All, the Hines/SSND filed an application to Wilton's ARB on October 29. This application will likely be scheduled for review on November 6 at 5:00 pm.
ACTIONS REQUESTED:
- Review the new application materials (links below)
- Email P&Z Director Michael Wrinn with your objections to the SSND project no later Nov 5: Michael.Wrinn@Wiltonct.gov
- Email the ARB with your objections to the SSND project no later Nov 5- email from Wiltonct.gov using this link - scroll to Committee Members (Quinlan, Doyle, et al): ARB Committee
- Share this information with your friends, neighbors and more. WE NEED HUNDREDS OF LETTERS. Five or six is not going to make a big enough impact.
WHAT TO WRITE
When ARB reviews a project, they use a checklist that includes a review of how buildings relate to their site and surrounding context, such as building organization and massing.
The checklist also requires detailed submissions, including floor plans, elevation drawings with all materials specified, material samples, and a roof plan showing mechanical equipment.
Additionally, it covers site and landscaping elements, like buffer strips, pedestrian/vehicular access, signage, and adjacent road details. Scroll to the bottom for the site and context review.
Most of our concerns pertain to vehicular access, parking, adjacent roads and landscaping/water use. You can scroll down to read some "themes" that may speak to you. Or feel free to write from your heart and tell the ARB Committee and P&Z that you DO NOT want this project in a residential area.
Here is a link to the application materials for "Hines LLC/345 Belden Hill Road": ARB Application Page
From there you can drill into important elements of the plan that are problematic:
Example 1: the new ARB Submission - Cover Letter 10.29.2025 requests 350 parking spaces, not the 242 it initially proposed in the Pre-Application.
Example 2: the Landscape Set - 10.29.2025 shows an enhanced master landscape plan that cannot possibly thrive without an irrigation system. Yet, Hines's WPCA Application was approved for flows up to without an irrigation system. (See page 7 of the document.)
Example 3: the proposed development is fewer than 750 feet from the historic Gilbert Corners intersection of Wolfpit Road/Route 106 and Belden Hill Road. Wilton's Plan of Conservation and Development identifies this intersection as being in need of safety upgrades. The POCD further identifies Route 106 and Belden Hill Road as being impacted by a State has proposal to introduce electronic tolling on I-95, I-84, and the Merritt Parkway, potentially at or near the Route 7 connections. "Tolls on these roads will increase commute costs and could drive traffic onto local roads, including Route 33, Route 106, and Route 53, as well as secondary traversing roads such as Belden Hill Road, Drum Hill Road, Cheese Spring Road, Cannon Road, and Deforest Road." (See POCD, page 78). The ARB should recommend AGAINST adding a dense housing project so close to these two adjacent roads.
ARB Site and context review
- Building organization, massing, and compatibility with the site and adjoining context
- Parking areas, curbing, and paving materials.
- Height and scale relative to the site
- Pedestrian-friendly streetscape and landscaping transitions.
- Existing and proposed buffer strips and landscaping.
- Access and egress for both pedestrian and vehicular traffic.
- Existing and/or proposed signs.
- Adjacent roads, curb cuts, and right-of-way widths.
- Easements, regulatory setbacks, and historic covenants
Sincerely,
Alissa Brady
Wilton Neighbors Alliance
info@wiltonneighbors.org