Wilton’s Sewer Authority Takes a First Look at Proposed Development at School Sisters/Belden Hill Rd. Property

After a pre-application review by the Planning and Zoning Commission just last week (Monday, May 12), Wilton’s Water Pollution Control Authority (WPCA) has begun considering an application for a new senior-living development at 345 Belden Hill Rd., the School Sisters of Notre Dame (SSND) property.

As discussed at the WPCA’s meeting Wednesday evening, May 22, the proposed project would consist of 280 units, including:

• 208 independent living units
• 48 assisted living units
• 24 memory care units

Craig Flaherty, president and senior engineer at the consulting firm Redniss & Mead, gave a lengthy presentation to the WPCA members about the proposed project. [Supporting documents for the application are posted on the Town website.]

Flaherty began by noting the developer hopes to secure WPCA approval to continue using the existing sewer connection before proceeding with the application process with Wilton’s various land use boards. He then spoke about the Town’s control over the fate of the property, particularly resting with the WPCA and P&Z.

“The reality is, the use for which this campus was built no longer exists,” Flaherty began. “This property is going to have a new future, and the Town gets to participate in what that new future is going to be — certainly through your [WPCA] confirmation or approval of the connection to the sanitary sewer system, but also through Planning and Zoning oversight of the property, as this use will require a zone change.”

“The town has control over what this future could be,” Flaherty repeated. “And [the applicant] Hines Interests Limited Partnership, and their partner, Senior Resource Group, do have an interest in purchasing the property, and their plan is to redevelop it into a senior living community with independent living, assisted living and memory care units.”

Flaherty presented calculations for projected sewer flows using various methods, showing a range of estimates and drawing the key conclusion that the flow from the new development would be very “similar” to the flow from a fully occupied existing facility.

“When comparing the existing use to the proposed use, we find the potential effluent discharge to be similar,” Flaherty concluded in his presentation.

The analysis also included actual flow data from 12 similar senior living developments, ranging in size from 203 units to 363 units, with data provided by Senior Resource Group (SRG).

Flaherty attempted to differentiate the application from the many other projects underway in Wilton which involved the redevelopment of office buildings which have significantly different expected sewer flows than residential housing units.

He pointed out that the SSND property was originally constructed as a residential facility, with a total bed/bedroom count for 325 residents. Although occupancy never reached that capacity, Flaherty argued a new owner should be allowed the same consideration for sewer flow.

“The existing facility was designed to discharge at an average annual rate of 30,000 [gallons per day] and is, therefore, entitled to that rate of discharge,” Flaherty asserted in his presentation.

“It’s our position that the applicant [Hines] is entitled to a similar flow based on the fact that that was approved and assessed in 2013,” when the SSND obtained the right to connect to the sewer system, Flaherty said.

DPW Director/Town Engineer Frank Smeriglio also expressed the belief that the applicant should be allowed the same flow that was theoretically available to SSND. He told the WPCA members he was “comfortable” with the assumptions and estimates provided by Flaherty, with the expectation that even the worst-case flow scenarios would still leave the Town below the contractual limit with Norwalk.

Smeriglio still needs to outline specific conditions the applicant would have to meet before the WPCA can vote whether to approve the application. That is expected for a WPCA special meeting on June 17.

Several letters from the public expressing support and one in opposition to the project were attached to the WPCA meeting agenda, but were not discussed during the meeting. One resident, Tom Carlson, spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting. Carlson, who has lived in a neighboring property for 23 years, said he and his wife Pam “enthusiastically support” the Hines proposal.

“The neighborhood wants this, the town needs this, and the seniors of our community deserve this. Please take the necessary actions to green-light this project,” Carlson told the WPCA.

What About The Deed Restriction?

The May 12 P&Z meeting revealed a deed restriction on the property that would seemingly limit a significant increase in square footage of any future development on the site. Land use attorney and Town Counsel Peter Gelderman of the law firm Berchem Moses attended the WPCA meeting and advised Town officials that the restrictive covenant should have “absolutely no impact” on the application.

Gelderman explained that neither the town nor any boards/commissions are a beneficiary of the restrictive covenant; the town has no standing to enforce it.

“There’s certainly nothing on the face of the document that indicates what the purpose of the restrictive covenant was… ultimately the WPCA approved the [sewer] connection but didn’t make the restrictive covenant a condition of that approval,” Gelderman explained.

The application materials also state that “should [the applicant] receive approvals for the proposed Senior Living Community and acquire the property, the School Sisters of Notre Dame will release the land use restriction.”

Update on Town-wide Sewer Flows

As Wilton’s remaining sewer capacity has dwindled in recent years, the precision of actual and estimated flow calculations has become increasingly important.

At the May 21 WPCA meeting, Smeriglio updated the WPCA with a presentation of his now-familiar spreadsheet that details the latest town-wide sewer flows. Over time, Smeriglio has enhanced the spreadsheet with more refined data, including expected sewer flows from approved construction projects; adjustments as construction projects become occupied buildings; reserve numbers for unoccupied buildings whose sewer flows could resume; new applications on the horizon; and potential reductions in flow based on anticipated infrastructure repairs.

Selectman Bas Nabulsi took the opportunity to praise the spreadsheet as a valuable tool for the WPCA to accurately understand the Town’s critical sewer resource.

“I really feel that this spreadsheet has grown into a very useful document,” Nabulsi said. “I really appreciate the effort, because it’s really up-to-date now to reflect all the moving parts, which is incredibly valuable.”

First Selectman Toni Boucher agreed with insights from the spreadsheet being “quite significant.”

When Selectman Ross Tartell inquired about whether Wilton officials had any new information about the potential for Norwalk to allow additional flow from Wilton, Boucher responded that Norwalk officials had been “incredibly silent… after multiple and consistent efforts to reach out to them and get us an answer.” She also noted that an upcoming mayoral race could further delay any discussions.

WPCA FY 2026 Budget

A presentation about the WPCA’s FY’26 budget proposal that was on the agenda for the May 21 meeting was postponed until the next meeting. According to Smeriglio, the budget numbers are still being finalized, pending updated information from Norwalk on expected charges. The WPCA members agreed to re-schedule the budget discussion to the special meeting on June 17 at 5 p.m.