Suit Would Derail Settlement

Just when everyone thought an agreement was near, a pending lawsuit may derail any sign of progress. Representatives from The Norwalk Inn and the Norwalk Preservation Trust announced recently they are nearing a compromise that would settle their four year stand off. The agreement, which has been mediated by State Rep. Larry Cafero and State Sen. Bob Duff, would require the Inn to restore the historic Grumman-St. John property, which it has owned since 2001, but would permit The Norwalk Inn to construct a third floor on the hotel building. But then Tod Bryant, president of the NPT, said the organization plans to continue with the lawsuit against the Inn that it initiated in 2006. If they do, it could derail the whole agreement.

Cafero reacted with disbelief when he heard of the NPT’s decision. He would argue, he said, that a condition of any settlement between the two parties must include the withdrawal of the suit.

"Otherwise, what have we been doing all this time?" Cafero asked.

Bryant defended the NPT's plan saying it was necessary to protect the house from any future actions. He called the negotiated agreement "a good first step" because it would restore the house but he said it does not preserve the house. The NPT filed the suit when the Handrinos family, owners of the Inn, planned to demolish the Grumman-St.John property in 2006 in order to expand their hotel. Dating back to the Revolutionary War, the house has fallen into disrepair. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Grumman-St. John house is protected under the terms of the Connecticut Environmental Protection Act.

“Unfortunately, the only way to enforce the Act is with a lawsuit,” said Bryant.

Cafero disagrees. He says a settlement between the two parties could include a clause that would recognize the terms of the agreement, “in perpetuity.”

"We are stymied by this lawsuit," said Matt DeVito, assistant manager of the Norwalk Inn. "We just want to get back to business."

 

 

 

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