The image above shows the cover photo of Lyme’s 2025 Draft Plan of Conservation and Development.
Option Available to Email Comments in Advance of Meeting
LYME–The Planning and Zoning Commission invites public comment on the draft Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD) on Wednesday, Nov. 12.
The public hearing and special meeting will both be held at 7 p.m. in Lyme Town Hall.
Lyme residents who attend the public hearing can make comments on the POCD for the commissioners to consider. Lyme residents who are unable to attend the hearing can email their comments to the commissioners before the hearing at zoningclerk@townlyme.org.
The public hearing will be immediately followed by a special meeting of the Planning & Zoning Commission where the commissioners will discuss and vote on whether to accept the 2025 POCD, according to the meeting agenda.
Christy Zelek, an unaffiliated candidate running with support of the Lyme Democrats, is facing off against Republican Tom St. Louis in the race for Lyme first selectman.
LYME–In a rare contested race for the town’s top office, a retired pharmaceutical manager intent on keeping zoning decisions local faces a political newcomer emphasizing collaboration and consensus.
Going back 25 years, only the 2001 and 2017 elections included a challenge for first selectman. This year’s opening emerged after an announcement from current Republican First Selectman David Lahm that he would not be running for another term.
Republican-endorsed First Selectman candidate Tom St. Louis, who appears on the ballot with wife and (also Republican-endorsed) selectman candidate Mary Powell-St. Louis, brings experience from a career at Pfizer and four years as an appointed alternate member of the Lyme Planning and Zoning Commission.
He said managing budgets and staff while building a professional network has prepared him to focus on his main priority: ensuring development decisions stay in local hands as the state calls for more affordable housing.
“If we don’t have control over how we use land in town, the very fabric of Lyme is at risk,” he said.
Democrat-supported unaffiliated candidate Christy Zelek said she is running out of a sense of civic duty on a record of volunteerism, including service on the Lyme Ambulance Association Board of Directors, multiple parent-teacher organizations and the local Boy Scouts.
Zelek works as an administrative assistant at Westbrook Middle School.
She described herself as “people oriented,” an attribute she said sets her apart from the corporate experience St. Louis has made a pillar of his campaign platform.
“I just listen to what everyone has to say, and I don’t go in with my set of ideas and push them through,” she said.
Zelek appears on the ballot as a petitioning candidate and is running with the support of the Lyme Democratic Town Committee (DTC). The Democrats have also gotten behind incumbent selectmen John Kiker and Kristina White.
Due to state minority representation law prohibiting more than two members of any political party from serving on the three-member Board of Selectman, Kiker is once again running as the DTC-endorsed candidate while White petitions for a seat.
The candidate, who finishes second in the first selectman race, is automatically considered for one of the two remaining selectmen seats. Those two seats are filled by the next highest vote-getters overall, in accordance with Connecticut’s minority representation rules.
The potential makeup of the Board of Selectpeople includes notable combinations this election season. It could end up in the hands of a trio of Democrat-supported candidates; It could also result in a husband-and-wife Republican majority.
Both candidates are seeking elected office for the first time. St. Louis ran for a Board of Finance alternate position in 2021 but lost to Democrat Jim Miller.
Prepared to ‘Go it Alone’
St. Louis in an interview at the Lyme Public Library earlier this month said he is a 27-year resident active in coaching, Scouting, and local organizations. He worked as an engineer and in management at Pfizer for 37 years before retiring in 2023.
He and Powell-St. Louis have three sons between the ages of 23 and 17.
He cited budget oversight, personnel management, and strategic planning as key skills he would bring to the position of local CEO.
“The town budget is about $12 million, roughly,” he said. “That’s fairly consistent with the size of the teams that I was managing for the last 12 years of my career at Pfizer.”
Experience on the Planning and Zoning Commission gave him familiarity with town operations and how land is used in town. It’s also where he learned earlier this year about the local implications of a comprehensive affordable housing bill that made it through the state House and Senate before it was vetoed by Gov. Ned Lamont.
Among the provisions in the failed bill was the “fair share” framework, which would have required municipalities to plan for a prescribed number of affordable housing units within their borders. Data from the state Office of Policy and Management shows projections call for somewhere between 122 and 346 affordable housing units in Lyme, depending on the variables.
The CT Mirror reported the subject is likely to show up in a special session of the state General Assembly slated for Nov. 12 and 13.
He said the bill takes control of zoning decisions away from the town.
He suggested one way to address the problem is to form alliances with other small towns similar to Lyme – like Redding in the southwest corner or several towns in the northeast – that share more in common with Lyme than its immediate neighbors.
Another way to defy the state mandate is to accept the consequences, according to St. Louis. That means forfeiting eligibility for many types of state funding if the town refuses to make progress on affordable housing.
The “fair share” provision of the housing bill rewards participating towns by giving them priority access to state grants, including those offered through the Small Town Economic Assistance Program (STEAP), the Clean Water Act, and the Main Street Investment Fund.
He acknowledged that several major projects on Lyme’s horizon, such as bridge replacements and fire station upgrades, could qualify for those grants.
““You’ve got this situation where Lyme may be reluctant to go after this (fair share) target because it represents such a dramatic change in our land use decisions, but then we would also have to be prepared to essentially go it alone on a revenue piece,” he said.
He emphasized that kind of decision shouldn’t be made unilaterally.
“That’s a pretty important decision that you’re going to need town engagement on,” he said.
He called for revenue diversification to make up for any loss of state funding. That could mean looking at ways to utilize the town’s existing commercial zones more fully without expanding them, and exploring land leases for technologies like solar energy.
“You’re not going to take an open field along a major stretch of road and turn it into a solar farm. There will be zero appetite for that,” he said. “Now, whether or not there are, on our town conservation lands, some areas that, to a great extent, are shielded and would present us the opportunity to do some lease, I think that we would have to engage in a conversation about that.”
He would also explore ways to seek reimbursement from the state to help offset the loss of taxable income on town land conserved as open space.
Husband and Wife
St. Louis acknowledged Democrats have been critical of the Republicans for running a married couple at the top of the ballot. But he said he and his wife have different backgrounds and make their own decisions.
“We’ve been married for 31 years and raised three boys together. But, in that, we have lived very different experiences, actually,” he said.
He pointed to a disagreement at a recent Republican forum on how to deal with the infestation of the invasive plant known as hydrilla that is overtaking the Connecticut River.
The forum was organized by the Republicans after Zelek and the Democrats declined to participate in a debate sponsored by LymeLine and the Greater Old Saybrook of Commerce. When the Democrats declined the Republicans’ forum as well, it was up to St. Louis and Powell-St. Louis to spar among themselves.
“You know, I think it was pretty apparent at the open forum that there are issues that we don’t see eye to eye on, but we can do that and engage in civil conversation, and maybe not influence each other towards the same outcome, but we can have that respectful conversation,” he said.
A Collaborative Approach
Zelek, a 17-year resident of Lyme, has volunteered in leadership positions with the Lyme Ambulance Association — where she was vice president and helped recruit members and secure a new ambulance — as well as the Boy Scouts, multiple parent-teacher organizations, and a high school ‘Safe Grad’ committee.
She spoke to LymeLine earlier this month from an Adirondack chair in her front yard overlooking Tiffany Farm. Multiple drivers over the course of the interview waved or honked their horns as they drove by.
“Anything that I join, I tend to be in a leadership role, from small things to big things,” she said.
Zelek was raised in a military family that settled in Massachusetts when she was 10 years old. She attended Alfred University in New York, where she graduated with a double major in English and communications. She has held jobs in insurance, event planning and real estate, and is employed currently as an independent consultant with the health and wellness company Arbonne in addition to working at Westbrook Schools.
She is divorced with three sons aged 19, 16 and 15.
Knocking on doors at homes across town, she said she’s heard residents’ concerns about traffic, bicyclist safety, and keeping taxes low.
She said attending town board and commission meetings, including the boards of selectpeople, education, finance, and planning and zoning, has shown her those groups play a crucial role in shaping Lyme’s future.
“We have an incredible community of people that have backgrounds that are amazing,” she said. “And it’s such a gift that they’re willing to keep sharing their knowledge and their time.”
Zelek said a growing sense of collaboration has been evident in Lyme lately. She cited examples ranging from the fire department and ambulance company beginning to work more closely, to library leadership engaging the wider community in talking about the impact of loneliness and possible solutions.
“I feel like that’s what we all have to be doing, is working together,” she said.
If elected, Zelek’s top priorities would be enhancing public safety, including safer conditions for bicyclists, and improving communication with residents. She supports a balanced budget and careful spending.
She described herself, like the Scouts she leads, as thrifty.
“I do clip coupons and return my cans,” she said.
Zelek cited her open mind and collaborative approach as the biggest strengths.
“I don’t have an agenda; I really just want to get out and help people come together to get to the solutions that are best for the town,” she said. “I’m not going in thinking I have any one way to do anything. Everybody has a different issue and a different way to come to a solution for issues, but somehow we can come together and maybe not come up with a perfect answer, but a pretty good answer for the majority of the people.”
The Trump Effect
St. Louis recalled meeting people on the campaign trail with people who had little patience for Republicans.
Some of them would shut the door in his face, according to St. Louis. Others would refuse to engage with him unless he denounced President Donald Trump. That’s when he’d tell them he prefers to focus on local issues rather than national politics.
He reiterated his top issue is zoning control, which he described as unrelated to national politics.
“I see it in their eyes that they’re worried about how the national politics might play at the local level,” he said. “ But that’s not why I’ve lived here for 27 years and raised a family here. I love the community and I love the rural aspects and the small town feel of it all. And I just don’t see national concerns playing out in our day-to-day lives here. But I respect that some people do.”
He acknowledged some national issues do hit close to home. He said he disagrees with Trump’s decision to halt the offshore wind projects because of the effect on State Pier in New London, but supports Trump’s recent agreement with Pfizer to expand U.S. investment.
“There are things he says that I’d prefer he not say, but when I look at the actions, I’m trying to look at the local impact here,” he said.
Zelek is among those who have seen national political divisions become more pronounced locally in recent years. But on a personal level, she said she maintains friendships across the political spectrum and values differing views.
The lifelong unaffiliated voter said she votes for the person, not the party.
Asked for her thoughts on Trump, she said she does not believe he is a positive role model for young people.
“He’s not what we’ve taught our children to be,” she said. “And that’s a really simple line for me.”
She counted taking care of others and being kind as ideals she’d like to see instilled in her children.
“If it looks like someone needs help, just reach out,” she said. “Just saying hello, I think, is a huge thing. A simple hello can lead into more of it. And treat people how you want to be treated. I also say repeatedly, ‘the only person you have control over is yourself.’”
Report Notes Opposition to Affordable Housing is “Softening”
The image above shows the cover photo of Lyme’s 2025 Draft Plan of Conservation and Development.
LYME, CT— Residents continue to prize the town’s rural environment and natural resources above all else.
That’s according to the 35-page draft of the 2025 Lyme Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD), the town’s foundational planning document required by state statute to be updated every 10 years.
The draft comes as local officials and volunteers work to align the local vision of Lyme – painted as a safe, rural retreat by its residents – with state directives to spread more affordable housing options across all cities and towns.
The draft was produced as part of a roughly year-and-a-half-long process by the Lyme Planning and Zoning Commission and endorsed by the town’s Board of Selectmen last week. The draft will be filed with the town clerk and available for online review on Oct. 6, according to Planning and Zoning Commission member Carol House.
In a phone interview this week, House said the results show not much has changed since the 2015 plan.
“People like living in Lyme, and they want to keep a lot of it the way it is,” she said.
The draft update, obtained by LymeLine through a Freedom of Information request, is based largely on 704 responses to a survey distributed late last year to gauge opinions on topics including emergency services, open space and affordable housing. Eligible respondents live in Lyme, own property there, or volunteer with the local fire and ambulance companies.
House said the last survey distributed a decade ago garnered fewer than 300 responses. This time around, the commission brought back some questions for continuity while adding new definitions and questions to address emerging issues.
The draft report describes a population that remains willing to travel outside town borders for employment, shopping and services in order to keep the landscape unspoiled.
The vision statement, too, has remained largely consistent through two revisions over the past quarter century.
“Lyme will not attempt to become frozen in time, but will adjust to the demands and opportunities of modern life,” the statement reads. “As new technologies create the possibilities of new lifestyles, Lyme will adjust its regulations and requirements to allow people to work at home or to live in non-traditional family households. Change will occur as a result of our changing society, but in a way that preserves Lyme’s quality of life and natural resources.”
Still, House pointed to subtle shifts in the outlook among residents.
Among them is a “softening” of opposition to affordable housing, according to the draft report. Authors cited an almost 19% increase among residents in favor of using town funds to increase housing options. But they acknowledged supporters, who totaled 47.9% of respondents in the survey, still do not represent a majority.
The draft also shows new survey questions implemented this year revealed priorities not previously explored: that respondents “place a very high value on Lyme’s low crime rate and the ability to remain in their homes and community as they age.”
House, who serves as a co-chair of the town’s Affordable Housing Commission as well, said the POCD will provide guidance for the group tasked with figuring out how to diversify housing options in town. The commission has held off on proposing or implementing new plans while waiting to see what the surveys and final planning document had to say about the town’s appetite for change.
“I think all of that together will provide a clearer picture for how we need to move ahead with affordable housing,” she said.
First Selectman David Lahm in a Thursday phone interview said the “will of the people” is evident in the draft document.
“Open space is still the priority,” he said.
That doesn’t mean affordable housing is not an important factor, according to Lahm. He said survey responses show that encouraging accessory dwelling units (ADUs) – also known as in-law apartments, guest houses and granny pods – and affordable single-family homes can be a solution in town.
“The one thing they are not in favor of is multi unit housing,” he said.
The town’s environmental ethos has remained unchanged since the publication of the first plan in 1964, when town leaders laid the groundwork for a focus on farming and conservation they hoped would keep the town’s population of 1,300 relatively steady despite the completion of nearby Interstate 95 only a few years prior.
At the time, they feared the town’s inhabitants could number 5,000 by 1990 if left unchecked. So they put in zoning and subdivision controls restricting commercial development to existing areas in Hamburg and Hadlyme while keeping large tracts of undeveloped land intact.
Today, U.S. Census figures count the population today at 2,352 people. Land records show more than half the town’s land mass is preserved as open space.
Minimum lot sizes in Lyme now range from one to three acres across town in order to limit how many homes can be built. Only 4% of respondents said they believed smaller lot sizes should be allowed.
The document calls for Lyme’s “aggressive sewer avoidance program” to continue, with regular inspections and maintenance of septic systems and required pumping.
The draft is being presented against the backdrop of a state vision, outlined in the Connecticut Conservation and Development Policies Plan, that describes thriving economies and increased affordable housing as key components of sustainable, equitable, vibrant and resilient communities.
According to the plan’s authors, Lyme’s vision is in keeping with state goals for conservation and development.
“The State Plan is based on an overall philosophy of anti-sprawl, directing growth to those areas of Connecticut where infrastructure such as roads, public water and public sewers already exists, or where infrastructure can easily be expanded,” the document reads. “The State’s Plan also recommends that extensive growth be avoided in sensitive environmental areas and areas where little infrastructure exists. Lyme’s Plan meets both criteria.”
The draft POCD, stating that “uncontrolled growth and poor planning” can drastically change a town, emphasized the need to act in ways that preserve Lyme’s rural atmosphere.
Recommendations include increasing the availability of housing by converting existing homes into affordable units, promoting ADUs and creating design standards for residential development.
The plan continues to support farming, farm markets and work-from-home enterprises. Recommendations include limiting commercial development to existing zones while investigating regulations “that support local tradespeople, certain essential service providers and farm stores.”
The draft report acknowledges more than 50% of land in town is protected as open space, but cautioned there’s still a lot of room for growth: “If future development on Lyme’s remaining available land is not carefully monitored and controlled, Lyme could quickly be transformed into a more suburban town.”
Recommendations call for strengthening land use regulations, preserving open fields and cultural features, maintaining an inventory of historic sites, and educating residents about sensitive areas. Farmland should be safeguarded through policies that protect the town’s agricultural roots and promote local food production. Open space preservation should focus on large, connected tracts managed for biodiversity through dedicated funding in partnership with local, regional and state groups.
The POCD survey for the first time includes questions about emergency services, which exist locally as the publicly funded Lyme Fire Department and privately funded Lyme Ambulance Association.
Respondents supported continuing the volunteer-based models for the fire department and ambulance association, according to the draft report. Ambulance company leaders during a stakeholder interview said taxpayer funding for facilities and equipment will become necessary in the coming years.
Data in the report puts the number of ambulance association calls at 300 per year. The Town provides one bay in each firehouse, fuel for the ambulances, workers compensation coverage and a pension plan for those who qualify. The nonprofit organization’s operating costs and capital expenses for vehicles and equipment are funded by donations and by billing insurance companies.
Lahm credited the POCD writing committee, consisting of House, David Tiffany, Jennifer Tiffany and Mary Stone, for a job well done.
“They put a lot of hard work into that and came up with a good product,” he said.
A public hearing must be held no sooner than 35 days from the filing of the plan with the town clerk. A date has not yet been set, according to House. She said the commission hopes to schedule two hearing dates to ensure as many people as possible can participate.
The draft document will then go back to the Planning and Zoning Commission for any revisions and a final vote before the new year, House said.
