Neighbors press Norwalk commission on noise and dust as contractor seeks to reshape 284 New Canaan Ave yard

AJ Penna of Norwalk asked the Planning and Zoning Commission on Oct. 25 to modify its special permit for a contractor’s yard at 284 New Canaan Avenue, offering a reconfigured site plan, a below‑ground stormwater system and a 21‑foot acoustic barrier intended to reduce noise for nearby residents.

Attorney Eric Bernheim, representing the applicant, and engineer Brian Carey of LandTech presented a plan to relocate material bins to the north edge of the property, move an above‑grade detention basin underground and establish an operations and maintenance plan. Bernheim described the applicant’s work — emergency utility repairs and underground pipe installation — and said the business responds to hundreds of emergency calls a year and needs space and circulation to operate safely. He told the commission they had recorded the site plan and certificate of special permit and were before the commission only to request the modification.

Noise testing and mitigation were central to the meeting. Steve Haas of SH Acoustics presented monitoring results and modeling that he said showed most routine operations comply with daytime noise thresholds but that “impulse” events such as tonal backup alarms and tailgate slamming caused exceedances. Haas said a 21‑foot high barrier — composed of concrete “mafia” blocks stacked (about 13 feet) with an 8‑foot sealed wood fence on top — combined with administrative controls (retrofit broadband self‑adjusting…