Future Projects
Holley Place
The Salisbury Affordable Housing Commission hosted a series of community forums in 2017 to seek resident input on housing goals and locations. The “Holley Block” was voted the most popular site for new affordable housing at these forums. This site used to have an apartment building on it many years ago that was taken down.
The town has provided an option to lease this property to the Salisbury Housing Committee (SHC). SHC has been awarded pre-development funding for the project from the CT Department of Housing to explore the viability of affordable housing on that site. This proposal has Planning & Zoning Commission approval. Below is a rendering of what the new building will look like.
Dresser Woods
37 Railroad Street
The Property
The site of the proposed development is a 5.3-acre lot that was donated to the Salisbury Housing Committee by a private citizen, Jim Dresser, in 2022 for the purpose of building affordable rental units.
The parcel is adjacent to the 66-foot-wide retired railroad corridor, which contains the Railroad Ramble, also known as the Rail Trail, on the east end of Railroad Street in the village of Salisbury and used to be referred to as “East Railroad Street” but has now been named “Dresser Woods”.
This property has been chosen for affordable housing because:
It was donated to the Salisbury Housing Committee, Inc.
It has access to town water and sewer.
It is a level building site with excellent soils and mature trees.
It is a 250-yard walk to the center of Salisbury Village, which allows the development to only minimally impact parking demand in the village.
The property was identified as a site for affordable housing in The Town of Salisbury’s adopted 2018 Affordable Housing Plan and updated 2023 Affordable Housing Plan.
The Proposed Development
The Salisbury Housing Committee is proposing to build 20 rental homes on the property in a cluster of nine buildings designed to reflect a traditional New England style. There will be handicapped accessible and adaptable units.
The development will have access to the property by using a short section of less than one-half the width of the 66-foot-wide retired railroad corridor. The required distance is less than 150 feet from the end of the pavement on Railroad Street.
Proposed Site Plan showing new landscaping, buildings, and buffer area from wetlands
Current Status
Access to the property has been approved at a Town Meeting and the Salisbury Housing Committee has been working with its development team to develop architectural and engineering plans taking all of the wetlands and zoning requirements into account. The proposed site plan has received approval from the town’s wetlands commission and planning and zoning commission.
The Town of Salisbury has applied to the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)/Small Cities program, funded by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), for $1,000,000 to support 20 new affordable homes at Dresser Woods. This funding request will cover the costs of infrastructure for the project, including connections to water and sewer lines, site clearing, grading, utility connections, stormwater management, and preparation of driveway and parking areas. We are awaiting the Department of Housing’s funding decision on this application.