News

Planning & Zoning Commission Approves Special Permit for Newly Purchased Land Trust Property on Valley Road

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The Planning & Zoning Commission on Tuesday approved a special permit for 1124 Valley Road that will enable the New Canaan Land Trust to establish its headquarters in the circa-1750 farmhouse located on the property, which abuts the Grupes Reservoir. The approval of the special permit follows the Land Trust’s purchase of the antique home from the First Taxing District (FTD) of Norwalk, which acts as a municipal water company. The town contributed $150,000 toward the purchase. In terms of acreage, the Land Trust and FTD are two of the largest land owners in New Canaan. Under the terms of the private land deal, 1.82 acres of the four-acre property will be deeded to the Land Trust by FTD.

Art Berry

Selectmen Approve $150,000 Allocation for Land Trust Purchase of Valley Road Home

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The NewCanaanite.com Summer Internship Program is sponsored by Carriage Barn Arts Center. The Board of Selectmen last week approved a request from the Conservation Commission to disburse $150,000 toward the New Canaan Land Trust’s purchase of a historic home, located next to the Grupes Reservoir on Valley Road. The Board of Finance and Town Council also must approve the $150,000 allocation for the Land Trust’s purchase of 1124 Valley Road, officials said at the June 20 selectmen meeting. The money will be paid out of the town’s Land Acquisition Fund. The property is currently owned by the Norwalk First Taxing District, and had been slated to be demolished. 

The First Taxing District has agreed to sell the house and adjacent property for a total of $500,000, according to Art Berry, treasurer of the New Canaan Land Trust.

Chris Schipper

Selectmen Signal Support for $150,000 Town Contribution toward Land Trust Acquisition of Valley Road Property

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The Board of Selectmen on Tuesday signaled its support for a local nonprofit organization’s purchase of an antique house on Valley Road. Though the selectmen will wait for Conservation Commission approval before formally voting on the New Canaan Land Trust’s purchase of the ca. 1750-built home at 1124 Valley Road, the elected body voted 3-0 during its regular meeting to state its intent to support the purchase with a $150,000 town contribution. The money is expected come from the Land Acquisition Fund, established in 2017, and will require further approval from the Board of Finance and Town Council, officials said. The Land Trust plans to sign a purchase-and-sale agreement within about one week, and to complete the property transfer in September, according to the president of organization’s Board of Directors, Tom Cronin.

News

Who Knew? Drying Out Your January, One Hour at a Time

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‘Who Knew?’ is sponsored by Walter Stewart’s Market. 

There are few experiences that are more boring than someone yammering on about how successful their Dry January has been, so let me be the first to assure you that this column was written with a glass of my favorite Spanish white wine by my side. Txakoli is crisp, lightly effervescent, and dry. If dry wine isn’t the point of dry January, let’s at least call it thematically compliant and move along. 

In the 1950s, France’s government launched a public service campaign to temper the wine-drinking habits of her citizens–albeit lightly. The recommended amount was one liter per day. And while that seems hilariously high (and hilariously French), it’s also worth noting that wine in the 1950s was weaker than it is now.