By Brandon T. Bisceglia
Orange’s bid to acquire a parcel of land from the state that had been set aside for a now-defunct train station just got a lot more complicated.
At the heart of the snag is a Sept. 26 letter from state Office of Policy and Management Secretary Benjamin Barnes addressed to First Selectman Jim Zeoli outlining a number of additional restrictions around the use of the parcel.
Orange residents already voted overwhelmingly on Sept. 5 to give the town the go-ahead to pursue the 8.09-acre property, known as 28 Salemme Lane. At the time, town leaders had presented the deal as allowing it to develop the land in any way it likes. The only condition was that the town maintain an easement for the state for 25 years, in case it should revive plans to build a platform along the nearby Metro North Railroad tracks.
In his letter, however, Barnes warns against rezoning the land or developing it in any way inconsistent with transit-oriented development.
“Rezoning the current TODD (transit-oriented development district) to Light Industrial or other designation that is incompatible with transit would be contrary to the purposes for which this grant funding was made available, and I must insist that the town commit not to such rezoning during the term of the use restrictions,” the letter says.
Technically, the land is already zoned light industrial. When the Town Plan & Zoning Commission created the TODD district in 2017, it stipulated that the zone would not go into effect unless it was “served by an existing rail station or planned rail station.” Though the state has expressed interest in a possible future station in Orange, there is currently no plan in place.
In his letter, Barnes also wrote that any housing built on the property would have to comply with state law requiring that 10 percent of all units be affordable.
The Board of Selectmen announced after an hour-long executive session on the matter at its Oct. 10 meeting to empower Zeoli and Town Attorney Vincent Marino to continue negotiations with the state to see if an amicable resolution can be reached.
The terms of the agreement, Zeoli said, “have changed dramatically from what was told to myself and counsel attorney Marino and that we presented to the residents of Orange.”
“At this time,” he added, “we are in strong disagreement with what they are requesting.”
The property is being sold by Orange Land Development Holdings, LLC. Though the town is the buyer, it would not actually spend any money on the parcel. The purchase is contingent on the receipt of a grant-in-aid from the state of Connecticut in the amount of $6,143,250, which has offered to pay the $5,533,250 price based on a state-led appraisal, with the rest of the money set aside to cover the expenses the town would incur in making the transaction.
The purchase of the land has ignited controversy at the state level as well, with Republicans calling for an investigation into the fact that Branford resident Edward Crowley, a prolific donor to both political parties and owner of Orange Land Development Holdings, would get 11 times the $500,000 he paid for the land in 2015.
