Driveways, Signage, and Sewer Pipes: P&Z Holds a Nuts & Bolts Meeting

The Planning and Zoning Commission worked through a grab bag of applications during the Monday, Apr. 30 meeting, from major multifamily developments to an array of signage requests from businesses in town.

The eight-building 93-unit apartment complex proposed for 64 Danbury Rd. resumed its public hearing but did not proceed to public comment yet. The attorney for the applicant explained that the project is still awaiting approval from the Inland Wetlands Commission and the team preferred to delay the P&Z vote until that decision is set. Chair Rick Tomasetti explained that the practices of the Commission mean that once public comment has been taken, no additional information should be added to the application. Doing so could mean that the Commission is presented with information that the public never has a chance to weigh in on.

Therefore, the public hearing was continued and comments will be accepted at the next regular meeting, scheduled for Monday, May 13. GOOD Morning Wilton will summarize discussions that have taken place thus far at both P&Z and Inland Wetlands in an upcoming article.

131 Danbury Ties up Loose Ends

First up was the project team behind 131 Danbury Rd., who came bearing good news on what appear to be the final two topics at issue in the project’s lengthy review process. Engineer Craig Flaherty of Redniss and Mead opened by sharing that the Water Pollution Control Authority approved the application for a sewer connection on Apr. 10. This vote came after months of delays as the group grappled with how to handle the town’s dwindling sewer capacity, which is set by a contract between Wilton and Norwalk.

Flaherty then explained that the Office of the State Traffic Administration (OSTA) shared the Wilton Police Department’s safety concern about the number of driveways in this section of Danbury Rd./Rte. 7. The applicant agreed to consolidate the entry/exit traffic onsite to a single driveway with one lane in each direction, a change that allayed concerns all around. The prior driveway will be outfitted as a drivable section of landscaping that will allow emergency vehicles to circumnavigate the site and exit safely.

Although several Commissioners expressed concern about the traffic impact of the change, Flaherty pointed out that any backup would happen within the development site itself as residents waited to turn left at the exit, not on Danbury Rd. Commissioner Mark Ahasic urged the applicant team to consider restricting the exit lane to only allow right-hand turns during the morning rush hour. However, Flaherty stated that the nearby sections of Danbury Rd. do not offer drivers who want to head northbound a good opportunity to turn around.

The new, single driveway will be located across from the entrance driveway to Wilton Hills Community, raising questions about whether a stop light should be added to what will now be a four-way intersection. This decision will rest with OSTA, given that Rte. 7 is a state road.

During preliminary deliberations, the Commissioners indicated an overall inclination to approve the project. A vote will likely take place during the May 13 meeting. As for remaining concerns from the public about traffic impacts, Tomasetti argued that managing traffic is “a state problem.”

“I think it’s beyond past due for the State of Connecticut to come here and deal with Rte. 7, and make sure that we have a viable infrastructure here,” Tomasetti said. “They take our tax dollars and they should take care of this.”

He added, “So anyone who wants to talk to me about traffic — any member of the public — I am here to debate traffic with you. I’m not satisfied that we should curb our development because of traffic.”

Several Town Businesses Seek New Signage

Five properties in Wilton had signage applications under review this week. The town’s alternative signage plan allows commercial property owners to request approval for signs that do not fully comply with existing regulations.

Three signage applications — the new Chipotle coming to 14 Danbury Rd., Vision Consultants of Wilton at 115 Old Ridgefield Rd., and the Nissan dealership at 962 Danbury Rd. — all received votes of approval during the meeting. Signage for 64 Danbury Rd. was continued as a topic along with the other elements of that application. And one signage proposal, for the Kaoud shops at 27 Danbury Rd., was sent back for design revisions.

The Nissan application prompted a discussion between the Commissioners about Wilton’s signage regulations being outdated. In particular, Tomasetti and others pointed to a prohibition against internally illuminated signs that hasn’t been updated to keep pace with improvements in the technology in recent years.

440 Danbury Rd. Asks to Connect to Town Sewer

In a final topic of the evening, the Commission responded to an 8-24 referral from the WPCA, which asked P&Z for a recommendation on whether to grant a lateral sewer connection to 440 Danbury Rd. This site, at the intersection of Cannon Rd., operated as the Apple Blossom School & Family Center until 2021. Since then, it was converted into a two-family dwelling without the appropriate permits from the town. Rather than replacing the current septic system, they are seeking to connect with the town sewer, which already runs past the site.

The Commission voted to issue a positive report on the application to WPCA, paving the way for the site to connect to the sewer along Danbury Rd. The matter is now back in the hands of WPCA.

Looking Ahead

The next meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission is scheduled for Monday, May 13. Several topics of interest are expected to be on the agenda, including the public comment opportunity for 64 Danbury Rd., the long-awaited formal application by Kimco for their redevelopment of the River Rd. property, and a pre-application review of a 24-unit apartment complex proposed for 118 Old Ridgefield Rd.