Competing Visions Emerge for School Sisters Property at Wetlands Hearing

Wilton’s Inland Wetlands Commission (IWC) heard two different visions for the future of the property formerly occupied by the School Sisters of Notre Dame at 329-331-345 Belden Hill Rd. during its Mar. 12 meeting. Presentations by the developer and a third-party intervenor — a neighboring property owner who filed for and was granted formal party status in the proceedings — raised several key issues related to building construction and wetland restoration that will likely become points of contention for both the IWC and the public.

Last year, Hines SL Wilton Associates LP applied for a permit for a Significant Regulated Activity — a project that would substantially affect a wetland or watercourse — as part of its proposal to redevelop the 38-acre site into a senior living community with 280 residential independent living, assisted living and memory care units.

Most of the units would be located in a building roughly overlaying the footprint of the existing structure — preserving the School Sisters’ distinctive chapel as a common-use space — while the rest would be distributed among eight multi-family cottages with four dwellings each. Two below-grade parking garages in the main building would allow for smaller surface parking lots. The site’s 18 acres of wooded land, 10 acres of which are wetland, would be preserved and restored with improved drainage, removal of invasive vegetation, and the introduction of native plants.

Aside from the chapel, all existing structures would be demolished, including the Tudor-revival Vollmer House that is on the National Register of Historic Places, and Wilton’s first ground-mounted solar system, which was installed in 2018.

Sister Nancy Gilchriest, Provincial Leader of the School Sisters of Notre Dame Atlantic-Midwest Province, said that the School Sisters believe the Hines proposal offers a “thoughtful and responsible future” for the property, which was built in the early 1960s and served primarily as a residence for retired and semi-retired nuns until 2021.

“Under the leadership of my predecessor, Sister Charmaine Krohe, and the implementation work group, the Sisters articulated a vision for the property that would leave a legacy for the Wilton community that they could be proud of and embrace,” Gilchriest said. “The proposed senior living community reflects that vision by producing and providing housing and care for older adults, while respecting the character of the neighborhood and the natural resources that make this area so special.”

Last year Wilton’s Water Pollution Control Authority (WPCA) approved Hines’ application to continue using the site’s existing connection to the town’s sewer system, and the town’s Architectural Review Board (ARB) reviewed the proposal’s designs for the new buildings in November. Local residents have formed groups to both support and oppose the proposed redevelopment.

Stormwater Management Plan Would Improve Wetland, Engineer Says

Craig Flaherty, senior engineer and principal at Redniss & Mead, explained the site’s existing drainage system of catch basins, sumps and drainpipes will be replaced with modern stormwater management involving a combination of underground infiltration systems, a rain garden, permeable pavers, invasive species management and the establishment of buffer zones along the north and south perimeters of the property.

“One of the things that I like about property redevelopment, and it’s a tremendous opportunity for us, is that we get to try to correct some of the ills of the past that were developed before we had sensitivity [to] surrounding wetlands and stormwater runoff and water quality,” Flaherty said. “We’re going to bring that 1960s site up to a 2026 site.”

Hines proposes to preserve the lawn and mature trees along Belden Hill Rd., with eight independent-living cottages set back 175 feet from the road at roughly the same distance from the road as the chapel. The number of curb cuts will be reduced to one each on Belden Rd. and Highfield Rd. The main building will be outside the 100-foot upland review area that provides a buffer for the wetland. Nine existing trees and five dead trees will be removed from the undeveloped portion, and 100 new trees and 200 shrubs will be installed there. An acre of lawn and the existing surface parking lots will be removed as well, to be replaced with 70,000 square feet of meadow. A small overlook with an elevated walkway and a sculpture by a local artist will be installed next to the small pond on the southeast corner of the undeveloped portion of the property.

Moving most of the parking underground, Flaherty explained, allows for more shade and green space and improves stormwater runoff. Walking trails will also be constructed along the Belden Hill Rd. park area and around the perimeter of the main building.

Existing drainage channels that feed into Belden Hill Brook will be removed and replaced with six underground infiltration systems to manage stormwater across the developed portion of the property. Two systems will include sand layers, or “wicks,” designed to allow some surface water to seep back into the wetland, while drains from the buildings will connect to the existing sewer system.

Flaherty said the system meets state standards and, despite adding three acres of impervious surface, will not increase runoff affecting downstream properties — a conclusion his team said was supported by soil testing. During construction, measures such as stabilized work areas, anti-tracking pads, diversion trenches, sediment traps, and monitoring will be used to protect wetlands. He also outlined alternatives considered during the design process, including building placement, parking configurations, stormwater strategies, and a rain garden, noting that leaving the property unchanged was ultimately ruled out.

“I can easily say that, in my professional opinion, the proposed plan — this is the legal language — is not reasonably likely to unreasonably pollute, impair or destroy the public trust in the inland wetlands or watercourses on or adjacent to the site,” Flaherty said in conclusion.

Landscape Plan Introduces Native Plants, Manages Invasives

Landscape architects Kate Throckmorton of Environmental Land Solutions and Wes Stout of Wesley Stout Associates discussed plans for replacing ornamental and non-native trees and shrubs with native plants in the buffer zone around the buildings, planting a lawn that can serve as a wildlife habitat, and other improvements to the flora throughout the property.

Throckmorton said the existing drainage ditches have had the effect of draining and dewatering the wetland, eroding soil and contaminating the wetland with pollutants. She emphasized that the upland woodlands in the westernmost portion of the property will be largely left undisturbed.

Existing vegetation will be cleared and replanted with native plants at the main building’s rear, creating a buffer between it and the wetlands and allowing more sunlight to penetrate to help keep invasive species at bay. Stout said the buffer zone will include 42 new shade trees, 21 understory trees and “literally hundreds” of native shrubs, perennials and native grasses that exceed the town’s minimum requirements for shade tree coverage.

“At the end of the day, we are going to have over a net acre of wildlife habitat of naturalized areas and a reduction in lawn and a reduction in invasive species for this site,” Throckmorton said. “We are not going to attempt to control the entire 38 acres, but we are going to concentrate our efforts in this buffer because we think it will be great enhancement [for the] wetlands, and we’ve got a client that is willing to commit to making that happen.”

Intervenor Challenges Wetlands Analysis, Proposed Building Density

Kari Roberts, whose property at 9 New Canaan Rd. abuts the site’s northwest corner, was granted intervenor status under Connecticut law after filing a formal petition with the Inland Wetlands Commission, under the state’s environmental protection statute (CGS §22a-19). That designation makes her a party to the proceedings, allowing her and her representatives to present evidence, question experts and raise environmental concerns about the proposal.

Editor’s note: Roberts is a member of Wilton’s Board of Finance. She is participating in this proceeding as a private property owner.

Perley Grimes Jr., an attorney with Cramer & Anderson representing Roberts, argued that the law requires the IWC to consider “feasible and prudent alternatives” to the Hines proposal, particularly those with a lower density of residential units per acre. He also argued that the no-build alternative is not truly viable.

“The applicant has the burden of demonstrating to the Inland Wetlands Commission that the proposed development is the only alternative plan of development that is both feasible and prudent,” Grimes said, citing six cases from Connecticut Superior, Appellate, and Supreme Courts to buttress his argument. “These alternatives should include a reduction in the nature and intensity of uses being proposed so as to lessen the impact of any potential development on the surrounding wetlands and watercourses. The relocation or downsizing of a development may constitute a prudent alternative.”

“I think they have the cart before the horse, and I think the commission should simply look at this and reject what Mr. Flaherty said that a no-build [option] is an alternative,” Grimes added. “There’s a lot of room for change between zero development and 280 units.”

Commissioner Frank Simone asked Grimes if he agreed that the IWC had the right to choose the alternative it thought best.

“Correct,” Grimes replied. “My argument is they’re not presenting you with a … reasonable or feasible or a prudent alternative, they are just presenting you with what they want. And if you find that you want 100 units and it would make more sense, you have the right to do that.”

George Logan, principal environmental scientist and senior ecologist with Rema Ecological Services, said that the independent ecological and hydrological review of the School Sisters property raised questions about whether the proposed development would avoid damaging the wetland.

Logan explained that the wetland functions as a “mature headwater wetland complex” within the Norwalk River watershed. Reducing peak flow during heavy runoff to prevent flooding and erosion, Logan said, could potentially have an adverse effect on the wetland’s natural cyclical rehydration patterns and the ecology that it supports.

He also called for baseline water quality studies to assess whether and how the increase in impervious surface area will influence the wetland over time.

“I think if you look at these taken together, these changes raise important questions about how the wetland system would respond to this development over time,” Logan said. “I hope you understand this, … our intent tonight is not to suggest that development cannot occur in the property, as we heard a little earlier, but that alternatives that could greatly diminish these impacts actually exist.”

“In my professional judgment, additional analysis regarding this hydro period response, groundwater behavior, and the water quality conditions, I believe would assist the commission in evaluating whether the proposal will avoid adverse impacts to the regulated resources,” Logan concluded.

What’s Next?

At the request of the intervenor, the IWC agreed to keep the hearing open until at least its Zoom meeting on Thursday, April 9 to allow both parties to present additional information and to hear from the public.

IWC Chair Jason Terry noted that the IWC is also awaiting a report from its third-party reviewer, which will be presented at a future meeting.

“I expect we’ll have some [questions] after the third party reviewer provides their presentation,” Terry said.