Norwalk committee moves to implement housing action plan, readies affordable-housing trust appointments

The Norwalk Common Council’s Affordable Housing Ad Hoc Committee on Feb. 20 discussed how to move the city’s recently completed Affordable Housing Action Plan into implementation, including asking the mayor’s office to consider a dedicated staff position, researching targeted tax-incentive authority, planning a public forum in May and forming the seven-member committee that will allocate funds from the newly established Affordable Housing Trust.

The committee’s work aims to convert the plan’s recommendations — many of which rely on staff capacity or interagency coordination — into concrete next steps. Committee members said they want low‑hanging projects advanced quickly while staff and leadership pursue longer-term changes such as zoning updates, tax-incentive rules and state-level legislative changes.

“I'm very pleased that the city has an ad hoc, housing, affordable housing, committee… but we could do better, and we have to be more aggressive and target,” said Diane Loricello, a Norwalk resident, urging the committee to inventory commercial sites and promote accessory dwelling units (ADUs). “Of course, I am a big proponent of detached ADUs.”

Why it matters: Committee members described Norwalk’s rental market as tight and said delays in staffing or coordination risk leaving the plan on a shelf. The group identified three near-term priorities: (1) pressing the mayor’s office about a staff position to carry out plan items, (2) standing up the Affordable Housing Trust committee so funds can be allocated, and (3) pursuing a short list of legislative and regulatory items that could be advanced within months.

Staff capacity and a short timetable

Committee leaders said many action-plan items are contingent on staff capacity and urged a rapid decision about whether to request a new staff position before the city’s budget is finalized. “We have a whopping five days before our budget cap vote. Should we be making any — or…