Using grant funding to revamp the town’s Master Plan and Zoning Ordinance, the Housing Opportunity Program Advisory Committee has been working to develop housing strategies, after soliciting community feedback.

A community survey, with a total of 197 respondents, the majority of whom own their home either with or without a mortgage, was conducted to gauge the public’s interest in increasing the community’s housing stock.

On June 14, the town’s Housing Opportunity Program Advisory Committee (HOPAC), held a forum to get public feedback on potential strategies that emerged from the survey results.

Karon Walker, a member of both the Planning Board and HOPAC, said the committee identified eight potential strategies including: more permissive regulations for accessory dwelling units (sometimes called in-law apartments), allowing residential uses in the industrial district, permitting higher density in the residential district by reducing minimum lot size, creating a downtown redevelopment overlay district, create regulations for tiny houses, more permissive cluster and open space development regulations, keeping lower density in the general residence and agriculture district, and allowing three-family dwelling without Special Exception in the residential district.

Walker said some ideas gained more traction than others, specifically conversations about accessory dwelling units and a downtown redevelopment district.

The HOPAC is scheduled to meet next on July 12, at 5 p.m., and Walker said their next task will be focusing on what strategies to present as recommendations to the Planning Board. Walker said she hopes to have that process complete within the next six to eight weeks.

Survey respondents said the top housing-related challenges in town were property taxes, purchase prices or rent of available units, the availability of  a variety of housing options and the quality of the district schools..

Property taxes were listed as the top factor impacting people’s ability to stay in the community, and property tax and cost of construction were listed as the most significant impacts on cost and supply of housing.

Just over 51 percent of respondents said they own their home with a mortgage, 37 percent own a home without a mortgage and 7 percent rent, with others in alternate situations, including living with parents or roommates to share costs.

The “small town atmosphere” was cited overall as the aspect that made Wilton a desirable place to live, with “sense of community,” “safety,” and “open space” also receiving high ratings. Small town feel, nature, outdoor recreation, farms, lack of traffic, traffic lights, light pollution, and the Pine Hill and High Mowing communities were all cited as desirable aspects of town.

“Quality of life” was the top reason respondents said they moved to town, with about 47 percent noting that as one of their reasons for selecting the area, and about 46 percent citing the location. Affordability was the next highest reason for moving to the area, with about 34 percent saying that contributed to their decision.

When asked to select their top three concerns, increasing property taxes topped the list, with about 65 percent of respondents saying it was an issue for them. Loss of open space and excessive housing development were also high among concerns, with 40 percent and 32 percent of respondents saying it was a concern for them.

Lack of affordable housing options was a concern for about 10 percent of respondents, and lack of job opportunities was for about 14 percent.

When asked about their vision for housing in Wilton, key themes included more affordable housing options of all types, preserving open space, safety and the small town feel, while others wanted to maintain the rural quality of the town by limiting additional housing or apartments.

When asked what type of housing Wilton needs more of, senior, workforce and open space developments were the top choice of about 34 percent of respondents. Town character and the natural environment were cited as the top concerns when it comes to adding more housing.

Respondents said redevelopment of existing vacant buildings such as the former mills was their top choice for adding housing, with concentrating development more densely in the downtown area and places served by water and sewer as the second choice.

About 70 percent of respondents said they wished to see the town implement design standards to maintain rural character, and about 65 percent were in favor of increasing the required amount of natural buffering around development.

Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.