Around Town

Did You Hear … ?

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The New Canaan Preservation Alliance on Sunday afternoon presented awards to two individuals and five properties in its eighth annual Awards Ceremony, sponsored by Halstead Property. Speakers included Rose Scott Long, the outgoing president, state Sen. Toni Boucher, NCPA Founder and past President Mimi Findlay and Rachel Carley, an historic consultant hired by the Alliance to continue the inventory of New Canaan’s historic houses. The gallery above spotlights award winners, including NewCanaanite.com for the Media Award—a huge thank-you to the NCPA! ***

Manfredi Jewels at 72 Elm St. is holding its Grand Opening party from 12 to 7 p.m. Friday and 12 to 5 p.m. Saturday this week, following an invite-only celebration Thursday of its special collection of Rolex timepieces.

Around Town

Gingerbread Houses a Highlight of Annual Holiday Stroll, To Be Held Friday and Saturday [SLIDESHOW]

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The gingerbread houses on display in shop windows downtown (see gallery above for just some samples) have emerged as a favorite centerpiece of the annual New Canaan Chamber of Commerce Holiday Stroll, which launches Friday for its tenth year. Sponsored by Halstead Property, which this year purchased 75 kits for New Canaan families to take home decorate, the real estate office got behind the gingerbread houses early on because they represent houses and the firm loves kids, said Sharon Maasdorp, executive director of sales at Halstead. “Kids are invited into the office at any time, the agents’ kids and grandkids, and we thought it would be a fun way to give back to the community in a way that children could be involved, because so much is geared toward parents,” Maasdorp said. “We love it and next year we’ll have more because this year they were gone within a week or less, all 75. It’s great, because the store people put them in their windows and then at the Stroll, the kids get to show the parents which ones are theirs.

News

All Eyes on Roger Sherman Inn with New Prospect of Sale, Development

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As news spread this week of the Roger Sherman Inn hitting the market at $6 million, one major question that preservationists and other locals are asking concerns the Oenoke Ridge property’s future—specifically, whether the inn itself could face the wrecking ball, to be replaced by a housing complex of some sort. Mimi Findlay, chairman emerita of the New Canaan Preservation Alliance notes that in recent years, New Canaanites have lost the Melba Inn on Park Street, Maples Inn on Oenoke and Silvermine Tavern. “So sad for New Canaan, architecturally, culturally and personally—where do my in-laws stay when visiting us?” Findlay told NewCanaanite.com in an email. Though the 1.8-acre property at 195 Oenoke Ridge Road cannot be subdivided because it’s in a one-acre zone, Town Planner Steve Kleppin said, concerns linger about development under the Affordable Housing Appeals Act, a state law that allows developers to skirt local planning decisions by designating a certain percentage of units in a proposed development as affordable. The law is triggered in municipalities where less than 10 percent of the housing stock is considered “affordable,” by the state’s definition.

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Roger Sherman Inn Hits the Market at $6 Million

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The grand, historic Roger Sherman Inn, a touchstone for New Canaanites and an enduring holdout from a bygone era of the town, has hit the market at $6 million, according to an online listing with Halstead. Though rumors have circulated in New Canaan for several months about a possible sale of the venerable inn, the official listing date for the property is Aug. 23, according to Trulia. The 1.8-acre lot last was purchased six years ago for $3.4 million, according to its tax card. It is owned by Jaffre Real Estate LLC, a company whose principal, according to the Connecticut Secretary of the State, is Joseph Jaffre of New Canaan.