“Ready to Take a Stand”: ‘Wilton Neighbors Alliance’ Organizes Opposition to Belden Hill Rd. Senior Living Proposal

After launching a new website and social media presence, the newly formed Wilton Neighbors Alliance is drawing what organizers claim is an “overwhelming response” from residents across town.

“This website for us really means we are ready to take a stand,” said the alliance’s spokesperson, Alissa Brady. “We really can’t figure out why the town is even entertaining this project.”

The grassroots group — which began as a petition movement over the summer in opposition to the proposed senior living complex at the School Sisters of Notre Dame property (345 Belden Hill Rd.) — reported that 91 members joined within the first 24 hours of its website launch on Wednesday, Nov. 5, and more than two dozen households requested lawn signs.

By Sunday evening, Nov. 9, the numbers had climbed to 135 members and 65 sign requests.

The proposal by Hines Acquisitions — which envisions a 280-unit senior living development, including 208 independent living units (a mix of cottages and apartments), 48 assisted living units and 24 memory care units — has already secured a sewer allocation from Wilton’s Water Pollution Control Authority (WPCA), and has had a pre-application review with the Planning and Zoning Commission last may.

The formal application was presented for the first time to the Architectural Review Board last Thursday, Nov. 6. It hasn’t yet been presented to P&Z.

Alliance Mission and Concerns

According to its website, the alliance’s stated mission is to be “a non-partisan group of Wilton residents who advocate for growth and development in Wilton that places quality of life and preservation of our semi-rural character above the interests of developers. We empower residents through information sharing, civic engagement and respectful discourse that make Wilton, Connecticut a beautiful and dynamic community.”

The group has articulated five key areas of concern with the Hines proposal, which appear on the alliance website as “What’s at stake for residents”:

• Safety, including traffic issues and demand on local emergency response
• Infrastructure strain (roads, sewer capacity)
• Zoning amendments that benefit developers
• Environmental concerns
• Neighborhood fit

Both Brady and Nicki LaMonica, who spearheads the alliance’s social media activity, emphasized that alliance members have come together around shared concerns about zoning and neighborhood character, not politics.

“We are not red. We are not blue. We are simply neighbors and residents of this town that want a voice in where things are going to be developed in our neighborhoods,” LaMonica said.

“We are non-hierarchical by design,” Brady added, with a “core group” of about 10 members who meet weekly. She says the informal structure is intended to foster information-sharing and consensus.

Brady and LaMonica shared the three-step strategy the group began following over the summer:

1. Organize and learn
2. Mobilize residents
3. Work with Town officials and SSND to “reimagine” the property for alternative uses

Having completed the first phase — which Brady said consisted of members’ familiarizing themselves with Hines’ pre-application materials, Wilton’s zoning regulations, Wilton’s Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD), the WPCA and more — the alliance is now focused on mobilization. Plans include an email campaign to Town officials and the Wilton Police Department, continued social media activity, and direct outreach to both the developer and SSND representatives.

“So far no one from SSND or Hines have returned our requests to meet,” Brady said. “However, we have met with people in town leadership — both staff and elected — for guidance and access to information, and they have been extremely helpful.”

NIMBY?

Both organizers stressed that the group does not oppose all multifamily development or senior housing in Wilton.

“We are not a NIMBY organization,” LaMonica insisted, using an acronym for the concept of ‘not in my backyard.’ “We’re just opposed to dense housing on a residential road that’s already clogged up.”

“We are not opposed to senior housing or development, but we are strongly opposed to dense housing in any neighborhood, in anyone’s backyard, if it’s not zoned for dense housing [and] doesn’t have the infrastructure to support it,” Brady echoed. “We want our Planning and Zoning Commission to hold fast to our zoning regulations, because they were put there to protect the character and the natural resources of our entire town.”

Brady said the POCD is clear about where the project belongs: Danbury Rd. or other commercially-zoned areas. By her calculation, she estimates there are fewer people currently living on Belden Hill Rd. than would occupy the proposed development, if completed.

“We just find that to be absolutely unacceptable, because it will drastically change the composition of the neighborhood,” Brady said.

Beyond Belden Hill Rd.

LaMonica and Brady said the alliance is drawing membership far beyond the SSND property.

“It’s not just Belden Hill,” Brady said. “We’ve got people all the way from Linden Tree Rd. [to] Millstone Rd., Range Rd., down to Silvermine, Kent Hills…”

She says many of the group’s supporters do not live in close proximity to the site, but have been impacted by the traffic on the road — such as commuting to work or Miller-Driscoll School, or living in an area like Old Belden Hill Rd. or Seir Hill Rd. where they fear an increase in cars trying to avoid Belden Hill.

While the group is zeroed in on the Hines proposal right now, Brady says it may not be the sole focus going forward.

“We intend to be available in the future as a community organization and information sharing center for other projects in Wilton as well,” she said. “We want our residents to be informed, to have a voice, and to participate in shaping what happens next for Wilton.”

Alliance members say they plan to attend all board and commission meetings that pertain to the proposal, like the ARB meeting held on Nov. 6. Brady attempted to speak during the meeting to challenge the “legality” of the proposal, but was stopped under the meeting rules that don’t allow public comment. GMW reported the events around the brief exchange during the ARB’s review of the proposal in a separate story. We are also publishing a story on the application itself today.

Brady and Lamonica said the group hopes to collaborate with both town leaders and SSND to identify alternative uses for the property — ideas they say could better align with existing zoning and the POCD.

“There is an interest in developing this property for other uses,” Brady said. “We want to keep reminding the School Sisters and the town that we don’t have to take just this Hines proposal. There are better uses, there are other uses.”

She noted that the Alliance does not have a specific proposal for the site’s future.

“We don’t have a unified position on what it should be,” Brady said. “Just not dense housing.

SSND’s Position

Lauren Ciotti, SSND’s regional communications director, provided a statement on behalf of the sisters in response to the growing opposition.

“Our roots in Wilton are old and deep. When we made the difficult decision to sell our home, we invited the input of our surrounding community as we worked to select a good buyer for the proposed redevelopment of the site. We believe we found that buyer in Hines.

“Hines is committed to the neighborhood and the entire Wilton community. This commitment has helped us make the difficult transition of leaving our beloved home and friends. 

“We also wish to leave a legacy to the community — and to the neighbors who have been part of our family for many decades. Hines’ appreciation of the community can be seen in the architectural plans that will complement both neighborhood and town, including preservation of our chapel as a gathering space for the community.” 

Ciotti did not respond to GMW‘s request for comment on the specific concerns outlined by the alliance as “What’s at stake for residents,” or whether SSND representatives would consider meeting with alliance members to discuss their concerns.

GMW also reached out to Scott Gance — president of The Partners Commercial Real Estate Services, a real estate brokerage and consulting firm, who has been working closely with SSND since the project was first envisioned — as well as Lisa Feinberg, partner at the law firm Carmody Torrance Sandak & Hennessey LLP, who is the land use attorney for Hines. Neither responded to the offer to comment before this story was published.

One person who did respond to a request for comment was former First Selectwoman Lynne Vanderslice, who publicly entered the discussion when someone affiliated with the Alliance posted about the Hines project on Facebook.

“I did comment on their Facebook post because, 1) they had incorrect information, and 2) having watched the P&Z candidate debates, I think it is unlikely the newly seated commission will approve high density zone changes in a residential area such as the SSND property,” Vanderslice said in an email.

She raised the specter of 8-30g if the town denies an application there. 

“The obvious risk of denial is SSND accepts a contingent offer to build a high density 8-30g apartment project.,” she said, noting that the property’s current sewer connection would make that spot attractive to large scale developers. She said when town officials approved the sewer connection over 10 years ago, they believed they were protecting the town from that fate when SSND agreed to a voluntary deed restriction.

“Unfortunately, the deed restriction was voluntarily put on the property not subject to the sewer approval,” Vanderslice said. “It is now to be voluntarily removed.”

Vanderslice said she told Alliance members, “You can’t just oppose, you have to propose a viable alternative with a bid price sufficient enough to have the SSND take it seriously,” she said, later adding, “If the Hines proposal is denied, that may open the door for those other interested parties to possibly return with a scaled down proposal at a lower purchase price.”