Hearing and Old Business as follows: Petition to Amend the Old Lyme Zoning Regulations, Section 5.15-creating a Halls Road Overlay District [HROD} allowing, among other items, mixed zoning use along Halls Road and the entire C-30S Zoning District, with associated architectural design guidelines.
The applicant in both cases is the Halls Road Improvement Committee.
Members of the public, who would like to submit written comments on either case, are encouraged to email a copy of their comments to Old Lyme Land Use Technician, Craig Bonatti, at least one day prior to the Public Hearing at cbonatti@oldlyme-ct.gov.
The HROD proposal has aroused significant controversy throughout the town and on social media. A large number of residents is expected to attend the meeting.
To assist our readers in understanding the various and conflicting opinions on the Halls Road Overlay District (HROD) proposal, we provide links below to all the correspondence/op-ed’s/opinion pieces that we have received regarding the matter. Be sure to read all the Comments, which have been posted, too.
Feb. 16, 2025—Prologue: I read a fluorescent green flyer Sunday morning that was seeking signatures on an online petition; which I ignored.
The flyer disparaged the Halls Road Overlay District (HROD) and, of course, had no author or organization. It was anonymous; and began “BEWARE!” and then went on saying something about “A WOLF IN SHEEP’s CLOTHING!!” that may have been on the “tip of an iceberg.”
Then, Anonymous speciously claimed that the proposal included “dense housing” — i.e., “eighty bedrooms per acre;” which was false; but has unfortunately also appeared in other similar attacks.
Anonymous continued with a recommended list of websites to visit and “scroll through for pertinent information;” and that may have been “the straw that broke the camel’s back.” Further, the Halls Road Improvements Committee (HRIC) noted last week in LymeLine that “there have been a wave of posts on social media and elsewhere making claims that misrepresent the actual content of the HROD proposal and distort its possible impact on our community. The true facts will not support these assertions, nor the emotional appeals based on horrifying and totally false claims.”
Nonetheless, that flyer and a few Letters to the Editor, comments, and essays in LymeLine inspired me to devote this “View” to the proposed HROD.
I present the project’s key milestones in roughly chronological order in this “View — and rather than a detailed play-by-play on the activities of the HRIC team since its inception (see HRIC section below); I consider their vision, which is detailed in “The Master Plan.”
Note that this essay reflects my observations, opinions, and interpretation of available HRIC documents and materials.
Halls Rd. is a unique thoroughfare within the “friendly confines” of Old Lyme. Located amongst four Interstate 95 entrances and exits and zoned commercial-only, it is Old Lyme’s principal retail and commercial district and has a 1950s and 60s strip mall look, with deep set-backs and large parking lots lining the roadway.
Within the past few decades, Halls Rd. assumed the appearance and function of an interstate service area. Traffic is dense and moves at a very fast pace from traffic light to traffic light on this “Halls Road Raceway.” There are no sidewalks or safe crosswalks. Bicycling is dangerous.
The Halls Road Improvements Committee (HRIC):
In 2015, Old Lyme’s Board of Selectmen (BOS) appointed a committee to address some developing community concerns regarding Halls Rd. The BOS’ charge became complex and has required interaction with several Connecticut agencies and cooperation with many Town commissions and departments.
HRIC Milestones:
In collaboration with the Yale Urban Design Workshop, the HRIC conducted an objective evaluation of the existing conditions on Halls Rd. Several public meetings were held at which the community was encouraged to voice their concerns and wishes; and it was determined that residents wanted the Town’s commercial area to look more like Old Lyme — and specifically, have the “look and feel” of Lyme Street.
Working with the New England-based BSC Group for their expertise in civil and environmental engineering and strategic planning for communities like Old Lyme, the HRIC initiated development of a long-range plan for Halls Rd.
“A formal ‘Master Plan’ is an important tool in seeking grants for work on Halls Rd., for encouraging investment, and for setting budgets” and “broad goals designed to insure the future of Old Lyme’s main shopping district.”
AI Engineers of Middletown, CT developed design and engineering materials for the new “Bow Bridge.” Designs were presented at workshops and residents voted their preference.
Advance CT conducted an economic development study via surveys and workshops in 2020 on behalf of Old Lyme’s Economic Development Commission, and found that, “Over 80 percent of respondents supported additional development in the Halls Rd. area.”
Developed Halls Rd. Overlay District (HROD) Design Guidelines for new construction or updates to current properties. (also see below)
On June 17, 2024, provided a status update to the Old Lyme Board of Selectmen.
On January 10, 2025, the Planning Commission voted unanimously that the proposed zoning overlay was consistent with Old Lyme’s Plan of Conservation and Development, which was adopted in February, 2021
Approvals:
Any work along a state motorway requires a DOT “encroachment permit.” In practice, such permits are usually sought in connection with applications for relevant grants administered by DOT.
Septic and groundwater approvals are regulated by Ledge Light Health District.
The ‘Halls Road Master Plan’ Vision:
Create a walkable, bike-able, mixed-use town center along Halls Rd. — one that is an attractive place to live, work, browse, meet, and do business. The envisioned changes include:
Roadway and sidewalk improvements, including pedestrian lighting, to create safe pedestrian and bike routes along Halls Rd. from Lyme Street to Rte. 156 and the Baldwin Bridge — connecting Halls Rd. to the Arts, Historic and municipal center(s) on Lyme St.
Improvements to existing public green space that could include trails, a riverside park, and new town green.
A new “Bow Bridge” — reminiscent of Childe Hassam’s 1908 impressionist landscape, “Bridge at Old Lyme,” which features the original bridge, spanning the Lieutenant River at the old bridge abutment, connecting to trails through the green space. Note that this pedestrian- and biker-friendly bridge was consistently the single, most popular element suggested in town-wide surveys conducted at the beginning of the planning process.
Further, CT DEEP owns a triangle of property on the east bank of the Lieutenant River and is prepared to deed this property to the Town; but has requested that a fishing pier and 8 parking spots be included in the project. Note that Project design work for the bridge and trails was fully-funded with grants that covered concept design, surveys, permitting, and construction documents.
The Harbor Management Commission has requested that a floating dock be added to the pier.
Residential alternatives for seniors considering a “downsize,” who might otherwise have limited options for remaining in Old Lyme — and/or young people looking to move into the community.
These include small apartments above businesses with first floor retail; but could possibly include town houses. — but that is not a “given.”
New commercial buildings in the HROD must include mixed use with retail/offices on the first floor and residential on the second.
Current property owners can choose to stay put without modification; but if they want to take advantage of the HROD, must include mixed use.
The Jargon:
A mixed-use neighborhood includes both housing and commercial/retail spaces; and often provides housing options and services accessible to all income levels.
It is not uncommon to find pharmacies, restaurants and cafes, delis, dry cleaners, and grocery and hardware stores within walking distance.
Waxing poetic, mixed use neighborhoods offer a lifestyle option for those who do not have a desire to live in the suburbs or in places that are dedicated to residential uses only.
The vibrant nature of mixed use neighborhoods derives from the fact that these areas are more active for more hours of the day, rather than just a few hours in the morning and a few in the evening.
Design Guidelines:
Newguidelines and supportive “Village District” zoning are designed to attract retail and residential investment that will serve the needs of Old Lyme and create a ‘look and feel’ on Halls Rd. that is in keeping with the rest of the town; but stillrequire conformance with current zoning and established architectural standards.
The HROD includes a Design Review Committee as a first step for developers to ensure that the scale and design of any proposed construction is consistent with the aesthetics and character of Old Lyme prior to going before the Zoning Commission for project approval.
Author’s Thoughts:
I was impressed with the depth and detail included in project documents supporting this thoughtful and well-planned initiative.
This is a worthy project and the end result will be important. Nevertheless, I discovered in my research that the discourse on HROD was surprisingly mean-spirited; and I wondered where that attitude was coming from.
I used “the friendly confines,” phrase above to describe Old Lyme; Chicago Cubs fans will recognize that it was coined by Hall of Fame shortstop Ernie Banks as the nickname for Wrigley Field—”Win or lose, it’s always a good afternoon at the Friendly Confines.”
Editor’s Note:This is the opinion of Thomas D. Gotowka.
About the Author: Tom Gotowka is a resident of Old Lyme, whose entire adult career has been in healthcare. He will sit on the Navy side at the Army/Navy football game. He always sit on the crimson side at any Harvard/Yale contest. He enjoys reading historic speeches and considers himself a scholar of the period from FDR through JFK. A child of AM Radio, he probably knows the lyrics of every rock and roll or folk song published since 1960. He hopes these experiences give readers a sense of what he believes “qualify” him to write this column.
OLD LYME—UPDATED 1/11 at 12:10 pm: The ‘Record of Votes’ related to Monday night’s meeting has now been published. Regarding the Special Permit Application to replace and construct a new 5-bedroom residence with an attached 2 car garage at 43 Smith Neck Rd., RU-40 Zone, Jeffrey and Emily Merriam, applicants, the Record states, “A motion was made by D. Savageau, seconded by J. Marsh to DENY without prejudice the special permit. The Motion further stated that insufficient evidence had been submitted to allow the Commission to find the proposed activity would have or would be reasonably likely to have the effect of unreasonably polluting, impairing or destroying the public trust in the air, water, or other natural resources of the State of Connecticut.”
UPDATED 1/11 at 1am: The application for the proposed 11,000 sf house at 43 Smith Neck Rd.was denied without prejudice in a unanimous 5-0 vote at Monday night’s Old Lyme Zoning Commission meeting.
Around 50 people attended the meeting.
UPDATED1/10 at 7pm with corrected number of days for Zoning Commission to deliberate. The proposed 11,000 sf house at 43 Smith Neck Rd. is back on the Old Lyme Zoning Commission’s agenda tonight. Their Regular Meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. in the Meeting Room at Old Lyme Town Hall.
Appearing as the first item under Old Business, the agenda item states, ” 43 Smith’s Neck Road, RU-40 Zone. Special Permit application to replace and construct a new 5-bedroom residence with an attached 2 car garage. Jeffrey and Emily Merriam, applicants.”
The Zoning Commission closed the Public Hearing at the end of the previous Jan 13 meeting. This means no further public comment can be heard on the matter and the Commission cannot ask any additional questions of the applicant.
The Commission must render a decision within 65 days of closing the Public Hearing. Members could vote on the proposed plans tonight but are not obliged to do so. They will, however, deliberate on the proposal this evening in a public setting but cannot entertain any comments from the public or ask any further questions of the applicant or their representatives.
At the Zoning Commission’s Regular Meeting on Jan. 13, some 17 residents offered opinions and concerns during the Public Hearing on the proposal. The comments made by members of the public all expressed a negative point of view towards the proposal.
Those commenting variously asked the Commission outright to deny the application for the 11,000 sq. ft. eight-bedroom, seven-bathroom house with two laundries, a swimming pool, and extensive gardens; or send it back to the Connecticut River Gateway Commission for further review; or to request answers to the numerous still unanswered questions by the applicant; or a number of other questions.
Related articles and letters published on LymeLine.com are as follows:
Thank you for your interest in the Halls Road Overlay District (HROD) zoning proposal—I would like to address your concerns:
Developers Overstepping
You indicated that developers will take advantage of the HROD. The opposite is true. The HROD was designed to incorporate strict guidelines that currently do not exist. Large parcels of Halls Road are up for sale and we are likely to see new construction, especially on the very dated Hideaway side of the road. Developers will have to comply with the current zoning regulations, but they will still have significant leeway, and they easily focus on the needs of the highway travelers rather than on the needs of our residents. Halls Road could wind up looking like the sprawl similar to the four corners of East Lyme. The HROD guards against this. Our goal is to ensure new construction will be consistent with the architecture of Lyme Street. The HROD provides strict guidelines and offers an additional layer of protection that currently is absent in our regulations.
Design Review Board
You indicated there is no guard rail for the Design Review Board. The Design Review Board actually is a guard rail. It will consist of professional architects, whose task is to ensure that new construction is consistent with the architecture on Lyme Street, and not some typical cookie-cutter project. Its sole purpose is to provide oversight, and it exists only when the HROD exists. But it only acts in an advisory role to the Zoning Commission. Zoning has the ultimate authority and is the ultimate guard rail.
Zoning Rubber Stamp
The Zoning Commission has been anything but a rubber stamp. The initial HROD application was rejected, and It has now been revised in order to address their multiple concerns. Zoning Commission members have taken their job very seriously and spent a tremendous amount of time and effort delving into the complexities of the HROD. All of the members of the commission are both very experienced and extremely knowledgeable about zoning issues. The HROD has also been scrutinized and approved by the Old Lyme (OL) Board of Selectmen and the OL Planning Commission (who also originally rejected it), as well as receiving the endorsement from the OL Economic Development Commission.
Septic Systems
You are correct that new septic systems might eventually have much greater capacity. But for the foreseeable future, redevelopment will be confined to the larger parcels. Most of the lots fronting Halls Road are only one or two acres and that makes them less attractive to develop. Keep in mind Halls Road is less than a mile in length.
Parking
Parking continues to be a significant restraint to over-development, and I would assert that parking is a major expense. So yes, the HROD does allow free-standing parking garages, provided they are built at least 120′ from the lot’s frontage. They are under the same size limitations as any other building: three (3) stories, 35 ft. max., 20,000 SF footprint max. They are also under the same Design Review Board scrutiny, and must be designed creatively to pass muster. The size is small for a parking garage. It might be profitable in a major city, but it is unlikely to be built in Old Lyme. The cost per space is very, very high at this small scale. Cost considerations can change over time (even car sizes, as some of us know), so garages are permitted, even if currently unlikely.
Exaggerated Renderings
The renderings you saw at the Open House were used as the basis for creating the overlay zone. We provided Zoning with additional detailed drawings in order to assist them in picturing the actual dimensions. The longest buildings on both Lyme Street and Halls Road range from 147 ft. to 488 ft. Hence a 200-ft. building is in line with the proportions of existing buildings in town.
The Open House renderings were derived from scaled AutoCAD files and generated to envision what a town center could look like, not actual proposals. All new construction will have to conform to the HROD guidelines. The Architectural Review Board will make recommendations and Zoning will make the final decision. We realize there are renderings circulating that depict large “cookie-cutter” buildings. These are not what we are proposing.
Our Future
Halls Road is going to change since large parcels are up for sale. Our choice is to leave it to chance, allowing commercial developers to build projects that serve highway travelers or to provide incentives for future development that meet the commercial and cultural needs of our community, including alternative housing options especially for seniors looking to downsize and young people who cannot afford single family homes.
Introducing the optional overlay will position our town to better manage its future. The HROD proposal contains specific features that the residents told us they desire including: a vibrant, walkable and attractive town center, alternative housing options, a bike trail, safe streets, and a sustainable commercial center focused on the local community.
My guess is we both have the same goals in mind. But feel free to contact me if you still have any questions or concerns.
