BREAKING NEWS–At tonight’s Board of Selectmen meeting, a lawyer for developer Patrick Downend proposed to Wilton town officials a change in tack from his original controversial plan to develop the 1-acre property at 44 Westport Rd. into multi-family housing that would including affordable units.
Tonight, Downend’s attorney J. Casey Healy explained that his client has proposed purchasing a 1-acre town-owned lot at 1 Old Danbury Rd. for a multi-unit development project; as part of the deal Downend and the town hope to strike, the property at 44 Westport Rd. would remain as a single-family property, a condition that would stay with the deed in perpetuity if the deal is negotiated to completion.
After what he called “vigorous objections,” from neighbors and town residents, Healy said Downend went back to the drawing board for modifications to the plan. “Having received the neighborhood comments, Mr. Downend tried to look for a solution.”
First selectman Bill Brennan explained that the town has been working with Downend for some time, and if the deal is signed, it will be a “win-win situation for the town and for Mr. Downend.”
“Obviously this is a proposal the town has been seeking–it gives more affordable housing, in the right places, that’s appropriate and suitable. We wanted to solve the problem over at 44 Westport Rd. We reached out and spoke with Casey and Mr. Downend and had several meetings over the last couple of months,” Brennan said.
Both Healy and first selectman Bill Brennan said the site was “ideal” as it’s located within walking distance from Wilton Center, and very close to the train station and other transportation, as well as other town amenities like Merwin Meadows.
The new proposal would involve Downend building a 30-unit apartment building at the site, and nine of the units would be classified under the 830-g affordable housing program.
Brennan said the project has “a lot of plusses for the town, to accomplish many of the objectives we want to accomplish. The negotiations are not accomplished yet, but we’re very close. But we wanted to get this out to the public.”
One condition for the deal to close is that Downend wants to make sure that his development plan can get through all land use approvals, including from Wilton’s Inland Wetlands Commission and the Planning and Zoning Commission. He will almost certainly put the property at 44 Westport Rd. up for sale.
“Whether 44 Westport Rd. will be put up for sale now or after he receives approvals is to be determined,” Healy said.
Answering a question from selectman Michael Kaelin about how the town insures that the property at 44 Westport Rd. is not developed, Healy told the selectmen that, “There will be a deed restriction in perpetuity that will not allow multi-unit development on the property.”
The nine units would be classified as affordable housing for 40 years, and would be included in the count of affordable housing units the town must have, per state statutes.
We’ll have additional information in Tuesday’s story.
