Branford Eagle

Housing

As Seas Rise, So Do Homes

by Diana Stricker | Apr 18, 2013 8:36 am | Comments (1)

Things are looking up—literally—for the DeRosa family, whose waterfront home in Short Beach was damaged by both Tropical Storm Irene and Super Storm Sandy.

The 100-year-old home at 294 Shore Dr. has been elevated above flood levels, and work on the new foundation is nearing completion.

“Now it’s the best thing we ever did,” said Mary Ellen DeRosa. “We left the dishes in the cupboards, and nothing broke. That’s how perfect it was raised,” she said. “It was the easiest thing, once we made the decision.”

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Blizzard Condo Evacuees Still Waiting For Repairs

by Sally E. Bahner | Mar 11, 2013 8:18 am | Comments (2)

If Krista Hanniford had curtains in her bedroom she might not have noticed the cracks above her windows and down the walls of her home at the Branford Hills condominiums.

Then a couple of other people in adjoining units noticed cracks in their walls.

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Second Upscale Condo Construction Starts Soon

by Diana Stricker | Dec 10, 2012 9:07 am

Construction is expected to begin by spring on a second upscale condo building along the Branford River at the Anchor Reef complex across from the train station.

The Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) unanimously approved revisions to the original master plans Thursday night. The commission also held a public hearing on a proposal to build a bank and a fast food restaurant in the Stop & Shop parking lot, but no decision was made.

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“It Took Mother Nature Millions Of Years To Create Our Beach”

by Diana Stricker | Nov 21, 2012 12:00 pm | Comments (1)

Neighbors fear a proposal to build a new house and renovate a seawall (pictured) will adversely affect an adjacent portion of Sunset Beach, which is jointly owned by an association of 38 families in the Pawson Park area of Branford.

The Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) held a two-hour public hearing last Thursday, during which time experts for both sides presented testimony.

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Founders Village Construction Begins

by Diana Stricker & Marcia Chambers | Oct 3, 2012 8:15 am

Bulldozers are at work at the Founders Village site in the heart of Branford where 117 senior apartments will be built.

Developer Alex Vigliotti was granted a building permit from Town Hall last week to begin work on the foundation of Building C, which is the uppermost of the three apartments that are slated to be built behind the Rose Hill Apartments, which he also owns.

In a related development, the state Department of Public Health confirmed there was no evidence of contamination on the 7-acre wooded hillside north of the proposed complex and that further environmental testing was not required. Vigliotti deeded the wooded parcel to the town as part of a court settlement regarding the properties.

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Jury Out On Fair Rent

by marcia chambers | Jul 29, 2012 5:00 pm | Comments (2)

Several days after a recent Representative Town Meeting (RTM) public hearing on creating a fair rent commission,  RTM member Adam Hansen, who chaired the committee, says he is evaluating whether the idea “fits or does not fit for Branford.”

In an interview he told the Eagle he plans to gather additional facts, evaluate what the many speakers said during a recent three-hour hearing at Canoe Brook Senior Center and then explore with the RTM whether a fair rent commission is right for Branford. The Board of Selectmen had asked the RTM to look into the issue. There are 22 rent commissions throughout the state. 

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Foreclosure Aid Coming

by Sally E. Bahner | Mar 6, 2012 3:25 pm

A recent $25 billion settlement with the nation’s five biggest mortgage servicers—Bank of America, Citibank, JP Morgan Chase, GMAC/Ally and Wells Fargo – over foreclosure abuses, fraud and other suspect bank practices—will soon be felt in Branford and other towns and cities in Connecticut.

The settlement requires the banks to change the way they service distressed loans and holds them accountable for their actions. State attorneys general will now have the authority to monitor how federally regulated banks comply with the new servicing rules. They also have the ability to impose heavy fines on banks that fail to comply.

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Branford Confronts Foreclosure Crisis

by Sally E. Bahner | Mar 2, 2012 9:38 am

The couple – let’s call them the Smiths – considered their house in a nice area of Branford their dream home. They purchased it for around $700,000. They had long-term employment and good credit. In short, they did everything right.

Then she got sick and had to stop working. He continued to work and they avoided maxing out their credit cards, but the value of their house spiraled down during the recession. Along with their lives.

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“Shoreline Village” Gets Underway

by marcia chambers | Nov 14, 2011 12:02 pm | Comments (1)

When he was still living in Boston, Randy Reinhold read a story in The New York Times about Beacon Hill Village, a unique not-for-profit organization that started there in 2002. The “village” enables seniors to remain living independently at home—with the help of a network of community services.  A decade later there are 200 villages across the nation, including East Rock Village in New Haven. Now Reinhold and his team want to start a village on the shoreline. 

The Beacon Hill story resonated with Reinhold. “I said to myself …when I get some time, I am going to look into it.” He found the time when he retired two years ago as chief of surgery at the Hospital of St. Raphael in New Haven. Several friends expressed interest, including Stephanie Farber, who is active in politics and community life in Branford, and Bob Jaeger, an investment adviser who lives in Guilford. Reinhold is president of the new organization; Farber and Jaeger are vice-president and secretary/treasurer, respectively. (The full board is pictured above.) 

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Branford Getting “Incentive Housing”

by Diana Stricker | Oct 6, 2011 8:33 am | Comments (3)

Branford’s Planning and Zoning Commission is seeking approval for an “incentive housing” pilot program, even though the monetary incentive promised by the state has disappeared.

The program would provide affordable homes for low- to middle-income families. A developer, who has not been identified, has already expressed interest in the proposed program and hopes to build 12 condominiums on at the corner of Mona Avenue and Route 1 on the western end of Branford. Three of the units would be deed-restricted as affordable housing.

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