This letter was sent to the Board of Selectmen, the Planning and Zoning Commission and Wilton’s Director of Planning and Land Use Michael Wrinn, as well as to GOOD Morning Wilton.
The public hearing on the applications for 118 Old Ridgefield Rd. continues at tonight’s regular meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission at 7 p.m., which will be held on Zoom. Members of the public can participate by raising their hands at the appropriate time as indicated by the commission and when called on by the P&Z chair.
To the Editor:
1) The Town Center Zoning Overlay map needs to go back to three stories. Everyone in town hates [12] Godfrey [Pl.]. How P&Z, in their infinite wisdom, allowed five stories in Wilton Center is entirely beyond me. Let them do it on Rte. 7. When Stop and Shop was built in the 80s, they were required to knock off the top, which exceeded the 34 feet allowed. These five-story buildings are architecturally unsuitable for a small town. Worse, having [118 Old Ridgefield Rd.], a five-story building in the dead center will destroy any sense of small-town community. It is an abomination, and to think a long-time Wilton resident wants to do this to our town is incomprehensible!
2) It is a huge mistake to reduce the available parking spaces for these units. If a married couple is the occupant, they will have at least one car each. The Wilton Library is already very concerned about parking due to [12] Godfrey [Pl.], which, if I understand correctly, only accommodates one car per unit. How is this possible?
3) The developers (Joe Polito et. al.) should be required to install the EV chargers. Why should they be exempt?
4) The developers give nothing back to the town. It appears the town just rolls over with no thought to the outcome. Many years ago the O’Halloran family owned nine-plus acres on Rte. 7. They petitioned the town to allow them to build nine or 10 houses. The town fought the family. There was no compromise and a total lack of foresight. The O’Hallorans sold to Toll Brothers, who subsequently built White Oaks [originally Avalon Wilton] which I believe has 100 units in it. Is this what our future holds for Wilton Center? We are a town of 18,500. Why do we need apartment buildings in the center of town, dwarfing our library, the ABC House, the Village Market, Post Office Square, etc.? We need a movie theater, an ice skating rink, help completing the NRVT, an upgrade for Merwin Meadows, more support for Ambler Farm, and more retail to keep the residents from feeling they have to go out of town for everything.
5) Regarding low-income housing, we fall short again. Just look at New Canaan, which has recently acquired the Toll Brothers rental complex to meet its needs. They also built Millport and Canaan Parish to accommodate additional affordable housing. There is property on the corner of Sharp Hill Rd. and Rte. 7, which would be better suited for a five-story building than Wilton Center. We need to be more creative in finding solutions so as not to be held up by every developer who wants to make a profit building in Wilton but giving nothing back to the town.
Best regards,
Marion and Patrick Filley
AMEN MARION and PATRICK!
Truer words were never spoken.
Who in their right minds would allow all this development in wilton center?
Good for K. Hoffman for voting NO … NO should mean NO! Parking will be a disaster and so will traffic. And how dare they bend the rules to only allow one parking space per unit. And what about the run off into the river? I guess the “green team” will be looking the other way.. for what purpose?
This is an outrageous shortcoming of the planning and zoning comm. Who is gaining from all this?
If people want more stores in town, how is that the answer by adding APARTMENTS? Tenants/stores could renovate the structures that exist and recycle some buildings….
I have been here for 30 + years and I chose wilton because it was a nice small town. People who want all these apts can go back to nyc or move to Stamford ( which also used to be a quaint small town).
I agree with Marion and Patrick Filley. Well said! Everyone I speak to feels this way.
Thank you for the letter, Marion and Patrick Filley. We completely agree with you and do not want to lose our small town to greedy developers.