Mormon meetinghouse architecture draws criticism in Wilton

WILTON — Plans for a Church of Latter-Day Saints meetinghouse on Danbury Road caught the ire of Planning and Zoning Commission members last week because they felt their prior recommendations for the proposal were not strongly considered. The commission decided to delay a final vote as several members voiced concerns about the proposal. The proposal, which first came through the town's Architectural Review Board last year, has been reviewed at a number of Planning and Zoning meetings where officials have commented on specifics such as windows, material and scale. However, since the public hearing portion of the process has been closed, no further changes can be made to the proposal. "At this point, our client has asked us to please take this forward as an 'up or down' decision," said Robin Benning of Randolph L. Carter Architects, who has been hired by the Church of Latter-Day Saints to handle this project. "They're very anxious to get started. We'd like to submit the building permits now that we are in the new year." Commissioner Christopher Pagliaro critiqued the proposed meetinghouse window size and voiced opposition to the plans. "I will vote against this because I think the windows are inappropriate and I think the brick is inappropriate. The brick is against what the ARB asked then to do," Pagliaro said. "I don't think that the conversation was over and if they wanted us to close that hearing and we closed that hearing, then my vote for this thing will be no. They could come back and get the architecture right, because it was wrong." Pagliaro's main point of contention at the previous meeting was making the windows on the meetinghouse either larger, or look longer by using different trim techniques to affect the perceived overall scale of the building. After talking with representatives from the religious institution, Benning said the proposed window size in the plans had not changed. Part of the meetinghouse plans also called for two different colored bricks, which the commissioners also opposed. During deliberation, Commissioners Matthew Murphy and Eric Fanwick agreed with Pagliaro. Fanwick said he was originally leaning toward approval, but reflected on what his fellow commissioner had to say and was swayed by his argument. "They took all this time to come back to us with nothing," Murphy said. Commissioner Jill Warren said she would also be inclined to vote against the project. She said she believes the deliberations would be different if the applicants did not request to close the public hearing session. Michael Wrinn, director of Planning & Land Use Management and town planner, told the commissioners there would be two options for the applicants if the proposal was denied. First, they could come back to the town with another proposal and restart the process or they can appeal the decision. Under The Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, Wrinn said applicants could also request a court hearing.

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Proposed Mormon meetinghouse architecture draws criticism in Wilton