Lawyers have been arguing over the rights of a group of Branford homeowners to use a grassy strip of lawn overlooking Long Island Sound since the 1880s. To the chagrin of waterfront homeowners, residents who live further inland have used the grass not only as a passageway to the beach, but as a public park of sorts.
In considering what, if any, activities are allowed on the grass in the private community, the courts have looked to the original parcel map. The 35-home development in the Pine Orchard section of town that was created by Ellis Baker in 1885, and the question of access has gone to the Connecticut Supreme Court three times.
