The woods located behind the old Colonel Ledyard Elementary School, as well as the animals and plants that rely on them, were delivered an early defeat on February 2, 2021, when the Groton Town Council voted 6-3 in favor of the sale of the property to Bellsite Development, LLC, despite environmental and quality of life concerns raised by the property’s neighbors. The company is looking to develop the property by converting the school building into apartments, followed later by paving and constructing new buildings on the backside of the property. (Click here to read more in The Day.)
Col. Ledyard School site concept
The proposed development of the site endangers the last remaining wild habitat in the City, but perhaps more alarmingly the property also sits on a steep slope above the headwaters of the Birch Plain Creek. The loss of root systems and permeable surfaces combined with increased human activity and run-off threatens to impact the entire creek’s watershed. GCA is working with City residents to limit the scope of the property’s development and preserve this important habitat and green space in the City of Groton.
The Pleasant Valley Elementary School property is also up for sale, endangering another forested area on the west side of town which needs more, not less green space. Click here to read more.