The Wilton Housing Committee is no more. The Board of Selectmen voted unanimously to disband it on Tuesday, July 22, following a direction from First Selectman Toni Boucher and limited discussion.

“It hasn’t met in forever and the chairman has now been, as you know, you appointed him to the Ethics Committee, so it is really nonfunctioning,” Boucher said.

Boucher said the former chair, Steven Parrinello, suggested to her that the committee be disbanded just after she took office, though the video and minutes of the WHC’s last meeting indicate that members were planning to carry on with its charge — and believed they had Boucher’s support.

From Start to End

The WHC was formed toward the end of 2020 in response to the town’s Plan of Conservation and Development of 2019.

According to the town website, “The Housing Committee’s purpose is to evaluate, define, and monitor the need for diverse housing options and affordable housing in Wilton.”

Per the website, responsibilities were supposed to include:

  • Studying and documenting the need for each housing type within Wilton, including affordable housing
  • Seeking input from various stakeholders, including residents, developers, and town personnel
  • Creating an inventory of existing housing types and affordable units in town
  • Finding ways to encourage diverse housing development, including identifying funding sources

“One of the core recommendations of the POCD was to create a Housing Committee,” Scott Lawrence, former chair of the Planning and Zoning Commission, told a panel discussion at the Wilton Library in May 2023. He noted that the need for diverse housing was one of the “overarching themes” of the POCD. 

Parrinello said at that forum, which included Michael Wrinn, Wilton’s director of planning and land use manager/town planner, that more such discussions would be occurring.

“We intend for this to be the first of many of these public panels,” Parrinello said at the time.

At last week’s BOS meeting, when Selectman Ross Tartell said he believed there was a final report or presentation from the committee, and asked where it was, Boucher replied that she didn’t know if there was one.

“That was before my time, pretty much,” Boucher said, “because when I got here, that’s when it was brought to my attention that they weren’t functioning. That’s when the chairman contacted me and said maybe it’s a good idea that it gets disbanded.”

Boucher’s term in office officially began on Dec. 1, 2023. The last time the WHC met, according to the Wilton Town website, was on Dec. 12, 2023. According to the minutes and video recording of that meeting, Parrinello recounted to the committee about his meeting with Boucher for a “discussion surrounding the future charge of this committee,” and “gave the committee an update for new activities going forward.” 

At the time, Parrinello indicated he believed Boucher supported the committee continuing its work, including (per the minutes), “reviewing all P&Z pre-apps and apps related to housing and report to BOS; review all town-owned properties with BOS and discuss potential residential development potential if any,” and “discussions related to certain parts of the master plan with the BOS.”

“That was really the meeting. I think she was very much interested in us continuing what we’re trying to do. I think she would like us to have the voice,” Parrinello said (at 00:10:15 on the video of the Dec. 12 meeting).

There is no record of the committee meeting again.

Now What?

Tartell cited the issue of affordable housing in relation to the WHC and the gap it would leave behind.

“One of the reasons that they were created was to identify opportunities for affordable housing,” Tartell said, “and this town has not stepped up to address that, to be able to move toward having a moratorium, so it would be nice to know.”

If Connecticut municipalities can demonstrate that they’re making substantial progress in increasing their affordable housing stock, they can become eligible for multi-year moratoriums that will block housing developments under state statute 8-30g.

“I think Michael Wrinn could give us an update, because I know at one point over the year I spoke to him … He would certainly know where we stand with a moratorium, the numbers or whatever,” Healy said.

Boucher said his office has been mute in relation to her administration.

“We haven’t heard from him, at least since I’ve been here, I haven’t heard from him,” Boucher said. “They’ve got a lot that they’re doing. They are a bit short-staffed.”

Boucher said there were already a couple of other new committees that had recently been formed, including the Wilton Capital Planning Committee, that could help fill in the gaps.

With the Housing Committee’s disbanding, Selectwoman Healy suggested putting the issue into the hands of the WCPC.

“We may want to add affordable housing, then, to the charge of the Capital (Planning) Committee,” Healy said.

Boucher said it was something that could be discussed at length within that group.