The Wilton Planning Board has received a $83,000 grant to develop a strategy for housing in town, with a three-phase plan to review the town’s zoning and master plan.

Planning Board Vice Chair Karon Walker said the funding will be used to pay consultants from Nashua Regional Planning Commission and organize community feedback sessions.

“In Wilton in particular, there are a lot of forces that make it difficult to attract young families and workers to town,” Walker said. “We don’t have the housing available. It’s very difficult to find rentals, or even houses, particularly in the town center. Vacancy rates are minimal, and as a result, we’re losing this demographics that’s key to having a thriving community, workforce and school system.”

The award was granted by the Invest NH Municipal Planning and Zoning Grant Program, which is funded by the New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs, and administered by PLAN NH, NH Cooperative Extension and NH Housing.

Walker said the funding is geared toward helping community Planning Boards and other planning organizations develop housing strategies. Wilton has a three-phase plan for how it will put the funds to use.

While not specifically aimed at the issue of affordable or workforce housing, increasing housing availability is seen as beneficial across demographics.

In the first phase, the Nashua Regional Planning Commission will use population and housing statistics specific to Wilton to assist the Planning Board in revising the town’s master plan chapters related to population growth and housing. Walker said part of this process will be community input and feedback on the potential changes, either through a community forum and development process, surveys or both.

In the second phase, the Planning Board will commission an audit of the town’s current regulations and zoning ordinance to identify obstacles related to housing alternatives and identify priorities.

In the third phase, the board expects to draft new ordinances to further the goals of the revised master plan and implement the recommendations of the audit of the town’s regulations. All zoning changes must go before voters on the March ballot, and cannot be implemented without a majority vote of the town.

The funding extends through June of 2024, but Walker said the board is ready to start, and there may be some “low-hanging fruit” that voters could see on the ballot next year, with more-extensive changes possible in 2025.

Walker said Wilton’s natural landscape is chief among the town’s attractive qualities, and the board wants to balance protecting those resources and providing reasonable opportunities for those looking to make their home in town.

“We have a unique set of circumstances that we have to address,” Walker said. “Wilton is unique, perhaps not among all rural New Hampshire towns, but in that part of the attraction is the water resources and natural resources, and that’s well appreciated. That being said, we also have a centralized area downtown where there are commercial enterprises, and more-dense residential opportunities.”

Walker said the board intends to take a “thoughtful approach,” with different focuses for different areas of town. For example, she said, there are areas of town zoned for industrial use that don’t allow residential use without a variance, which could be changed to allow a more mixed use. There are existing buildings in town which could be repurposed for residential developments. Cluster and open-space ordinances can allow for greater density on large plots.

“We’re going to try to avoid pushback by crafting an approach that has a limited impact on the environment that people find so attractive in Wilton,” Walker said.

Walker said the conversation around housing in Wilton is not new, as the town has made several changes to its ordinance over the years to try to address the issue. This grant however, will allow a much more-comprehensive review and discussion, Walker said.

The Planning Board is still in the process of putting in place an organizational structure for administering the grant. Walker said a core group of volunteers, which will likely include Planning Board members, but also other invested parties, would be expected to meet on a regular basis moving forward. The Planning Board was scheduled to meet on Wednesday, post press time, to further discuss the organizational structure.

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

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