P&Z Tees Up Changes to Key Zoning Regulations in Advance of Overhaul

Wilton’s Planning and Zoning Commission is moving to wrap up several significant zoning regulation changes before hiring a consultant to undertake the first comprehensive rewrite of the town’s zoning regulations in decades.

During the penultimate meeting before its annual August recess, commissioners held a brief work session to review where things stand on the two new parking exclusion zones and guidelines for summary review projects — both of which are required by the state’s new housing law, Public Act 25-1 — as well as a proposed change to fence height requirements and further modifications to the affordable housing regulations.

The July 13 recap served as a useful primer for residents who have been following these proposals as they progress through P&Z’s review and approval process, just as P&Z interviewed finalists for the consultant that will rewrite Wilton’s zoning regulations, a long-anticipated — and long-overdue — project that will shape land use policy for years.

Parking Exclusion Zones

Under PA 25-1, towns are required to establish a minimum number of off-street parking spaces required for residential developments. Towns are permitted to create two “traffic mitigation districts” — which Wilton also refers to as parking exclusion zones — where the town can set reduced parking requirements for new residential developments with under 16 units built in commercial zones.

These districts can encompass up to 8% of a town’s total land area — which, in Wilton’s case, is around 700 acres.

As originally proposed, one district extends north from the Norwalk town line along Rte. 7/Danbury Rd. to Wilton Town Center, while the other, smaller, district extends south from the Ridgefield town line along Rte. 7/Danbury Rd. to Mountain Rd. At P&Z’s Jun. 23 meeting, Commissioner Trevor Huffard had proposed extending the northern district further south to incorporate the commercial properties south of Old Mill Rd.

During the Jul. 13 meeting, Director of Planning and Land Use Management/Town Planner Michael Wrinn presented an updated layout of the northern district, noting that even with the extension the total land area encompassed by the districts remains well below the 8% threshold. The extended northern district extends to just north of Honey Hill Rd.

“I’m delighted, thank you,” Huffard said. “It achieves what I was trying to do.”

ARB Revisions to Summary Review Guidelines Coming Soon

Also during P&Z’s Jun. 23 meeting, the commissioners took action on another PA 25-1 requirement. They voted unanimously to approve the inclusion of a new chapter in Wilton’s zoning regulations establishing guidelines for transit community middle housing developments, which are buildings of between two and nine dwellings built on lots zoned for commercial and mixed uses.

PA 25-1 stipulates that middle housing developments are subject to only summary review by a town’s zoning compliance officer, exempting them from having to go through the traditional planning and zoning review process of public hearings, P&Z vote and more. The only way for P&Z to exert some control over the design of such developments is by spelling out as many standards and design requirements as possible in the new zoning regulations.

Wilton’s Architectural Review Board (ARB) is in the process of revising the middle housing guidelines to make them more explicit.

“We went line-by-line over the section of the regulations regarding the architectural review,” Wrinn said. “They have a lot of suggestions, a lot of takeaway. … They’re breaking it down into what they feel is a more appropriate document for residential [development].”

Wrinn said that the ARB expects to convene a special meeting soon to review and approve its revisions, after which they will be submitted along with the proposed traffic mitigation zones to the Western Connecticut Council of Governments (WestCOG) for comment and then to P&Z for a public hearing.

Commissioners Discuss Request to Amend Fence Regulations

In early July, Wilton resident Annette Kaye submitted a request for P&Z to review the town’s fence regulations to allow for greater height in order to better protect against high-jumping deer. Wilton homeowners often try to protect landscaping from deer and reduce exposure to ticks carried by the animals using fencing.

“Our regulations are a little bit odd in the sense that you can have a six-foot fence anywhere, [but if] you go above seven feet, it’s got to be reviewed by the building department and ourselves,” Wrinn said. If you want to put a seven-foot fence up, that extra foot has to be 70% open, which is a very challenging architectural feature to me.”

Wrinn said that the fence companies he and his staff contacted said that the industry standard for such an extension, called a “topper,” is typically less than 50%.

While P&Z rarely considers changing the regulations based on a single complaint or request, Wrinn said that since a comprehensive update is being planned, and the fence regulations have not been updated in recent memory, the commissioners may want to consider it along with the other proposed changes.

“If you’d like to have us take a quick look and try to give you a number just on the fence topper, that’s an easy solution at this point,” Wrinn said. “We’ll … do a little work and we’ll get back to you next meeting.”

Affordable Housing Subcommittee Update

At the request of P&Z Chair Ken Hoffman, a subcommittee consisting of Huffard, P&Z Vice Chair Mark Ahasic, and P&Z Secretary Michelle Saglimbene volunteered to work with Wrinn to draft a more complete update to Wilton’s affordable housing regulations that incorporate the various decisions agreed to during P&Z’s very busy Jun. 23 meeting.

“The Fourth of July and summer has prevented us from having a coherent meeting,” Huffard said. “We’ve done a couple of drafts independently. So if we could beg some more time, we would like to.”

Hoffman suggested that the committee also review the ARB’s proposed revisions to the middle housing chapter of the zoning regulations to provide input.

Wrinn offered to set up a Zoom meeting for the commissioners and encouraged them to continue working individually in the meantime, with a goal of having something to present at the Jul. 27 meeting, P&Z’s last before its summer break.

Commissioners Interview Consultant Candidates in Executive Session

The commissioners in attendance at the Jul. 13 meeting proceeded quickly through the evening’s agenda to ensure they had enough time to interview two of the three consulting firms that had responded to the town’s request for proposals (RFP) seeking land-use consultants to undertake a comprehensive update of Wilton’s zoning regulations.

The RFP, issued in May, was the town’s second attempt to hire a consultant for the project. The first RFP resulted in proposals that exceeded the available budget, and the revised request was delayed by the absence of $100,000 in unaccounted-for funds that P&Z had specifically earmarked for the hiring of consultants.

The commissioners entered an executive session to interview representatives from Hartford-based IMEG and Weston & Sampson of Rocky Hill. The commissioners are scheduled to interview representatives from the third firm, AKRF, which has offices in Hamden and Stanford, on Jul. 27.

P&Z has not indicated publicly when it intends to make a decision or have the consultant start, but two items are looming on the horizon: an update to Wilton’s Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD) and a formal housing growth plan as required by Public Act 25-1, both of which are due in 2029.