Letters to the Editor

I am deeply upset, and frankly, every homeowner in Wilton should be too. Most of us agree that a local brewery sounds like a “fun” addition to town, but there is nothing “fun” about having your neighborhood’s peace traded away for a quick payday for the town.

The proposal to turn the Gilbert & Bennett School into a commercial bar and restaurant is the erasure of a neighborhood’s sanctuary. It is easy to support “progress” when it isn’t happening thirty feet from your front door. Imagine pulling into your driveway only to find the quiet of your yard replaced by the thumping of loud music, the constant swarm of cars parked all over the place, and the terrifying reality of people drinking and driving on the very street where your children play.

If you think, “That’s Georgetown’s problem,” think again.

Consider if the town proposed gutting the Hurlbutt Street Schoolhouse to install a taproom and industrial kitchen. The outcry would be universal. Why is Gilbert & Bennett—an equally vital piece of our history—treated as if its neighbors and its heritage are for sale?

This building is in a residential zone. To make this brewery happen, the town would have to break its own zoning promise. If the Board of Selectmen and Planning & Zoning decide a historic school can be “spot-zoned” into a liquor-pouring establishment, they are telling you that your neighborhood’s zoning is up for sale, too.

I am asking First Selectwoman Toni Boucher and our leaders: Is this the precedent you want to set? We are a community of neighborhoods, not a collection of commercial opportunities. I bought my home because of the town’s promise to protect residential integrity. I intend to hold the town to that promise.

Peter Maxfield