Key Points
- Wilton P&Z is preparing proposed affordable housing regulations that would require affordable units in more residential developments and increase set-asides for larger projects.
- Commissioners expressed support for creating a housing authority and using the state median income to calculate housing affordability.
- The proposed changes, influenced in part by Ridgefield’s inclusionary zoning model, are expected to go before a public hearing on July 13.
Why It Matters: The proposals would significantly reshape how affordable housing is incorporated into future residential developments in Wilton and could influence the town’s long-term strategy for meeting state housing requirements while maintaining local oversight.
Wilton’s Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) continued shaping its emerging affordable housing policy at its Jun. 22 meeting, moving toward proposals that would require affordable units in more residential developments, increase the percentage of required affordable units for larger projects and create a housing authority to own and manage properties in the town.
Commissioners also expressed support for using the state median income to calculate housing affordability rates.
Drafts of proposed regulation changes are expected to go before a public hearing during the commission’s next meeting on July 13.
Commissioners Look to Ridgefield’s “Inclusionary Zoning” as Model
The commissioners singled out Ridgefield’s approach to affordable housing, called “inclusionary zoning,” for praise, and said that town’s framework served as a good model. Ridgefield requires that all developments of five or more residential dwellings have a minimum number of units designated as affordable; above 30 dwellings, the formula switches from a specified number to a fixed percentage.
“I think that’s an interesting way of handling it,” Commissioner Anthony Cenatiempo said. “Maybe our numbers might be different; maybe it might be [one affordable unit every] five to 14 [housing units] instead of five to 10. But I do like what they did there.”
Ridgefield’s inclusionary zoning regulation specifies the number of required affordable units according to a simple graduated scale:
- Between 5-10 dwellings: minimum 1 affordable unit
- Between 11-14 dwellings: minimum 2 affordable units
- Between 15-21 dwellings: minimum 3 affordable units
- Between 22-28 dwellings: minimum 4 affordable units
- Between 29-30 dwellings: minimum 5 affordable units
- 31 dwellings and above: 14% of total dwellings, rounded up
The regulations also offer incentives to developers who exceed these basic requirements, including increased density, alterations to dimensional limitations such as setbacks and height, and fewer parking spaces.
Another option provided for in Ridgefield’s inclusionary zoning that caught the attention of some of Wilton’s commissioners is the provision for paying a cash fee in lieu of constructing some or all of the affordable units, which the town then puts into a housing trust fund. The fee is steep: 300% of the Danbury median income multiplied by the number of affordable units not constructed.
Ridgefield’s housing authority, established in 1974, oversees housing for elderly residents as well as the town’s residential properties priced below market rates.
Zoning Regulation Revision Incorporates State Median Income
Before their work session on modifications to Wilton’s zoning regulations related to affordable housing regulations, Wrinn presented a draft of proposed changes to the regulations that adds the state median income as a basis for calculating rental prices for median-income housing.
Because the state median-income rate is typically significantly lower than the area median, Wrinn said using the state rate will allow more people who work in Wilton but can’t afford current market rates to move to town. Just as importantly, adopting the state median income level will allow the town to qualify for a moratorium on further affordability requirements under the state’s 8-30g affordable housing statute.
The draft defines an affordable housing unit as being available “only to persons or families whose income is at or below eighty percent (80%) of the area median income (AMI) for the Town of Wilton, or the state median income (SMI), for the State of Connecticut, whichever is less, as determined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).”
During P&Z’s May 26 meeting, P&Z Chair Ken Hoffman suggested that commissioners use the term “median-income housing” rather than “affordable housing,” though in practice the commissioners have continued to use both terms interchangeably.
Hoffman said he believed “median-income housing” more accurately described the program and avoided some of the negative connotations associated with the term “affordable housing.” The draft regulations, however, continue to define the units using affordability standards tied to income limits.
Glossary
Affordable Housing: Housing that is legally restricted to households below certain income limits and priced according to CT affordability requirements. Households can earn no more than 80% of the area median income, and units can cost no more than 30% of the qualifying household’s income.
Median-Income Housing: A term proposed by Planning and Zoning Commission Chair Ken Hoffman as an alternative to “affordable housing” to describe below-market-rate housing with less negative connotations. Commissioners sometimes use the term interchangeably with “affordable housing.”
Area Median Income (AMI): The median income for the Bridgeport–Stamford–Danbury metropolitan area, which includes Wilton.
State Median Income (SMI): The median income for Connecticut as a whole. Because it’s generally lower than Wilton’s regional median income, using SMI can make more households eligible for below-market-rate housing.
| Measure | FY2025 |
|---|---|
| Wilton/Regional HUD Median Family Income | $148,900 |
| Connecticut State HUD Median Family Income | $124,600 |
“Let’s Keep This Simple”
During their discussion on zoning regulation revisions, the commissioners settled on 14-15% as a suitable percentage for residential developments of over 30 units, and also agreed that the town should prioritize establishing a housing authority to implement and oversee the town’s affordability initiatives.
“I would say let’s keep this simple,” P&Z Vice Chair Mark Ahasic said, summarizing the consensus. “I like the sliding scale that Ridgefield has come up with, where we essentially hold smaller developments to a higher percentage and [guarantee the] number of units. And then … for the larger developments, I think 15% is the right number.”
“To me, this all comes back to what we’ve been talking about with the Board of Selectmen, which is a housing authority and a housing trust fund,” Ahasic continued. “I think this is all part of a package that we have to consider to really drive up additional median-income housing in Wilton.”
Director of Planning and Land Use Management Michael Wrinn noted that requiring a minimum number of affordable units across the board may make it harder for developers to get a return on investment from smaller projects.
“You’ve heard different developers say how difficult it is to make … affordable work in the beginning,” Wrinn said.
P&Z recently changed the town’s zoning regulations for the the Danbury Rd. East Overlay District to allow the redevelopment of the former Wilton Baptist Church property at 254 Danbury Rd. to proceed without an affordable unit, in part because the developer argued the 10-unit project would not be financially viable otherwise.
Commissioner Trevor Huffard noted that one town that P&Z looked at offers “offsite housing” — also called prefabricated or factory-built housing — as an option for developers to build homes quickly and inexpensively. In theory, by reducing the amount of money that the developers would have to recoup, offsite housing incentivizes them to construct more housing for median-income renters and purchasers. However, Commissioner Colin Christ said such an approach would be “challenging” for developers.
“I don’t think it’s practical at all for us to think that by adopting the state median income, which I think is the right thing to do, that you then can dumb down a property to the point where you’re going to put Formica in to make the property more affordable,” Christ said. “I think that’s the wrong approach.”
Ahasic, Huffard and P&Z Secretary Michelle Saglimbene volunteered to work with Wrinn to draft an update to Wilton’s affordable housing regulations that incorporate the decisions reached during the discussion, which will be presented for a public hearing at a future P&Z meeting.
Town Receives Three Responses to RFP for Comprehensive Rewrite of Zoning Regulations
Also during the Jun. 22 meeting, Wrinn told the commissioners that the town has received three responses to its request for proposals seeking a consultant to conduct a comprehensive review of the town’s zoning regulations and propose updates. This was the second go-around for the RFP, after the first request resulted in proposals that exceeded the available budget, and was delayed by $100,000 in unaccounted-for funds that P&Z had earmarked for the hiring of consultants.
Wrinn said that all three respondents met the qualifications set out in the RFP and recommended the commissioners schedule closed sessions to interview each of the candidates.
