Wilton planning board forwards 14-part zoning amendment package to Select Board after public hearing

The Town of Wilton Planning Board on April 22 completed a public hearing on proposed revisions to the Town of Wilton 2023 Zoning Ordinance and voted to forward a condensed, highlighted package of 14 warrant articles to the Select Board for inclusion on the annual town meeting warrant. A planning board member moved to present the condensed package and the board approved the motion after discussion and public questions.

Board members and staff repeatedly described the draft as primarily grammatical and formatting changes intended to align local language with recent state statutes. "It's been over a year," said Gary, the planning board's CEO, describing the rewrite process and noting that "95% at least of all the changes in this are just grammatical changes." The chair read the warrant summary to the audience, emphasizing the amendments are "technical and formatting corrections ... with no change to the intent or substantive requirements of the ordinance."

Residents and members of the public asked for clarification about where to find the revised text and how each article maps to the printed changes. Nathan Hiltz, who gave his name and address during public comment, asked whether questions could be asked generally because attendees could not tell which text corresponded with each article; staff pointed to the packet's "changes by article" sheet and the ordinance tables, which form part of the package. Deborah Joseph Deborah Wilson asked whether the version handed out that evening was the same one that would be voted on in June; staff confirmed it was.

The board discussed several substantive items that had been altered from prior drafts or incorporated as state requirements. The packet adds accessory dwelling units (ADUs) to the zoning tables to comply with LD 2003; staff said ADUs cannot be larger than the primary dwelling and that the owner of the primary dwelling must occupy it. The board also noted changes to shoreland zoning language to align local definitions and measurement approaches with state rules and confirmed attorneys advised the town to adopt majority-vote language for adoption at town meeting rather than a fixed turnout requirement.

Other edits covered building-permit administration, site-plan review steps, fuel-gas detector recommendations following recent local incidents, animal-raising limits in certain residential zones (for example, no roosters in Residential 1 and 2), and definitions such as tiny dwelling and accessory dwelling unit. Staff discussed planning-board review for shoreland permits and the limits of enforcement in a small community.

Board members and residents also discussed the potential for housing in certain commercial or industrial properties after a pending state statute takes effect in 2027; staff said that change could make it easier to convert vacant, brownfield properties such as the old tannery into housing, subject to site-plan review and any environmental restrictions.

After debate over formatting and the public's ability to follow article-to-text correspondence, a planning board member moved that the board present a condensed, highlighted version of the ordinance changes to the Select Board so the public report would show the substantive items clearly; the motion was seconded and carried by voice vote. The board did not record a roll-call tally in the meeting record; the motion passed.

The board closed the public hearing portion of the meeting, thanked attendees for participation, and adjourned. The Select Board will receive the condensed packet and may decide formatting and final presentation for the town warrant and town report.