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Harbor commission recommends 108 Water Street project to planning and zoning, flags dry-egress concern
Summary
The Norwalk Harbor Management Commission voted to recommend that planning and zoning find the 108 Water Street redevelopment consistent with the Harbor Management Plan, while formally noting concern about lack of dry egress for proposed residential units in a known flood zone.
The Norwalk Harbor Management Commission voted to send a favorable recommendation on the 108 Water Street redevelopment to the Planning and Zoning Commission but added an explicit concern about dry egress for residential units.
The project team — representing Spinnaker Acquisitions — told the commission the redevelopment will add public waterfront access, boat slips and water-dependent uses, fund a backflow preventer for the Water Street storm outfall, and place habitable spaces well above base flood elevation. Attorney Adam Blank said the developer’s position is that locating apartments on the site “will not actually pose a hazard to life,” and described multiple design measures intended to reduce flood risk.
Commissioners and staff said they welcomed the water-dependent elements and improved stormwater design but said the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) had recommended against residential uses because the housing would be located in the AE flood zone and Water Street has a history of flooding. The commission’s motion recommended the project as consistent with the Harbor Management Plan but added that the body “notes concern about dry egress,” reflecting DEEP’s written objection and members’ questions about evacuation and emergency access in an extreme event.
The developer’s presentation and questions addressed the commission’s principal concerns: - Water-dependent uses and public access: The applicant described a ground-floor “water-dependent” space in the office building, new docks and transient slips and said meetings with potential tenants (kayak rentals, boat rental, a small hatchery/educational use) are ongoing. Henry Conroy (Spinnaker) said the team is “actively seeking what would be the most successful and useful water dependent use.” - Flooding and resilience: The team said all habitable space will be at or above elevation 19 — seven feet above the FEMA base flood elevation cited in the meeting — and that the garage and building lobbies are designed to be compatible with a potential future elevation of Water Street. Civil engineer Craig Flaherty described a proposed backflow preventer at the end of the city storm system for Water Street and said the developer will fund design and materials for that device in coordination with the Department of Public Works. - Stormwater: The applicants said the project will treat more than 90% of impervious coverage and meet or exceed the Norwalk Drainage Manual standards, directing treated runoff toward the harbor after on-site water-quality controls. - Boardwalk, bulkhead and slips: The team said the proposed boardwalk is intentionally located on the waterfront (V zone) to provide the intended public waterfront experience and will be engineered for V-zone loads; a new bulkhead and boat slips were shown on plan and cross section drawings and the applicants said hydrographic survey work indicates sufficient depth for the proposed boats without dredging. - Contamination and remediation: The applicants said the site is not a Transfer Act site and that soil testing and remediation would follow a soil-management plan if the property is redeveloped.
After discussion the commission voted to forward a favorable recommendation to planning and zoning while formally registering concern about dry egress for residents in the event of major flooding. The recorded result in the meeting was a favorable recommendation with an added statement of concern; commissioners tied the concern explicitly to DEEP’s advisory comments. The commission’s staff will transmit the recommendation and the recorded concerns to the Planning and Zoning Commission for its regulatory review.
Why this matters: The commission’s recommendation affects the review path for a large waterfront redevelopment that would change access, upland support for marine uses, and the mix of uses on a prominent Water Street parcel. The discussion highlighted tension between expanding public water access and water-dependent activities while placing housing in a known flood-risk corridor.
What’s next: The Planning and Zoning Commission will receive the Harbor Commission’s recommendation and DEEP’s memorandum as advisory materials during its statutory review. The applicant and city staff agreed to continue technical coordination on backflow prevention, bulkhead design and detailed flood-proofing plans.
