Land transfer in Thompson approved

Azud Road leading up to Ballard Road. Photo by Denise Coffey.

A proposed land transfer to Jason Lavallee was approved at a Thompson town meeting on Feb. 3.  Two small town-owned parcels of land that were landlocked within a 42-acre expanse in Mechanicsville were given to Lavallee in exchange for work to be done on those lots. The area between Ballard Road, Azud Road and Route 12 will be the eventual site of six homes and a small commercial building.  The homes will front the southeastern portion of the property along Ballard and Azud Roads. The commercial building and drive will be built in the northern portion of the property.

Thompson Planning Officer Kevin Kennedy said part of the land transfer agreement was that Lavallee was going to create a parking lot which would be used by people who would like to have access to the Air Line Rail Trail in exchange for taking ownership of town land. The trail is part of a 50-mile stretch of trails that extends along old railroad lines in eastern Connecticut.  The other off-road access point is on New Street.

“Technically, the land transfer is contingent on a subdivision application which is going to be submitted to the planning and zoning commission,” Kennedy said. Lavallee will need to go through the zone change first, he said. 

“Then we see a subdivision application come in. Part of that subdivision application would show the proposed land transfer and all that.  The town meeting and all these other town approvals are precursors to the subdivision application. When he comes into the subdivision application, he’s going to show five residential lots off of Ballard Road.”

“I would definitely see it happening this spring,” Kennedy said of the proposed development.  “The applicant needs to get a lot of this done, and the sale of the property is contingent on all these approvals.”