Wilton’s Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) meeting on Monday, Jan. 26 highlighted an ever-changing landscape for the commission, including the departure of a key commissioner, the scramble to adapt to new state housing legislation, and the possibility of future changes to Wilton’s affordable housing requirements.
Rotini Resigns
At the very start of the meeting, P&Z veteran and former vice chair Melissa-Jean Rotini announced her immediate resignation from the commission, citing the demands of her professional employment.
“I just want to let everybody know and inform my constituents that I am resigning from Planning and Zoning. I’ve accepted a promotion, and will need to spend the hours that I currently dedicate — which is quite a bit, to reviewing materials and participating in meetings and all the housing and Connecticut proposals that come up — to wrap up what I can in my current role and to take on this new position,” she explained.
Rotini’s resignation comes just two months after being unseated as P&Z vice chair following November’s municipal elections, when the commission saw a sea change in its membership and subsequently, its leadership.
“In years past, being a part of this board was a great experience, and I’ve had the opportunity to work with some very talented people, including [Town Planner Michael Winn], who I’ll miss working with greatly,” Rotini continued. “Our paths may cross again, but I want to thank [Wrinn] for a great experience and [Assistant Town Planner Daphne White] and your team.”
Rotini did not name any current or former P&Z members in her parting remarks, but did call out two town officials.
“I also want to thank our fire chief and fire warden for their work and for their understanding my repeated insistence of their operational review,” she said. “They knew what I was doing and that it was to promote the safety of our residents.”
P&Z Chair Ken Hoffman thanked Rotini for her years of service and expressed his particular appreciation for her knowledge of the “legal requirements for how things get processed through this commission.”
New Legislation Impacts
Wrinn reported that municipal officials across the state are wrestling with the new housing legislation — H.B. 8002, an Act Concerning Housing Growth, which became law in November — and what it means for their cities and towns.
Even with the significant guidance Wilton is receiving from WestCOG, including an overview of specific mandates that go into effect this year, Wrinn called it “a heavy lift.”
“We’re still trying to work through this. Admittedly, there is a lot of unclear language in the bill,” he said. “Our immediate focus is on those things that we need to get done in the next few months, and I think in the next month or so, we should have a much better sense of where we need to go and what we need to do.”
Much of P&Z’s discussion at the Jan. 26 meeting focused on a parking requirements — which the new legislation would reduce or eliminate in new multifamily developments — and a strategy to establish new Traffic Mitigation Zones, where Wilton could maintain some control over minimum parking requirements.
Under the new law, proposals for smaller housing developments (up to 16 units) would not be required to provide any off‑street parking, unless they are located within designated Traffic Mitigation Zones (TMZ).
Wrinn explained that Wilton is allowed to designate up to 8% of the town’s land, with no more than two zones, each capped at 4% (roughly 700 contiguous acres). He showed some preliminary ideas for how one TMZ along south and central portions of Danbury Rd. might be configured. (It could theoretically extend north toward Cannondale, or add a second zone in the North Wilton/Georgetown area.)
The draft mapping excluded parks, ASML’s campus, and other parcels Wrinn said would be unlikely to see residential development. Commissioners seemed to agree in principle that using the tool would be, as Wrinn said, “a smart way to go” to preserve some control over minimum parking requirements.
Commissioner Anthony Cenatiempo asked Wrinn whether future applicants could request amendments to the TMZ once adopted, and whether Wrinn anticipated any risk of property owners objecting to being either included or excluded. Wrinn said he would seek answers to those questions and report back.
P&Z faces a July 1 deadline to define any Traffic Mitigation Zones and related parking regulation changes.
Affordable Housing
Commissioners held an exploratory discussion about Wilton’s affordable housing goals. In late 2024, following the fraught process of codifying zoning changes from the Greater Wilton Center Master Plan, P&Z amended the Wilton Center overlay with a requirement that at least 10% of proposed multifamily housing units be deemed affordable.
Hoffman framed the latest discussion with three questions:
- Should the affordable unit requirement be limited to the Wilton Center overlay district or more widely applied?
- Should the affordable unit requirement remain at 10% or be increased?
- Should there be a minimum project size before the requirement applies, and how should the rules handle the size and mix of affordable units (e.g., studios vs. larger units, rentals vs. ownership)?
All of the commissioners voiced support for revisiting the 10% requirement, with most explicitly expressing their openness to increasing it in some way — though with some caution about desiring meaningful results without discouraging investment or pushing developers toward 8‑30g projects.
P&Z Vice Chair Mark Ahasic suggested framing the goal differently than to achieve a moratorium on 8-30g developments — something that is widely seen as unattainable in Wilton.
“I am definitely in favor of this,” Ahasic said, referring to potential ways to encourage more affordable housing. “Not to chase a metric, but to really increase the amount of — I don’t like to use the word ‘affordable housing’ — let’s call it median income housing. We need more of that in our town. I want my kids’ teachers to be able to live in Wilton, our firefighters, our police officers. They should be able to live amongst us in the community.”
Commissioners agreed to further discussions which they requested to include comparison of neighboring towns’ strategies for achieving more affordable housing and examples of public‑private partnership projects.
Hoffman also made a point that the public will have an opportunity to weigh in on any proposed changes to the affordable housing requirement.
“There would have to be public hearings on whatever language we would want to change, if we do want to change any language,” Hoffman said.
Other P&Z Business
ASML/Arrowhead Rd.: A public hearing was postponed in the matter of an application by ASML for a zone change required to allow an emergency access driveway from a property it would acquire at 39 Arrowhead Rd., which adjoins AMSL’s headquarters at 77 Danbury Rd. Wrinn explained the postponement was “a timing issue” with a related ASML application before the Inland Wetlands Commission. Wrinn told P&Z commissioners they could expect the matter “at a later date”. Several Arrowhead Rd. property owners have already voiced opposition.
Zoning regulations update: Since 2024, P&Z has been considering how to approach updating the zoning code, but over time the scope of the desired work has evolved, from an initial focus on updating signage regulations to a broader update of the entire code, notably in terms of language and presentation. Hoffman noted he was eager to get the work underway, but before re-issuing an RFP, Wrinn reported he has been working with the town’s Finance Department to verify what budget is actually available in previously identified funds to pay for a land use consultant, especially in light of a Cannondale Master Plan and other planning projects that could be on P&Z’s horizon. Wrinn told commissioners he expects to have confirmed budget figures next week.