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Committee weighs town-owned parcels, RFPs and zoning outreach as tools for more affordable housing
Summary
Committee members reviewed town-owned parcels (Grandview and a lot behind the firehouse), debated feasibility of small-lot development versus larger concentrated projects, and discussed creating an inventory spreadsheet, pursuing RFPs and ensuring representation in Old Lyme’s zoning-rewrite focus groups.
At its meeting, the Affordable Housing Committee reviewed a spreadsheet of town-owned parcels and identified two small sites—one behind the firehouse and a Grandview parcel—as the most immediately practical candidates for affordable housing exploration. Committee member (S3) noted some lots have foundations or wetlands and that many town parcels are small and may not be feasible without aggregation or developer incentives.
The committee discussed options to advance housing on town land: (1) create a public inventory/spreadsheet that flags zoning constraints and developability; (2) solicit proposals via an RFP or pilot prefabricated housing projects; and (3) coordinate representation for Old Lyme’s zoning regulations rewrite and follow-up focus groups. Chair (S1) said she will forward the consultant’s focus-group emails to members and asked the steering committee to consider which champion will forward invoices and correspond with town staff.
Context and finances: Members discussed scale and cost: Committee member (S3) referred to having “about $150,000 of ARPA funds” dedicated to project prep, while Chair (S1) said the committee’s regular budget was $14,500 with approximately $13,843 remaining; S1 also said roughly $8,000 of ARPA funds have already been spent on project-related invoices. Members flagged the difficulty of building affordable housing on many small, fragmented town lots and discussed incentives—such as tax reductions or RFP design flexibility—to encourage owners or developers to create year-round affordable units on properties that are now seasonal or underused.
Next steps: The committee agreed to prepare or update a consolidated spreadsheet of town-owned properties that notes zoning and development constraints, to consider inviting developers or prefabrication proponents to future steering-committee meetings, and to report back at the next meeting with suggested priorities and any follow-up requests for town staff.
