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Showing posts from March, 2023

Town Council Begins Revaluation Updates With Sharp Jump in Home Values—and Worries About What Comes Next

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The town assessor cited four examples to the Town Council monday of price gains on Enfield homes since the last revaluation. This home showed the most dramatic increase. The jump may be due to strong demand for lower-priced homes, upgrades made between sales, or a combination of both. The Town Council plans to give regular public updates on the upcoming property revaluation. The first of those updates came last night with a look at how sharply residential property values have increased since the previous revaluation. Enfield is conducting a property revaluation as required by state law. The process will run through 2026, and residents will receive their new assessments in November of that year. Those assessments will apply to the FY28 budget, which takes effect in July 2027. Residential values in Enfield have risen significantly since the 2021 revaluation (See examples below). The concern for town officials is a potential tax shift: if commercial property values have not increased at t...

Enfield Street residents are on the verge of setting the town's future

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Planning and Zoning Commission capture from video on YouTube. Pastel effect added. The Felician Sisters senior and workforce housing project prompted a backlash in Enfield. Enfield Street area residents organized effectively against it. They lined a long stretch of the street with signs in opposition and turned out at various Planning and Zoning Commission hearings to speak against it. They defeated the project and moved on to a new target: Enfield's future.  The goal is to make building any type of multi-family housing difficult. Multi-family has become the key to the town's economic future.  There is a fight in this community over something you need to be aware of, the Plan of Conversation and Development or POCD. This document will set the town's planning direction for the next ten years, and its recommendations are consequential.  The Enfield I grew up in the 1960s is radically different today. We had many, many children back then. In the 1960s, only 13% of household...

Enfield's future is being decided now

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  The local chapter of SURJ, which discusses and seeks solutions to Enfield's social justice and economic issues, will update the status of the town's Plan of Conservation and Development at its meeting on Wednesday. This plan will set the direction of the town for the next decade, and it is controversial because of the direction it sets on the future of housing. This backgrounder explains some key issues and includes comments from the town's recent public hearing. The public is always invited to SURJ meetings.  SURJ MEETING WEDNESDAY Enfield Chapter 15 March 2023 6:30-8:00 p.m. Via Zoom link below: Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82068793924... Meeting ID: 820 6879 3924 Passcode: 664288 Enfield POCD Housing Backgrounder Enfield is in the final stages of updating its Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD). This document will set Enfield's development direction for the next decade. The most controversial area is multifamily and affordable housing. The PO...