WILTON – The Richard Rantamaki Trust, Timothy Sullivan and John Harrison LLP are requesting several variances from town ordinances in order to remove the former Intervale Machine building on Forest Road (Route 31 North) and build 11 condominiums in two buildings on the site. Town ordinances allow only three dwelling units per lot. The buildings and parking area would encroach on the set backs.

The site is in the downtown area, which permits residential use.

After considerable debate on July 13, the hearing was continued to Aug. 10. The board will host a site walk in the meantime.

Richard Rantamaki had a hardware store on the site for about 35 years. Prior to that, it was a lumber company, and had other uses back to a mill.

The applicants called the building “a very non-conforming use” and “an architectural eyesore” with poor sight distance on Forest Street. The plan would make the site “more conforming” and said it “fits the goals of the town’s Master Plan.” Drainage of the parking lot would also be improved. Stony Brook is on the opposite of Forest Road and part of the site is in the flood plain. It is served by town water and sewer.

The lot is odd-shaped, long and narrow, with Pleasant Street on the hill behind the buildings. There would be no access to Pleasant Street from the parking area.

The proposal calls for two buildings, one with six unit, the other with five units. The units would be two bedroom, with two and a half baths.

A mural on the barn facing Forest Street was painted by several local artists in 2002. It replaced a similar picture painted in the 1940s by Carl Nelson of Lyndeborough, who copied a Currier and Ives print. The mural has been a Wilton landmark, welcoming people to the downtown.

The applicants said the picture “would be safe somewhere,” if not on site, then a new home would be found for it. The picture is painted on several sheets of plywood and easily removed.

A couple dozen neighbors attended the hearing and they had many questions. None expressed support of the plan.

Those concerns included added traffic, preserving the character of the area, the magnitude of the project, affects on Pleasant Street, and that it is a historical building. Several also asked if these were “affordable housing.”

The applicants said even with 11 units and 22 vehicles, “it would be less traffic than the hardware store and not all at the same time.” The units will be offered at “current market price.”

The hearing was extended to 11 p.m. to allow those present a chance to speak.