Middlebury’s news - without the noise
The group fighting to preserve 35 acres of open land on Kelly Road next to Memorial Middle School is down to it's last day to show enough pledges to keep the property out of development. If you've been following this story you already know the deadline is here. There's also a Zoning Board of Appeals decision in the works on the Southford Road warehouse proposal. That hearing happened last week and a ruling could come any time.
Today
Final Day to Save the Kelly Road Land
Southford Road Warehouse Zoning Appeal
CT’s Tax Rebate Proposal (Preliminary Overview)
One Day Left to Save the Kelly Road Land
Save Historic Middlebury is making a final push for pledges to preserve 35 acres next door to Memorial Middle School.
Save Historic Middlebury missed a $1 million payment deadline for 124 Kelly Road on March 1st, and the grace period in its purchase contract with the property owner expires today, March 10th. Once that window closes, the owner is within their legal rights to walk away from the deal and move forward with a 14-unit residential subdivision (a plan already in zoning’s eyes).
The 35 acres sit directly adjacent to Memorial Middle School, roughly 25 feet from the building. SHM has been working for years to turn the land into a public multi-activity park instead.
On Friday, March 6th, SHM President Nick Stuller posted an urgent appeal to donors and supporters, acknowledging the odds are steep. "The odds are quite high we only have four days left," he wrote, while also stressing that the owner has a financial incentive to grant more time if pledges get close enough to cover the gap. "With our existing contract, he will make a good guaranteed profit with very little risk" Stuller wrote. "So it's in his best interest to give us more time if we are reasonably close."
Stuller has also pointed out that if the deal collapses Tuesday (today_but construction hasn't started, there may still be a narrow path forward. The group plans to pursue state and private grants that would cover up to 90 percent of the cost. Donor loans, he said, can be repaid from those grants once secured.
The Trust for Public Land and Connecticut Land Conservation Council have both been involved in advising the effort.
(We are opting not to link anything or advise on contact information for this story due to fraud concerns, please Google this story or Save Historic Middlebury, a 501c3 non-profit, if interested in more info or to make a pledge).
Southford Road Warehouse Appeal Goes Before ZBA
A Zoning Board of Appeals hearing last Wednesday marks the latest chapter in the fight over a proposed 669,000sqft warehouse at the old Timex campus.
The Middlebury Zoning Board of Appeals held a public hearing on March 4th to consider an appeal filed by Southford Park, LLC, challenging the town zoning enforcement officer's denial of a Certificate of Zoning Compliance for its warehouse proposal at 764 Southford Road.
The 77 acre site is the former Timex headquarters. The developer has been pursuing approvals for two warehouse buildings totaling roughly 669,000 square feet for several years. The Planning and Zoning Commission originally approved the project in January 2024, but a Superior Court judge overturned that decision in January 2025, ruling that a state law blocked the project under its specific parameters. Southford Park appealed that ruling to the state Appellate Court and separately filed a federal lawsuit in December 2025, alleging the law was unconstitutional and written specifically to target this one project.
The ZBA hearing was the most recent local proceeding. No ruling has been publicly reported yet. Given the layers of litigation still pending at the state and federal level, a ZBA decision may not be the final word regardless of which way it goes.
A decision either way has implications including the tax base, town character, and the legal question of how much the state legislature can insert itself into local zoning decisions.
A Check From Hartford? Brief Words on CT's Tax Rebate Proposal
Gov. Lamont is pushing a one-time rebate that would send $200 to $400 to most Connecticut households but it still has to get through the legislature.
Middlebury homeowners could qualify, and they wouldn't have to do a thing to get it. That's the pitch behind Gov. Ned Lamont's proposed $500 million tax rebate, which is currently moving through the state legislature as part of the 2026 session.
The proposal would send $200 to individual filers earning under $200,000 a year, and $400 to married couples filing jointly under $400,000. Head of household filers under $320,000 would get $320. Eligibility is based on your 2024 Connecticut income tax return. The state would identify recipients automatically — no application needed. If it passes, checks would go out by October 31, 2026.
Rough estimates say about 2.2 million Connecticut residents would be covered. The money would come out of state sales tax receipts and be replenished from this fiscal year's projected surplus.
The catch…it hasn't passed yet and there are competing alternatives in play. House Democrats favor a new child tax credit worth up to $600 per child (capped at $1,800 per household). House Republicans want a permanent expansion of the property tax credit. The session runs through May 6, so there's time for the picture to change significantly, but, it’s an interesting proposition worth watching.
Upcoming Events
Tuesday, March 10 — Tax Relief Committee meeting, Town Hall, 6:00 p.m.
Wednesday, March 11 — Board of Finance, Town Hall, 7:00 p.m. Budget season is underway and this meeting is part of the ongoing 2026/2027 process.
Monday, March 16 — Board of Selectmen, Town Hall, 5:00 p.m.
Wednesday, March 18 — Region 15 Budget Workshop, 6:30 p.m., Pomperaug High School Media Center. The evening covers the high school and athletics budget.
Wednesday, March 25 — Region 15 Budget Workshop and Public Hearing, 6:30 p.m., PHS Media Center. Includes the Middlebury and Southbury Boards of Finance and is open to the public.
Editors Note:
If you found this newsletter through a community Facebook group this week, you may have seen some skepticism about where it came from. Fair enough, a new link can be suspicious, but Middlebury Morning is just what it looks like. A free local newsletter started by people who live here and wanted something like this to exist. No we aren’t scammers. There is no fee, no agenda, and no catch. Glad you're here.
Have a great day,
-Middlebury Morning