The Norwalk Planning and Zoning Commission voted to approve a coastal site plan for a 4½‑story mixed‑use development at 108 Water Street that includes office space, apartments, a restaurant, a boardwalk and up to 14 boat slips, subject to conditions including public access easements, streetscape modifications and coordination on a backflow preventer at an existing outfall. The applicant, Spinnaker Acquisitions (a contract purchaser working with the Gersten family), presented the project at a public hearing and revised conditions based on staff and departmental comments before the vote.
The commission’s action followed lengthy technical presentations on site engineering, coastal structures, stormwater treatment, parking and traffic, and architecture. Applicant and project team members described site changes intended to reduce stormwater runoff and improve water quality, to provide over 1 acre of public realm and boardwalk access to the harbor, and to place habitable floor elevations above local and FEMA base flood elevations. Commissioners and several public speakers pressed the applicant on flood preparedness, pedestrian access to the boardwalk, the displacement of an existing waterfront operator, and guarantees for long‑term public access.
Why it matters: the site is in the Marine Commercial (CAM) zone and in the AE/VE flood overlay. The project replaces an existing boat‑storage yard that currently offers no public waterfront access. The development team proposed public realm, a substantial boardwalk, boat slips and a coastal rehabilitation program; the commission’s conditions are intended to lock in public access and to reduce recurring nuisance flooding on Water Street through both on‑site design and a city‑partnered backflow prevention effort.
The applicant’s team — led by attorney Adam Blank and including engineer Vincent Hines (Redniss & Mead), architect Selen Pathak (Banfield Architecture), landscape architect Eric Raines, coastal engineer Matt Schuler (RACE Coastal Engineering), traffic engineer Brian Dempsey (DTS Provident) and ownership representatives Henry Conroy and Matt Edvardson of Spinnaker — summarized technical work and commitments. Key engineering commitments presented to the commission included: on‑site stormwater treatment that treats roughly 79% of the site area (including about 11,650 square feet of green roofs), two underground infiltration systems, permeable walkways and a net reduction in impervious coverage of roughly 12,000 square feet compared with existing conditions. The team also said its design reduces peak runoff to Water Street by roughly 55–60 percent for design storms and treats the first flush water quality volume for most site surfaces.
On flood risk and preparedness the applicant said all residential living areas will be set at elevation 19 (seven feet above the FEMA AE base flood elevation of 12 for this location) and commercial floor elevations at elevation 14 (two feet above BFE). The lower garage and some non‑habitable elements sit lower (garage level at elevation 9) but the team said the design lets the site tie into any future city elevation changes to Water Street. The applicant submitted a written flood‑preparedness plan describing notification procedures for residents, relocation of vehicles to higher ground and signage for flood risk; the commission required the plan be part of the approval package.
The commission’s conditions include (summarized): a recorded public access easement for the Water Street frontage and the areas shown as public realm on the approved plans; required street and streetscape revisions per TMP/DPW comments (including relocation or adjustment of signal and pole locations and a mid‑block crosswalk with enhanced markings or rapid flashing beacons); a requirement that the applicant work with City DPW and DEEP on the design and permit process for a backflow prevention device at the 130 Water Street outfall and share costs for design/permit support as set out in the resolution; fire marshal sign‑off on turning radii and emergency access prior to zoning permit issuance; and standard construction erosion and sediment controls.
The commission’s decision also noted the applicant’s voluntary commitments to restore the bulkhead, create numerous public access points (three pedestrian access routes including ADA access at the north and south edges and a central grand stair/elevator), and to market and prioritize water‑dependent tenants for the waterfront and ground‑floor uses. Commissioners asked the applicant to continue efforts to find a relocation option for the existing waterfront operator (Gary Wetmore), who has used the site for dock and piling work; the applicant said it would try to accommodate him during permitting and construction and search for alternative nearby options but could not guarantee a permanent site.
Public comment at the hearing included praise for added public waterfront access and skepticism about placing housing in the floodplain. Speakers asked the commission to require independent review of the applicant’s stormwater and flood‑risk claims; the commission discussed those concerns and added findings that acknowledged DEEP’s repeated caution about residential occupancy in flood overlay zones while also highlighting the applicant’s flood‑preparedness plan, elevation choices for habitable areas and the applicant’s commitment to fund the backflow preventer design and permitting work.
The commission approved the application by roll call vote with seven votes in favor and one abstention; staff will ensure the final resolution and recorded easements reflect the exact wording of the conditions before a zoning permit is issued.
Looking ahead: the approval requires the applicant to finalize engineering and obtain required agency permits (state DEEP for waterfront work and local DPW/Fire for streets and access). The project team said it will continue coordination with staff on signage, pedestrian wayfinding, and refinements to the public entries to make the boardwalk entrances more obvious and welcoming.