Last Friday, news broke that real estate developer Patrick Downend had withdrawn his affordable housing application for 44 Westport Rd.. The announcement came midday from the Town of Wilton Planning and Zoning office. As a result, it was also confirmed that there will be no public hearing on the matter tonight Monday, June 23.
Late on Friday afternoon, J. Casey Healy, the Gregory and Adams, PC attorney for Downend, responded to a request from GOOD Morning Wilton for comment and clarification on P&Z’s announcement. In an email, Healy wrote:
“We are still working on changes to the plans in order to address comments and questions that we have received. We also are working on responses to the Planning and Zoning Staff Report, Mr. Tranquillo’s engineering review, Mr. Thompson’s review of the traffic report among other things. In light of all that, we thought it best to complete those revisions and responses and submit them in one package to the Commission.”
Healy’s email referred to a reports prepared by the P&Z staff listing 51 potential questions and problems about the plan that the developer would have to address, as well as an engineering report prepared on behalf of the town by Anthony Tranquillo and a traffic review completed by John Thompson.
According to town planner Bob Nerney, because the developer has withdrawn any application from the P&Z commission, “Legally there’s nothing for the commission to review, no application.”
Nerney added, “If they do refile in the coming days or weeks it will probably be set for public hearing after Labor Day. The board normally goes into recess in August.” He added, “I sense it’s related to addressing questions that have been brought up by the staff reports.”
Lisa Huff, who lives in the Dudley Rd. house directly next door to the 44 Westport Rd. property, and who is the de facto spokesperson for the residents opposed to the plan, told GOOD Morning Wilton: ”We are happy to hear the developer has withdrawn his application. However, it is our understanding that he will be addressing some issues on the staff report and reapplying at a future date. Unfortunately, that still does not change the fact that this is a very busy intersection and there are still many safety and other concerns for any type of new development on that lot.”
The P&Z meeting scheduled for Monday at 7:15 p.m. will still happen at Cider Mill School’s cafeteria, because the meeting location change was publicized and legally can’t change. However, the matter of 44 Westport Rd. won’t be on the agenda.