Norwalk commission approves Shore and Country Club site changes after engineers say drainage will improve water quality

The Norwalk Harbor Management Commission on June 25 voted to support a Coastal Area Management (CAM) site plan for Shore and Country Club that relocates two tennis courts, adds reconfigured parking and a 1,500‑square‑foot FEMA‑compliant pro shop.

Commissioners said the most important issue was stormwater. The applicant’s engineer, Andy Sumlides of LandTech, told the commission the project will reduce impervious area by about 10,000 square feet, add landscaped bio‑planters and underground stormwater detention and treatment chambers, and therefore “a huge reduction in pervious surfaces” and “a huge improvement to the existing conditions” for water quality.

The commission’s nut graf: the project changes are landward of the coastal jurisdiction line and largely within previously disturbed areas. Commissioners concluded the proposed drainage upgrades make the application consistent with the harbor management plan and the city’s coastal policies, but they attached the standard condition that the new stormwater systems be maintained in perpetuity and that best management practices (BMPs) be used during construction.

Details: attorney Liz Saatchi, representing Norwalk Country Club Company and Shore and Country Club, described the site as long‑established club property with a 14,000‑square‑foot clubhouse, pools and a 98‑slip marina on Charles Creek. The CAM application covers reconfiguring the northwest corner of the property so tennis facilities are consolidated, new parking is added closer to the clubhouse, and a small new pro shop is rebuilt at required FEMA elevation levels.

Sumlides detailed stormwater work: vegetated islands and micro rain gardens in parking islands, underground infiltration/detention (Caltec‑style) systems sized to meet the water‑quality volume for the tributary area, and a hydrodynamic separator that will remain on site. He said runoff from the new courts and parking will be routed into landscaped features and underground treatment before any overflow reaches the harbor.

Commission discussion focused on enforcing ongoing maintenance: commissioner Jeff Mangels recommended a perpetual maintenance schedule and regular cleaning of devices such as the hydrodynamic separator; the applicant said an operation and maintenance plan has been submitted as part of the CAM package.

Outcome: commissioners voted to move the application forward with the maintenance condition; one commissioner recused herself from the vote because of membership at the club and another member recorded an abstention. The motion included language that future permit conditions require continuing maintenance of the stormwater systems.

Why it matters: the proposal reduces impervious cover on a site that drains to Norwalk Harbor and adds engineered water‑quality treatment where none existed, a point commissioners said will lower pollutant loads entering harbor waters.

Next steps: the commission’s recommendation will be included in the planning and zoning record for the CAM permit and the applicant will proceed with the city’s regulatory process.