Town Meeting Minute • Issue #13: Towns Are Taking Control of the Housing Conversation

Posted by Tim Bray on August 3rd, 2026

Town Meeting Minute • Issue #13

Towns Are Taking Control of the Housing Conversation

Across New London County, Middlesex County, Washington County, and Newport County, the next real estate story is not just private development pressure. It is how municipalities are rewriting, refining, adopting, resisting, and redirecting the rules that determine what can actually be built.

New London County, CT Middlesex County, CT Washington County, RI Newport County, RI

Real estate value is shaped long before a listing hits the market. It changes when a town initiates its own zoning map amendment, when a follow-up text amendment appears, when a POCD moves to public hearing, when subdivision regulations are rewritten, when housing-growth…

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Connecticut 50% Rule: Substantial Improvement Explained

Posted by Tim Bray on July 31st, 2026

Connecticut · Flood Zone Renovations

The 50% Rule Isn’t One Rule. That’s Why So Many Renovations Go Sideways.

Three separate rules share the same number. Almost nobody separates them — and in Connecticut, the one that decides your project is written by your town, not the state.

Seaport Advisory  ·  Southeastern Connecticut & Southern Rhode Island

A few days ago a group of us got into it over the 50% rule — the one that says you can only renovate a house in a flood zone so far before the whole building has to come up to current code. Everyone in the room knew the rule. Everyone in the room had a different version of it.

That’s not a knowledge problem. It’s that three separate rules share the same number, and almost nobody…

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Town Meeting Minute Issue #12: The Rules Are Starting to Move in Southeastern Connecticut

Posted by Tim Bray on July 12th, 2026

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Town Meeting Minute • Issue #12

The Rules Are Starting to Move

Over the past two weeks, Southeastern Connecticut towns have moved from planning language into real regulatory consequences: Groton approved a major open-space development framework, Waterford rejected a large housing rezoning request, Stonington advanced its POCD review, East Lyme continued housing-growth implementation, Norwich processed incremental infill, and Ledyard studied whether its land-use governance structure needs to change.

Real estate value is often shaped before a property ever hits the market. It changes when a text amendment passes, when a rezoning fails, when a subdivision hearing is scheduled, when a POCD moves to public review, or when a town…

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I Was Wrong About Housing Bubbles. Here's What Changed.

Posted by Tim Bray on June 7th, 2026

Market Analysis • A Correction

Why I Changed My Mind About Housing Bubbles

Revisiting an old theory in light of what the pandemic — and our own local data — taught us about prices, value, and the dollar itself.

By Tim Bray  •  Broker / Owner  •  Seaport Real Estate Services

Editor’s Note

This article revisits and corrects an earlier piece published on this blog — “Housing Bubbles & Market Crashes: The Holy Grail,” originally written by Barry Neilsen and modified by Tim Bray. The years since have tested its central claim, and I’d rather correct the record openly than let an old argument stand unchallenged.

Years ago, I published a piece on this blog about housing bubbles, market crashes, and the idea of mean reversion —…

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Community Calendar Issue #9: Vineyards, Markets & the Rhythm of Summer

Posted by Tim Bray on May 17th, 2026

Community Calendar • Issue #9

The Small Events Are the Signal

As the weather turns, the four-county shoreline starts to move differently. Vineyards open their lawns, farmers markets return, town greens fill with music, and downtown streets become gathering places again.

What We’re Watching This Season

Across New London County, Middlesex County, Washington County, and Newport County, the most interesting story is not only the large festivals. It is the smaller, recurring, local events that reveal where people are gathering, where businesses are benefiting, and where communities are building real lifestyle momentum.

Big Theme

The large festivals bring the crowds, but the smaller events build the community.

…

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