Historic Preservation: Benefit or Barrier to Economic Development Wilton Panel Discussion with David Kooris on Saturday, March 21 from 2 – 4
Presented by the Wilton Historical Society
With the recent flurry of development on Route 7 in Wilton, which frequently impacts historic structures, the Wilton Historical Society would like to provide a setting for discussion about how historic preservation and economic development can partner for smart development along the commercial corridor and in Cannondale. On Saturday, March 21 from 2-4, the public is invited to a panel discussion at the Wilton Historical Society titled “Historic Preservation: Benefit or Barrier to Economic Development in Wilton”.
Keynote speaker and moderator is David Kooris, President of Stamford Downtown, a business improvement district representing the major property owners, companies, and residents of that neighborhood. Stamford Downtown is the primary voice for responsible development policy, ensuring that public infrastructure and private investment work together to make it a vibrant urban neighborhood. Mr. Kooris was previously Deputy Commissioner at the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD), where he was responsible for strategy to orchestrate transit-oriented development, brownfields, capital projects, waterfront, historic preservation, the arts, tourism, and opportunity zones.
Panelists are Emily Innes of Harriman; Rob Sanders of Rob Sanders Architects in Wilton; and Stacey Vairo, Circuit Rider for Preservation Connecticut, who will explore the current challenges the town faces, and exchange views and commentary on how new development can and should respect the town’s historic character. What might sympathetic development look like in Wilton? How have other towns and cities incorporated historic structures as they have welcomed new businesses and expanded their tax base? How can Wilton protect the scale and history of a National Register area such as Cannondale while encouraging revitalization and growth? Media Sponsor: The Wilton Bulletin
Q & A; reception follows, no charge. Please register: info@wiltonhistorical.org or 203-762-7257
Panelists:
Emily Keyes Innes is Director of Planning at Harriman, an architecture, engineering, urban design, planning, and landscape architecture firm. She leads all aspects of planning for projects firm-wide, as well as operations for Harriman’s Boston office. Ms. Innes, AICP, LEED AP ND is a certified planner with a background in financial planning, project management and municipal affairs. She is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is an active member of the Urban Land Institute and American Planning Association. Ms. Innes is currently working on a research project for Wilton’s Historic District and Historic Property Commission, examining ways to encourage developers to keep historic structures in commercial zones.
Rob Sanders
Rob Sanders, principal of Rob Sanders Architects LLC in Wilton, is chair of Wilton’s Architectural Review Board/Village District Design Committee. He is a registered architect in the states of Connecticut, New York, and Massachusetts with N.C.A.R.B. certification, and is a member of the AIA and AIA CT. He received a Bachelor of Architecture from Cornell University in 1981. Mr. Sanders is a three-time winner of Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation awards, most recently the Elizabeth Mills Brown Preservation Award, which was presented jointly with AIA CT.
Stacey Vairo
Architectural historian Stacey Vairo is a Circuit Rider for the Preservation Connecticut (formerly the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation). She was previously Deputy Director at Connecticut’s State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), responsible for National Register matters, and was a Senior Planner at Fitzgerald Halliday, a transportation and environmental planning and analysis firm. Ms. Vairo is Principal of Scheller Preservation Associates. She is a graduate of Savannah College of Art and Design with an MFA in Historic Preservation and Conservation. Ms. Vairo was the principal in researching and writing the most recent addition to the town’s Historic Resource Inventory (Historic House Survey) in 2018, which was funded by a grant obtained by the Wilton Historical Society.
The Wilton Historical Society, 224 Danbury Road, Wilton, CT 06897 www.wiltonhistorical.org