Wilton residents who favor the proposed Hines senior living development at the School Sisters of Notre Dame property (345 Belden Hill Rd.) are finding a new group to share their common interest.
Support The Sisters was organized by David Rintoul, a Wilton resident and one of SSND’s closest neighbors, who said his goal is to give voice to the neighbors who back the plan.
What’s Your Sign?
Rintoul was inspired to launch the group after seeing a well-organized opposition movement — the Wilton Neighbors Alliance— taking steps to block the project.
“I saw the signs… The genesis of [Support The Sisters] was seeing the other group’s signs,” Rintoul said, referring to lawn signs saying “No Hines” distributed by Wilton Neighbors Alliance.
“I wanted to have some presence for people who do think it’s a good idea — so people don’t think that all the neighbors are adverse to the project,” he explained. “I just wanted people to know that there are people who support it, and to find other neighbors and residents who support it, so we could make our feelings known.”
Support The Sisters advocates now have their own lawn signs to increase their visibility. Rintoul also reported the group had 26 attendees at its most recent meeting, and an email distribution list of 102 individuals at last count.
At the heart of Rintoul’s views is his conclusion that change is inevitable for the nearly 40-acre property across the street from his home.
“The fact is, the property is not going to stay the same,” he said. “So as neighbors, we need to figure out what’s the best option for the neighborhood and for the town — and for a bunch of reasons, I think the [Hines proposal] is probably the best option.”
Rintoul struck a conciliatory note when he spoke about the Wilton Neighbors Alliance. (In fact, he said he welcomed the attendance of WNA founder Alissa Brady at the most recent Support the Sisters meeting.)
“We both have the same goal. We all love our neighborhood and we love our town, and we want what’s going to be best for the neighborhood and for the town,” he said.
“But I’m a cautious person,” he continued. “If the [Hines proposal] is not approved, I have no idea what’s going to happen with that property, and there’s options that are going to be less advantageous for the neighbors.”
Rintoul believes that protracted uncertainty about plans for the SSND property could hurt property values in the neighborhood.
“if there’s uncertainty about what’s going to be built, that is probably going to do damage to property values [more] than this high end, continuing care retirement community,” he said.
“I really understand where the other group is coming from,” he said. “But change is coming to that property. Scary as change is in a place that we all love so much, it’s going to happen… All we can do is try to guide the change in a way that’s best for the town and the neighborhood.”
According to the group’s website — which has a ‘yes to the nuns‘ domain name — the focus will be on aspects of the Hines proposal which:
- “preserve the natural beauty of the site”
- “allow use of the park areas by the public”
- “grow the Town’s tax base”
- “reduce traffic”
- “provide useful services to the Town without overburdening public services”
Rintoul brings a unique perspective to the debate about the Hines proposal, having served on Wilton’s Housing Committee — an outgrowth of the 2019 Plan of Conservation and Development — from its inception in 2021 until it was quietly shut down under First Selectman Toni Boucher’s tenure in 2024. The committee was tasked with creating to an inventory of Wilton’s housing supply and assess housing needs, including affordable housing and multifamily housing.
“Best of the viable options”
Support The Sisters’ website asserts that the Hines proposal is “the best choice for the neighborhood and Wilton.”
Rintoul clarified that the “best choice” is meant in the context of realistic alternatives.
“I really feel that the [Hines] proposal is the best of what the viable options are for use of the property,” Rintoul said.
Hines has proposed a 280-unit development, including 208 independent living units (a mix of cottages and apartments), 48 assisted living units and 24 memory care units.
If the senior living proposal were rejected, Rintoul has concluded the most likely alternative would be multifamily apartments, potentially under the 8-30g statute — which he believes would have a greater negative impact on the neighborhood, both in terms of traffic and the appearance of the property to passers-by.
The Traffic Question
Rintoul says the most important question about traffic is not whether a traffic increase will occur, but when.
“The traffic is going to increase from the property,” he said, noting it is current unoccupied. “The property will be developed. So what is the option that’s going to have the least effect on peak traffic?”
Though relying somewhat on assumptions about staff shift changes at non-peak hours, Rintoul expects the proposed senior living development is less likely to add to the congestion at busy travel times than other alternatives — even a development of single family homes with active households. Rintoul believes seniors are less likely to drive at rush hour or make frequent trips in and out of the property.
“If neighbor groups are opposing the [Hines proposal] because of traffic… I think the alternatives will have a much greater effect on traffic,” he said.
Still, Rintoul believes Hines needs to prove its case. He’s asked Hines for more data to support traffic estimates.
“If they say the traffic is going to be less than other options, have their traffic expert give us some concrete numbers about how the traffic differs with their proposed use and other uses,” he said.
Support, But Verify
Traffic projections are one example where Rintoul says the group should continue to do its due diligence. Property taxes are another.
“If they say that it’s going to generate two million in taxes a year — which I think is a really important factor here — show us the numbers,” he said. “Show us how they calculated it.”
Rintoul says the group should continue to verify assertions being made by Hines and to ensure the project is completed as promised.
For example, Hines has said its plans would include significant environmental improvements — such as landscaping and stormwater mitigation — as well as amenities like trails for public access. Support The Sisters’ website says the group “will do what it can to make sure the positive elements of the plan do not get dropped, and to hold Hines and the Sisters to their promises during the development process.”
Rintoul is also watching to see if Hines abides by the building setbacks they’ve described thus far, which would preserve much of the park-like streetscape. He praised the proposed site plan for its generous 150-foot setback, noting that Wilton regulations would only require 50 feet.
“I really love the School Sisters property and the way it looks from Belden Hill,” he said, looking out at the property from his home office window. “If we could have a chance to preserve the look of the property from Belden Hill Rd., I think that would be super — for me, but also really good for the town.”
He fears a different developer would not feel obligated to use a setback any more than the 50-foot regulation, which would result in “destruction of the park view.”
“[The Hines proposal is] a major development that’s not going to do a major change in how the road looks,” he said.
Free From Influence
Rintoul stressed that the group is not a mouthpiece for Hines or the Sisters.
“Keeping independence from the School Sisters and Hines is an important part of this project,” he said, in order to be “able to speak independently and call them to account.”
The website further states: “We do not receive any financial support from the SSND, Hines, or anyone else associated with the project, and do not coordinate our activities with them.”
Rintoul noted he has been in communication with Hines’ representatives, but only for the purposes of asking for and receiving information — refuting any notion that Hines has guided or advised the group’s activities.
“Hines is a for profit company. You know, their purpose is to make money. And I think they are planning to make money by having a really high-end project,” Rintoul mused. “But I’m going to do what I can to make sure what they’re saying makes sense, and that they can prove it, and whatever we can do to make things better.”
Wilton Neighbors Alliance Responds
GOOD Morning Wilton reached out to Alissa Brady, spokesperson for the Wilton Neighbors Alliance, for comment about the new group of supporters. Brady said that she appreciates Support The Sisters’ “care and concern for the future of the neighborhood,” but believes the ‘it could be worse‘ argument Rintoul makes is misguided. In an emailed statement, Brady wrote, in part:
“We cannot envision many worse outcomes than the addition of 500 car trips on Belden Hill Road each day. We have seen no evidence of the projected $1.5 – 2 million annual property tax contribution of the Hines proposal, and no analysis that the tax inflows will outpace the cost of the proposed project’s use of town services — including increased road maintenance and use of first-responder services.
“Hines supporters seem to think that opponents of this project merely oppose the potential traffic. Residents have brought many other concerns to us and we are helping to educate and empower them so they can advocate confidently for their points of view. Concerned neighbors believe there are potentially better uses for the SSND site that align to the current zoning and character of Belden Hill Road, in addition to truly benefitting the residents of Wilton… Our hope is that SSND Real Estate Trust would consider more ideas that will not be as divisive as the proposed development.”
The Process Unfolds
Hines has already secured approval by Wilton’s Water Pollution Control Authority (WPCA) for the necessary sewer allocation.
A formal application has not yet been received by P&Z. A non-binding, pre-application review with P&Z was held on May 12, followed by a review with the Architectural Review Board on Nov. 6.
The project is expected to be on the agenda at the Inland Wetlands Commission meeting on Feb. 12. Both the Wilton Neighbors Alliance and Support The Sisters have encouraged a letter-writing campaign in advance of the meeting.
Wilton’s Historic District and Historic Properties Commission is likely to weigh in as well. When discussing the proposal at the May 13 HDHPC meeting, commissioners were hopeful that Hines would not demolish the historic Vollmer House on the SSND property. However, based on the November ARB review, demolition appears to be the plan. HDHPC has the authority to delay demolitions for up to 90 days in cases where a structure has “historical, architectural or cultural significance”.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story referred to the proposed building setback as 105 feet. It is 150 feet.