Wilton, Connecticut, August 18, 2025
News Summary
Wilton Center Lofts, a four-story apartment project at 12 Godfrey Place in Wilton, Connecticut, received approval as a 40-unit building with 50% of units designated below-market-rate. The approval followed a contentious planning commission review that raised concerns about limited on-site parking, loading zone layouts and emergency access, but legal pressure from the state’s 8-30g affordable housing statute and participation in the Build for CT program influenced the decision. The approval includes conditions such as fire marshal sign-off on electric bicycle charging stations. The project is part of a statewide effort using low-interest financing to expand below-market and middle-income housing.
Wilton Center Lofts Approved as 40-Unit Building with Half of Units Affordable amid Statewide Housing Push
A four-story apartment building at 12 Godfrey Place in Wilton won a reluctant approval from the town planning and zoning commission and is under construction. The project will deliver 40 apartments, with 50% of those units set aside as below-market-rate housing, a higher share than required by a common affordable-housing rule used by developers across the state.
Why the approval matters now
The Wilton project is one of 20 developments statewide that have qualified for incentives under a new state effort known as Build for CT. That program was funded by the legislature in 2023 and uses state-backed bonds to offer low-interest financing to developers who include apartments priced for middle-income households — defined here as households earning between 60% and 120% of area median income. So far, the housing finance agency has approved 20 projects that together add about 2,700 units and have received roughly $88 million in low-interest loans. Those loans helped include about 740 below-market units among the approved projects.
Project and local process in Wilton
The site covers about 0.62 acres and previously held a roughly 10,000-square-foot building. The developer scaled back an initial plan for 42 units to the approved 40-unit design and pursued a specific state affordable-housing path that limits a town’s ability to deny the plan. The commission gave a conditional approval after lengthy debate and several members voted grudgingly in favor, citing legal limits on turning down the application unless there were clear public-safety reasons.
Commissioners and town staff focused on concerns including limited on-site parking (40 spaces for 40 units), the size of a proposed loading zone, and how an electronic bicycle charging station would be configured so it would not obstruct emergency access. One explicit condition of approval requires the developer to receive fire marshal sign-off for charging station arrangements.
Local resistance and legal pressure
The application followed a fraught exchange between the developer and the town. Town leaders pushed for the developer to wait until a master plan and new zoning rules were finished. The developer withdrew an initial submission and refiled under the state statute that limits a town’s power to block affordable housing proposals, a tactic that left commissioners facing a choice between denying the project and risking costly litigation or approving it with conditions.
How this fits into state policy
Build for CT is intended to change developer math so more projects include below-market apartments. Across the approved projects, the program averages roughly $125,000 of state financing per affordable unit, though funding per unit varies by project and some projects get less on average. Funds recovered through loans are recycled to support new projects, which the housing finance agency says helps the program keep moving.
Larger projects are also in the program pipeline. The largest approved Build for CT award to date supports a waterfront building in Bridgeport, where a developer is receiving $20 million in state support to add 160 apartments, with many units offered at rents affordable to households near the local median income and the rest at market rates. State rent comparisons show one-bedroom and two-bedroom rents in that city at roughly $1,540 and $1,850 per month as of mid-August, giving context to affordability levels.
Numbers, reach and limits
The approved Build for CT projects add up to about 18% of the housing that municipalities approved for construction across Connecticut in 2023 and 2024. Developers have in many cases shifted from skepticism about state program rules to bringing multiple projects forward. The housing agency reports additional projects across several cities are near approval, and dozens of developers have asked about the program.
Local debate and state bills
The Wilton decision came amid heated local debate over a pending state housing bill aimed at pushing towns to plan and permit more affordable housing. Town officials have voiced worries that a one-size-fits-all state law could override local planning and strain infrastructure. Meanwhile, supporters of statewide measures say incentives and legal tools are needed because the state’s housing market is among the most constrained in the nation.
Other local projects and context
The town’s planning file shows other proposals moving through the process, including a large mixed-use redevelopment near the commuter rail station that would offer 10% of units as affordable under current local rules. The wider pattern in the region includes both new luxury rents and pockets of projects using state gap financing to include meaningful affordable components that otherwise might not happen.
In short, the Wilton Center Lofts approval is small in scale but notable for its high share of affordable units and for how it reflects the tug-of-war between local control and state tools meant to boost housing supply. The project is under construction and is expected to begin leasing the summer after approval.
What to watch next
- Whether the developer meets the fire marshal and other conditions before occupancy.
- How more applications under Build for CT move through the housing finance agency and local review.
- How the pending state housing law evolves and whether it changes the balance of local planning authority.
FAQ
What is Wilton Center Lofts?
The project is a four-story, 40-unit apartment building at 12 Godfrey Place in Wilton. Half of the units are set aside as below-market-rate housing.
What is Build for CT?
Build for CT is a state program created in 2023 that uses bond-funded, low-interest loans to encourage developers to include apartments priced for middle-income households. So far, 20 projects have been approved under the program.
How many units and dollars has Build for CT supported so far?
The program has backed approvals that add about 2,700 units and has provided about $88 million in low-interest financing, which helped add roughly 740 below-market units in those projects.
Why was Wilton’s approval described as reluctant?
Town commissioners voiced concerns about parking, loading areas, and emergency access. Legal limits under a state affordable-housing statute made it difficult to deny the application without clear safety evidence, so commissioners approved the plan with conditions.
When will the Wilton building be ready to rent?
The building was under construction in August and was expected to begin leasing the summer following approval, subject to meeting approval conditions.
Key features at a glance
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Project address | 12 Godfrey Place, Wilton, CT |
| Units | 40 apartments (50% affordable) |
| Site size | 0.62 acre; existing 10,000 sq ft building to be demolished |
| Parking | 40 on-site spaces; town raised concerns about adequacy |
| Approval path | Filed under state affordable-housing statute with conditional town approval |
| Build for CT role | Project qualified among other statewide projects that received low-interest financing to support middle-income units |
| Statewide Build for CT totals | 20 projects, ~2,700 units, ~$88M in financing, ~740 below-market units added |
Deeper Dive: News & Info About This Topic
Additional Resources
- CT Insider: Build for CT affordable housing program
- Wikipedia: Affordable housing in the United States
- Wilton Bulletin: Wilton Center Lofts planning & zoning
- Google Search: Wilton Center Lofts
- The Hour: Wilton apartments — Toll Brothers & CommonFund
- Google Scholar: Wilton affordable housing
- Westfair: Are the Wilton Center Lofts a little too lofty?
- Encyclopedia Britannica: Wilton, Connecticut
- CT Insider: Wilton office-to-residential conversions
- Google News: Wilton affordable housing
Author: Construction NY News
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