Norwalk Center LLC, Auto Collective propose indoor car club at 10 Norden Place; commissioners to schedule public hearing

Norwalk Center LLC and The Auto Collective presented a combined zoning-text-amendment and special-permit application to the Planning & Zoning Commission seeking permission for a motor-vehicle club and related uses in the northeast portion of the vacant Norden Building at 10 Norden Place.

Attorney Liz Sutchi, representing the owner, described the proposal as a private, indoor car club where owners would drive their own vehicles into the building for indoor storage and membership access. “There would be no outdoor storage, no outdoor work,” Sutchi said, and owners would deliver cars in-person rather than by tractor-trailer common carriers.

The applicants described the proposed layout and program: approximately 84,000 square feet of vehicle storage (on two-level lifts), about 26,000 square feet of membership and club areas, and just over 20,000 square feet of event space. Sutchi said the overall area under consideration for the car-club use is roughly 137,000 square feet within the existing building. The project team told commissioners the typical staffing would be about nine to ten full-time employees and three to four part-time staff.

Members and operations: the applicants estimated around 400 members. Regular member access would be limited to the club’s posted hours (Sundays roughly 10 a.m.–3 p.m.; Monday–Thursday roughly noon–8 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays roughly noon–11 p.m.), and the facility would not provide 24-hour member access. Cars would be requested electronically via an app; staff would retrieve vehicles for members during hours of operation.

Events and outdoor display: the applicants said smaller member events would typically host about 50–150 people, with occasional larger events up to roughly 300–350 attendees; any outdoor, short-term display of vehicles would be infrequent and limited to brief showings tied to events. The applicants indicated they would be willing to discuss limitations on the size or frequency of larger events at future hearings.

Traffic, parking and site: applicants said vehicles would be routed into the existing interior space using two large overhead doors and that parking would use existing lots between Norden Place and the building and in the field adjacent to the Halsted apartments. The applicants provided civil, traffic and architectural materials to staff; several city departments (water, health) had provided early sign-offs while DPW, Transportation & Mobility, and Fire Department reviews were pending.

Relation to other uses: the team said the car-club proposal would occupy a different portion of the large Norden Building than the previously approved MTA maintenance terminal and is not in the same space now under appeal. The applicants showed elevations and a floor plan to commissioners and offered to answer further technical questions by staff prior to a public hearing.

Procedure and next steps: Sutchi asked that staff schedule a public hearing; staff noted owners within 100 feet had already been mailed notice of the application filing and that the commission would post a sign and set a public hearing date once departmental review comments were received and outstanding technical issues were addressed.

Ending: Commissioners asked questions about membership size, maximum indoor vehicle capacity (the applicants said about 420 vehicles on lifts), event caps and how vehicles would be turned around at the loading area. The applicants agreed to provide additional details in writing and at the public hearing.