[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",5979418,"mediaKeyId","5772577-624f187799c77a54ad597240d27a1ce4","parentId",5772577,"title","Commission approves 68-unit senior affordable building, adopts zoning text amendments to allow pocket park frontage","audioSeconds",3618,"startMs",2982000,"endMs",6600000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5772577-624f187799c77a54ad597240d27a1ce4&start=2982&end=6600","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5772577-624f187799c77a54ad597240d27a1ce4/thumbnail_2982000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/5979418/Norwalk-City/Fairfield/Connecticut/Commission-approves-68-unit-senior-affordable-building-adopts-zoning-text-amendments-to-allow-pocket-park-frontage","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5979418-7a6590fde2ab906599e71d2ab64d2677/orig.mp4?Expires=1771144538&Signature=OP94VtgPBThmiwftg31y0~dUYlMLX869nExt26pQvU-c7UcT8Zs63mcUWulVpdj-AxmfD6Xw2SPAfb4XO5PLkdavJEGjkDWc-JolfmzqJC4oWRBUcz~4C1CAwtxdrVDcXKoIfRleNupWatBS4TA6YJTsBlODdVBHsyPP~Sj0ODZGhMGyN-J~nW6oyBwwIqirzcZTdUKf71VmsczlTGKtas5JJI6MQ0WR3zcX8iAFSTKTcd3GoNHgghe6~S106bUdElLOCS3tGHFMKXDhY3ShMfhMYumudZB6JYGjxoVnggTSx6BoaHslvwSQlkjfKWltTh9v03xJy0v2nDAwRJPVfg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Norwalk City, CA","date","2025-09-18T02:41:33Z","article","The Norwalk Planning & Zoning Commission unanimously approved a zoning text amendment and a site plan to redevelop 79 South Main Street into a seven-story, 68-unit affordable senior housing building with a pocket park facing South Main.
Applicant Sound Communities Inc., a Norwalk Housing Authority affiliate, presented the project as 68 units for seniors age 62 and older earning 30–50% of AMI: 49 units would be reserved at 30% AMI (to house current LeRoy Downs tenants) and 19 units at 50% AMI for a new waitlist. The building design includes 64 one-bedroom units and four two-bedroom units, approximately 34 parking spaces (meeting the zoning requirement of one space per two units), 20 covered spaces in the garage, EV charging, green roof planting trays on amenity levels and an underground infiltration system to meet stormwater requirements.
Attorney Liz Suchy and the project team described a site layout that places a publicly accessible pocket park along South Main, surface parking behind it and a primary residential entrance and the building massing toward Chestnut Street. Transportation, Mobility and Parking, DPW, WPCA, fire, health and the redevelopment agency provided sign-offs or design review input; DPW and WPCA issued final sign-offs during the hearing day. The redevelopment agency and its consultant (BFJ) reviewed the architecture and requested refinements that the team incorporated.
Traffic consultant Steve Cipolla reported low trip generation for senior housing and said the site’s proximity to the South Norwalk train station supports a transit credit; his parking analysis concluded the proposed parking supply met expected demand. The architect said durability and material choices follow nearby developments and that rooftop space could accommodate solar arrays, subject to utility coordination.
Two neighbors spoke in favor of the project (including a resident of the adjacent Sono Central development) and one nearby resident raised concerns about traffic and overnight parking; the consultant said the project will generate only a small number of peak-hour vehicle trips and that the design meets city parking and traffic standards.
The commission voted to adopt staff-recommended amendments to the draft text amendment language and to approve the text amendment and the site plan with standard conditions (final agency approvals, compliance with redevelopment design review comments, and standard construction and utility conditions).","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Planning & Zoning Commission 09-17-2025","oneSentenceSummary","After a public hearing, the commission unanimously approved a zoning text amendment to allow a pocket park frontage in CD-4 through lots and cleared a site plan for a seven-story, 68-unit senior affordable building at 79 South Main Street; applicants must still meet standard conditions and agency requirements.","taxTitle","Norwalk City, Fairfield, Connecticut","taxId",4245,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},5979421,"Planning commission approves 15,000-sq.-ft. replanting plan after unauthorized clearing; neighbors press for faster sound mitigation",3143,3053000,6196000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5772577-624f187799c77a54ad597240d27a1ce4&start=3053&end=6196","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5772577-624f187799c77a54ad597240d27a1ce4/thumbnail_3053000.jpg","/articles/5979421/Norwalk-City/Fairfield/Connecticut/Planning-commission-approves-15000-sq-ft-replanting-plan-after-unauthorized-clearing-neighbors-press-for-faster-sound-mitigation","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5979421-80e17d4b928979d28aacdce5cddf4ab5/orig.mp4?Expires=1771144538&Signature=B4-9suEKUUhp7z-grbYq~hPvpU0TvwxYaaB0cAXTV6rP6c~ByYmeyQH5a1A50gUVkNe6gTp4BVh~1NBzEnvFX2PDxgHZK-v0bmhd3f45DGIYBGp3LIFOmQt3LYFieNxdkvFfCVg-mmzMOLyLX3eiWrH9NGm3UGkphOGYpkl86mnwQzT~vrKUClmIwuKWUydnbxNzHIePTipoZFKr~GQPz3kifiC-UINVJq1qWLSAzUxoV80dxhds38fqJmDj1fA8vy3o9lesd8XRn7DMsC8n8tp5Xs4B05UYrsr08msGKzs8npWkWX45Jbr-rLBtUraQyPg6vF0MlKfWf9j9RKIenA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Norwalk Planning & Zoning Commission approved a restoration plan for trees and vegetation following the unauthorized clearing of about 15,000 square feet at 284 New Canaan Avenue, requiring replanting, monitoring and performance security under conditions agreed with the Inland Wetlands commission.
Civil consultant Brian Carey said the clearing occurred in October 2024 after the applicant sought to build a landscape berm for neighbor sound attenuation but misinterpreted the wetland setback (now 100 feet) and exceeded a 10,000-square-foot threshold that requires Planning & Zoning approval. The conservation commission later approved a restoration plan; the planting plan proposes replanting 65 native trees (2.5–3-inch caliper), about 250 native shrubs, and understory species on roughly 21,000 square feet (restoration area exceeds the cleared footprint with additional transitional plantings).
At the public hearing, multiple neighbors said the removal had produced persistent noise and lighting impacts from an adjacent contractor yard, and they urged faster, more direct sound mitigation than plantings alone can provide. Several neighbors described nighttime machinery, truck idling and dust, and said the planting would take years to mature and did not restore the immediate sound buffer neighbors had lost. Their attorney asked that the commission require a recorded landscape maintenance agreement, inspection rights for city staff, measurable performance benchmarks, and an acoustical analysis comparing proposed mitigation alternatives.
Applicant counsel and consultants said the restoration plan was the option approved by the Inland Wetlands commission, that the plan includes a one-to-three tree replacement ratio and monitoring provisions, and that a bond and monitoring schedule are conditions of the conservation permit. The applicant also said it planned a parallel application to adjust the contractor yard layout (moving material bins) to provide a near-term noise buffer; that related application was opened for public comment and continued so the applicant could provide an acoustical study and details.
The commission voted to approve the restoration plan with conditions mirroring the conservation permit: a bond, a monitoring and maintenance schedule, a requirement to install the replacement plantings in the upcoming planting window, and a staff condition specifying a planting completion target to allow establishment before winter (applicant indicated December 1 as achievable). Commissioners and staff also asked the applicant to return with a detailed sound-attenuation plan as part of the related application; the commission continued that second hearing to the October meeting to allow the applicant time to hire an acoustical engineer and submit a plan for review and public comment.","After an after-the-fact violation for clearing about 15,000 sq. ft., commissioners approved a conservation-backed replanting plan requiring replanting, monitoring and a bond; neighbors demanded additional sound attenuation and faster action.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},5979427,"Commission advances plan for 12 townhouses at 38 Lois and 1 Bishop with one workforce unit",2853,165000,3018000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5772577-624f187799c77a54ad597240d27a1ce4&start=165&end=3018","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5772577-624f187799c77a54ad597240d27a1ce4/thumbnail_165000.jpg","/articles/5979427/Norwalk-City/Fairfield/Connecticut/Commission-advances-plan-for-12-townhouses-at-38-Lois-and-1-Bishop-with-one-workforce-unit","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5979427-93b584c38d816feba04a761b9bc7db62/orig.mp4?Expires=1771144538&Signature=MaGG3IG9OZ0NReSYjZceu3Pwu0ee1rd2H33LdH-lDDmYMS3gkGiJVVRxh0zcn-Q6wBxUqO0CaNf6yGzeEwSyvniWxKT4qdMleTkIfUEdtolsGY6DFWmLdWLibPxV2fQRLJWP4KYy8P9PT1TckMWtgMXzRxofX6SE0bswkO7-nVhDcie2ShNG2qAhJTQTNbFemxG22g7HSuJi9Q3DftQfubVnehxGnetm2s1JheP~y5y-m5etF~2ezyoiUZGpd6A2o34ppN-DIJksa5vlM0bpyPTsuECs0ivKX34iKtI9zuWVQ496VGWynKa1HOU9gbmDbRJho8eTlygqXaQceiLbdg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Norwalk Planning & Zoning Commission approved a site plan to demolish two existing structures at 38 Lois Street and 1 Bishop Street and redevelop the combined parcel with two townhouse buildings containing a total of 12 dwelling units.
The development team—represented by attorney Liz Saatchi and civil engineer Andy Sumalidis—told commissioners the combined half-acre site would provide two separate townhouse buildings with 12 units (a mix of two- and three-bedroom townhouses), approximately 18 parking spaces, underground stormwater detention and pretreatment, new sidewalks and street tree plantings, new utilities and an internal circulation network with one curb cut on Fulton. The team said the project had received Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Agency approval for the upland review area and had received or expected sign-offs from the fire marshal, Transportation, Mobility and Parking, DPW, WPCA and the health department.
Commissioners asked detailed questions about landscaping and buffering for neighbors along Fulton (Fulham in the presentation), tree sizes and species; the landscape architect said seven tulip trees would be planted at 2.5-inch caliper and would grow to roughly 35–50 feet and that the team could increase size to 3-inch caliper if the commission preferred. The design includes a landscaped courtyard, porous pavers in hatched interior parking areas, shaded amenity spaces, street trees and a mix of evergreen and deciduous shrubs for screening. Commissioners also questioned materials and the use of fiber-cement siding; the team said the product would be used above grade with stone veneer at the base and that staff confirmed cementitious siding is permitted in the CD-3C (cited by staff).
On housing affordability, the architect said one unit is being offered to meet the workforce/affordable requirement: a three-bedroom unit that counts as two workforce units under the rules. The developer said units are planned as rental rather than condominium.
After discussion and staff recommended conditions addressing tree caliper and driveway details provided by TMP and DPW, Commissioner Chapin moved to approve the site plan; the motion passed on a roll-call vote with no recorded opposition.
The commission’s approval includes standard conditions: securing final departmental sign-offs (DPW, WPCA, health), compliance with conservation permit conditions, conformance with the town’s drainage manual for stormwater pretreatment and infiltration, and a staff-added comment to increase caliper for certain street trees per commissioner request. The approval authorizes demolition, site grading and construction subject to those conditions.","Developers presented a plan to demolish two existing structures and build two townhouse buildings (12 units) along Lois and Bishop Street; commissioners pressed on trees, sidewalks and stormwater and approved the site plan with conditions.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},5979431,"Commission OKs temporary construction easement so city can seek grants for Connecticut Avenue sidewalk",5659,3516000,9175000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5772577-624f187799c77a54ad597240d27a1ce4&start=3516&end=9175","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5772577-624f187799c77a54ad597240d27a1ce4/thumbnail_3516000.jpg","/articles/5979431/Norwalk-City/Fairfield/Connecticut/Commission-OKs-temporary-construction-easement-so-city-can-seek-grants-for-Connecticut-Avenue-sidewalk","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5979431-eff1216013cb371ed7f135ee20e47e6c/orig.mp4?Expires=1771144538&Signature=AHx3u7D-YD72qwAz~dTP7GM7nPJWDEH1c1hbfYBOR8rZtEtEoqjotK3sLIGVKHf46xhDnzU~GNLZqORxCyv1zX3JfpsRfZs4BE2dRRRfVmcKuJFLfEOr3Fk0FpVG~ZBX6L6AjUC199ZFvmzjDUFowrN6dJMLTomI4Aq1ruV-Zk5x2snmcauuETIxzsk9bY6NhihZtYVDuqWnMkDE4sMOB3gB3Xb71JfzRc~1LIY047s393IKsT-pE44kv-GJUlXHT~Hp6DqCOuR0O1fqYk17USkUmhABPHwYYxbDlCf6tRAi0~tLIwYhcfkuxYBVzOg13T6cNqs8DZpRgeAvWkE6vQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Norwalk Planning & Zoning Commission on a voice vote approved a temporary construction easement for property at 7789 Connecticut Avenue so the city can apply for grants to build a sidewalk and related pedestrian improvements.
The measure, introduced by city staff as a condition of a previously approved Costco application, will allow the city to seek funding and, if awarded, to place an easement across private property where a future sidewalk is planned. City staff said the easement is a preemptive step to enable grant applications for a sidewalk that may eventually extend over the bridge on Connecticut Avenue.
Commission discussion was brief. A motion to approve the easement was made and seconded; the chair called for a show of hands and the motion passed. One commissioner stated an abstention before the roll call was completed. The chair confirmed the commission had a quorum for the vote.
The action is procedural: it authorizes staff to accept the easement instrument and proceed with grant applications but does not commit city construction funds or schedule work. City staff said Transportation, Mobility and Parking and other departments have been engaged on the related road and pedestrian improvements and that the easement is intended to let the city seek outside funding.
The commission did not attach construction timing or budgetary conditions to the approval; the conversation noted further agency approvals and grant awards would be required before any construction.","Planning commissioners voted to approve a temporary construction easement allowing the city to pursue grant funds to build a sidewalk along Connecticut Avenue near the recently approved Costco site; one commissioner registered an abstention.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Commission approves 68-unit senior affordable building, adopts zoning text amendments to allow pocket park frontage

Planning commission approves 15,000-sq.-ft. replanting plan after unauthorized clearing; neighbors press for faster sound mitigation

Commission advances plan for 12 townhouses at 38 Lois and 1 Bishop with one workforce unit

Commission OKs temporary construction easement so city can seek grants for Connecticut Avenue sidewalk