Category Archives: Community

Talking Transportation: Transit-Oriented Recreation

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Jim Cameron

The recent cool and weather aside, it’s officially summer!  Time to get out and enjoy our state’s wonderful parks and beaches and take advantage of TOR.

You know what TOD is, right?  Transit Oriented Development … building homes and offices near mass transit facilities.  Well, I’m going to suggest you think about TOR… Transit Oriented Recreation.

Did you know you can travel to many state parks and beaches by train and a connecting bus shuttle?  Details on this year’s program are still to come, but CDOT and DEEP have partnered since 2021 to offer ParkConneCT from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

In years past, beach and park shuttles meeting in-coming trains have been free on weekends and holidays, taking you to places like Sleeping Giant State Park in Hamden or Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison.

While many state parks close their gates on weekends when their parking lots are full of cars, the shuttle buses can still deliver you to Mother Nature without the hassles.

The state’s modest marketing efforts to attract tourists seem to be working as the number of visitors was up 2% last year.  Officials say tourism brings Connecticut $18.5 billion each year … more than what’s seen in Maine, which bills itself as “Vacationland”.

And it’s clearly our beaches that are a main draw.  Who needs to endure I-95 when you can take the train to visit …

Sherwood Island State Park in Westport:  Just take Metro-North to Westport Station and grab the Sherwood Island Shuttle from the station to the park to enjoy swimming, picnicking and great views of LI Sound.

Silver Sands State Park in Milford:  Metro-North gets you to Milford Station where a walk or bike ride to the beach presents newly refurbished boardwalks, pristine beaches and bird-watching spots.

Bluff Point State Park in Groton:  Take Shore Line East or Amtrak to New London Station, then grab the SEAT (Southeast Area Transit) Rte. 11 bus to the beach where you can enjoy walks along the coast, biking and fishing.

Beyond TOR, how about TOE … Transit Oriented Entertainment?

You wouldn’t think of driving to NYC to see a Knicks or Rangers game.  You’d take the train, right?  Well, you can take Metro-North directly to Yankee Stadium too.  Or to Bridgeport to see Ringo Starr at the Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater … also walking distance from Amtrak and the Port Jeff Ferry.

Going to see a play at The Shubert in New Haven or Andrea Bocelli at the XL Center in Hartford?  Ditch the car and try mass transit.

And if you’re a railfan, visit the Essex Steam Train & Riverboat by training to Old Saybrook and hopping into a cab for the quick ride back into history.

If you’re city-bound, check out Metro-North’s “MTA Away” packages—train and event tickets, often at a discount—for venues both in NYC and the ‘burbs.  You can go star gazing or catch an outdoor concert in Forest Hills without a car.

Whatever your destination for summer fun, think twice before enduring the traffic and maybe consider taking mass transit.

Editor’s Notes: i) Jim Cameron is the founder of the Commuter Action Group and advocates for Connecticut rail riders. He writes a weekly column called ‘Talking Transportation,’ which is published by a number of publications in the state.
ii) ”Talking Transportation” recently won first place in the general column/commentary category in the Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists Excellence in Journalism Contest.

2025 ‘Tour de Lyme’ Benefiting Lyme Land Trust Takes Place June 1

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 And away they go …. the 2025 ‘Tour de Lyme’ will be held Sunday, June 1.

In-Person Registration Open Onsite on June 1

LYME, CT — The 12th annual Tour de Lyme is happening on Sunday, June 1.

For competitive riders, this is a chance to warm up for the cycling season ahead. For others, it provides a wonderful occasion to pedal through Lyme and enjoy the surrounding countryside.  If you are a mountain biker, this is an opportunity to ride through private lands open only for this event.

Everyone – riders, sponsors, and volunteers – will enjoy a post-ride picnic at Ashlawn Farm in Lyme with popular food trucks, beer and live music. There will also be Tour de Lyme shirts for sale.

For complete information and online registration, visit www.tourdelyme.org.

Online registration is open through midnight EST on Friday, May 30.

 Ready to ride!

It is not a race but a carefully planned series of rides designed to suit every level of skill and endurance. There are four road rides of varying length and degree of difficulty:

  • The CHALLENGE, the name says it all, is 59 miles – a real workout;
  • The CLASSIC, shorter at 26 miles, but still a challenge;
  • The VALLEY Rides ‒ pleasant easier rides with fewer hills, 26 miles or 35 miles
  • The FAMILY ‒ at just 8 miles designed for riding with children.

There are also two mountain bike options;

  • the RIDER’S TEST, a 19.5 mile ride for serious enthusiasts
  • the INTERMEDIATE, a shorter, 9.5 mile less challenging option.

The Tour de Lyme is hosted by The Lyme Land Conservation Trust.  Since 1966, the Lyme Land Trust has been conserving the unique and historic landscapes of Lyme, Connecticut. During those years, the Lyme rural community has shown that a small population can have a big impact and protect more than 3000 acres of woodlands, working farm fields, and bird-filled marshes. The result is an outdoor paradise – open to all.

Money raised from the Tour de Lyme will create added opportunities for public enjoyment of the Land Trust preserves while protecting and maintaining what has already been conserved for generations to come.

The Lyme Land Trust is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization – registration and donations are tax deductible.

Lyme Farmers Market Opens Saturdays for the Season

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The Farmer’s Market at Tiffany Farms, seen here when it began in 2019, is a seasonal fixture in town.

LYME, CT—On Saturday May 24, The Farmers Market at Tiffany Farms opens for the season.

It will be open rain or shine, farm field permitting.

Vegetables, fruit, meat, milk, cheese, eggs, chicken, and baked goods as well as preserves and maple syrup will be available at the farm on 156 Sterling City Road every Saturday morning from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. until mid October.

This year’s the lineup includes Chatfield Hollow Farm, Dondero Orchards, Falls Brook Organic Farm, Four Mile River Farm, From the Farm, Hooting Owl Farm, Long Table Farm, Marna Roons, Ms BeeR Haven, Space Farms Soap, Tiffany Farms Pasture Raised Beef, The Country Kitchen, Traveling Italian Chef, Wave Hill Breads and Mystic Cheese.

The guest vendors for next Saturday will be Bs Baked Goods and Colchester Curry. The Lyme Veterans Memorial Committee will also be attending.

For more information, call the farm at 860-575-4730.

Plan Plods On for Two Old Lyme Affordable Houses in Partnership with Habitat for Humanity

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Hikers donned sunglasses and walking sticks for a trek through the McCulloch Family Open Space this past weekend. The ‘Hiker’s Happy Hour,’ a venture of the Old Lyme Open Space Commission and Old Lyme Land Trust, was the first of the season. Photo courtesy of the Old Lyme Land Trust.

Hikers Explore Area Earmarked for Construction, Hike Precedes ‘Happy Hour’ at Old Lyme Inn

OLD LYME–On May 7, a group of local residents gathered for the first hike of the season organized by the Old Lyme Open Space Commission and Old Lyme Land Trust. For many of the walkers, the hike through the McCulloch Family Open Space was their first time visiting the property off Flat Rock Hill Rd. in Old Lyme.

The hike preceded what the hike’s lead organizer Andrea Fenton described as, “a delightful Happy Hour at the Old Lyme Inn.” She emphasized that all are welcome to join these combination hikes and ‘Happy Hours,’ which are organized on a regular basis, stressing that you do not actually need to take the hike in order to enjoy the ‘Happy Hour!’

Affordable Homes Move Closer to Reality

The new, red path that the hikers followed loops around two Affordable Housing lots, which were designated in the original transfer of the property. The process of turning these six acres of the 300-acre McCulloch Family Open Space property into two affordable, single-family homes is moving closer to reality as part of a joint effort between the town and Habitat for Humanity of Eastern Connecticut. 

The Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) on Thursday is set for a public hearing on a request from the Old Lyme Affordable Housing Commission that would allow the two proposed houses to share a driveway with two existing houses on Flat Rock Hill Road. 

The town in 2019 closed on the purchase of approximately 300 acres from the McCulloch family to be preserved in perpetuity. The sale set aside two parcels, totaling about six acres, for the construction of affordable homes. Voters last year authorized the transfer of the land from the town to Habitat for Humanity of Eastern Connecticut, which will build and manage one single-family house on each parcel.

Variance Needed Before Construction Can Begin

A variance to zoning regulations must be granted before the town can move forward with a plan to bring in Habitat for Humanity to start construction, according to Affordable Housing Commission meeting minutes.  

Old Lyme Land Use Coordinator Eric Knapp on Monday said about six acres of land at 130-1 Whippoorwill Road, which were deeded to the town by the McCulloch family for the construction of affordable homes, do not have any direct road frontage. 

“So we’re trying to subdivide them out, but can’t without a variance,” he said. 

Old Lyme Land Trust member Andrea Fenton said many of the hikers at the inaugural Hikers’ Happy Hour were visiting the property for the first time. Photo courtesy of the Old Lyme Land Trust.

The town’s zoning regulations require 25 feet of road frontage per lot to qualify for subdivision. 

The land has deeded rights to a 50-foot wide driveway off Flat Rock Hill Road, according to the ZBA application. 

“It’s kind of a unique situation, and that’s what the ZBA is there for,” Knapp said. 

State law grants the ZBA the power to grant variances if existing regulations create “exceptional difficulty or unusual hardship” when it comes to using the property. 

The other two houses that would share the driveway are on land owned by the nonprofit HOPE Partnership, according to assessor’s records. The houses that sit on the land – built in the 1990s by the Old Lyme Affordable Housing Corp before it merged with HOPE – are sold to low-income households using a community land trust model. The framework limits the profit owners can make if they decide to sell their homes. 

The town paid $500,000 for what is now the McCulloch Family Open Space, and $50,000 each for two three-acre areas off Flat Rock Hill Rd. The Affordable Housing Commission in 2022 received a $150,000 grant from the town using federal pandemic-relief funds to reimburse the town for the original purchase price. 

But the deed transfer from the town to Habitat for Humanity of Eastern Connecticut is pending the creation of a steering committee to guide the process, April Affordable Housing Commission meeting minutes stated. The committee will be formed once variance is granted by the ZBA.