“It Got Very Busy All of a Sudden:” High-Profile Residential Developments Coming to Wilton P&Z’s Fall Docket

Three residential developments that have been moving their way through Wilton’s review and approvals process are slated for public hearings before the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) when commissioners return from their August recess. Each project reflects a different aspect of Wilton’s current approach to residential development, and each has its supporters and opponents. Taken together, the debate over whether to approve or deny them will help shape Wilton’s residential development strategy as the town prepares for a comprehensive overhaul of its zoning regulations.

“It got very busy all of a sudden,” Director of Planning and Land Use Management Michael Wrinn said as he previewed the applications during P&Z’s Jul. 13 meeting.

20 Old Ridgefield Rd.

Wilton architect Samuel Gardner, a former chair of the Village District Design Advisory Committee (VDDAC), is proposing to construct a row of five townhouse condos at 20 Old Ridgefield Rd., a triangular parcel at the intersection with Ridgefield Rd. The design will incorporate mansard roofs and articulated façades to “reduce the perceived scale” of the three-story buildings, according to the project narrative. Each townhouse will have a small front patio and a two-car garage in the rear, supplemented by a small parking lot located at the rear of the property.

Gardner intends the development to reflect the design objectives of the Greater Wilton Center Master Plan approved in 2023 — not surprising considering that Gardner served on the VDDAC subcommittee that drafted the master plan’s zoning overlay. The master plan encourages developers to propose residential and mixed-use projects that incorporate pedestrian- and bike-friendly design elements, varied housing types, and public amenities.

Under the current zoning regulations, the Wilton Center overlay has a 10% affordable housing requirement.

VDDAC members praised the proposal when it came before them in December 2025 for a pre-application review. Members said the design captured the intended spirit of the zoning overlay, unlike other applications it had received up to that point.

During the pre-application review, Gardner told VDDAC that the architect will be working with the Department of Public Works (DPW) to build a sidewalk that he hopes will allow the development to connect with the rest of Wilton Center.

33 Danbury Rd.

CHEL Associates LLC purchased the six-unit mixed-use commercial building at 33 Danbury Rd. last year intending to renovate the building and its eyesore parking lot in an effort to attract high-end retailers. The purchase drew attention at the time because it displaced several long-established local businesses.

The first phase of the proposed overhaul, which recently received unanimous approval from the Architectural Review Board (ARB), will focus on rehabbing the retail spaces, including reconstructing the storefronts with new frames, windows, and canopies, and installing bollards in front of the front parking spaces. The front will be finished with painted brick, and EIFS (Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems) will be installed on the side and rear walls.

A second, future, phase will involve refinishing the top floor into six apartments. The property is currently zoned DRB (Danbury Road Business), but when CHEL seeks P&Z approval for the residential development, it may also seek to be included in the Danbury West Overlay Zone, which currently has a requirement for 10% affordable housing. CHEL told ARB in May that it will propose that two of the units be designated as affordable.

In its project narrative, CHEL said the proposed redevelopment met several objectives of the Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD). The design represents “a significant visual and aesthetic upgrade” to the existing building, while the mixed-use nature of the building will provide needed amenities — potentially including a restaurant.

329-331-345 Belden Hill Rd.

Of all the items on P&Z’s calendar, the proposed redevelopment of the former School Sisters of Notre Dame property is almost certain to generate the most public interest and debate. Last month, after a lengthy and contentious public hearing process, the Inland Wetlands Commission (IWC) approved a significant regulated activity permit to allow Hines SL Wilton Associates LP to redevelop the property at 329-331-345 Belden Hill Rd. into a senior living community with 280 residential independent living, assisted living and memory care units.

Hines proposes to demolish most of the existing structures on the 38-acre parcel, 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. The distinctive chapel will be preserved as a common-use space.

Most of the residential units would be located in a new building roughly overlaying the footprint of the existing School Sisters building, with the rest living in eight multi-family cottages with four dwellings each. Two below-grade parking garages in the main building would reduce the amount of surface parking, and extensive green space would be added at the front of the building. Hines also proposes to implement sediment, erosion control, and stormwater management plans to protect and revitalize the property’s 10 acres of wetlands.

Although a neighbor has filed a lawsuit in Connecticut Superior Court against the IWC and Hines over the approval of the wetland permit, town counsel said yesterday that P&Z’s review of Hines’ application can proceed in the meantime because the statutory clock is ticking.