By Wiley Wood
The Foundation for Norfolk Living (FNL), a housing nonprofit, has announced the pending gift to the foundation of a sizable property belonging to Ralph Burr. The parcel, on Greenwoods Road East, numbers 29-32, has three houses on it, divided into six rental units and has been in the Burr family since 1913.

“It’s a remarkable gift,” said Kate Johnson, a director of FNL. “It puts us in a brilliant situation.”

The foundation has applied for state funding to renovate the six rental units, bundling its application with another to create six rental units at 40 and 46 Greenwoods Road West. “The timing couldn’t have been better,” says Johnson, who has seen the per-unit cost of the planned construction go down dramatically as the number of apartments has doubled, making the project more likely to receive state funds.

“There are not a lot of affordable rentals available in town,” says First Selectman Sue Dyer. “This will open up the possibilities a little more.”

As a nonprofit, the foundation will pay no taxes on its properties. Recognizing that its tenants will use town services, however, the foundation plans to make a payment to the town in lieu of taxes. “We have a similar arrangement with Meadowbrook senior housing,” says Dyer.

Ralph Burr, who has lived and worked in New Haven most of his life while summering in Norfolk, inherited the property from his father, Charles Munson Burr, and maintained the houses for many years as rentals.

A current tenant, Kevin O’Connor, describes Burr as a good landlord. “Until about five years ago, he used to do all the maintenance himself,” O’Connor remembers. He describes Burr as climbing a 40-foot ladder to clean out the gutters when already well into his eighties.

“He has always kept the rents quite low, under market,” says Tom Burr, Ralph’s son, “which is something we were interested in continuing into the future.”

When efforts to create affordable housing shifted away from building new houses to refurbishing existing structures, and away from making home ownership affordable to creating low-income rental units, the Burrs approached the FNL with their offer.
“It seemed a perfect match,” said Tom Burr. “Many people have commented, and I agree, that my father’s efforts can be considered a model of sorts for affordable housing in Norfolk.”