CLINTON

A proposal for a mini golf course and ice cream cafe on Route 1 near the Hammonasset River is still in the works, according to the property owner, bu recent work on the property, however, is unrelated to the application.

In the winter of 2019-’20, news that an application to build a mini golf course and ice cream café on that land had been filed with the Planning and Zoning Commission (PZC) caused a tremendous amount of excitement in town. The project was eventually approved by the PZC in March 2020; since then, there have been no signs of progress on the property.

The sight of trees down on the property, however, led some to speculate that the project was finally moving forward. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Zoning Enforcement Officer Kathy King told the Harbor News that while many citizens were excitedly calling the land use office inquiring about the proposed course, the downed trees were actually due to utility work. The town website shows no new paperwork filed in connection with the mini golf proposal.

However, the owner of the property and the applicant behind the mini golf and ice cream proposal told the Harbor News the project is still a possibility.

Lurrae Lupone, owner of the undeveloped land adjacent to the Hammonasset River near the Madison border on Route 1, said she didn’t have new information to share. However, she reiterated that the project is still on the table.

“I still want to do it and It’s still alive,” she said. Lupone said she hoped to have more information to share soon.

When the application for the mini golf course was announced, many lauded the proposal as the exact kind of project Clinton needed to bring people to town and spruce up Route One. The project was approved by the PZC just before the COVID-19 shutdown occurred. Since then, despite the excitement there has not been much public discussion about the project.

If built to completion, the development will offer an 18-hole miniature golf course and a 49-seat ice cream café that offers patrons views of the neighboring wetlands.

To fulfill a requirement from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection that waterfront property be used for water-related activity, the applicant had proposed using a portion of the land as a kayak launch.