The Norwalk Planning and Zoning Commission on Oct. 25 unanimously approved an extension of time for 165 Water Street — the planned venue for the National Havoc Robotics League — so the applicant can finish permitting and secure a building permit.

Attorney Liz Saatchi, representing the applicant, told the commission the special permit and site plan were already recorded in the land records and that the team had submitted the zoning permit application. “The only thing that's holding up the zoning permit is that one last confirmation from the church,” Saatchi said, referring to written permission the league needs to use a nearby church site for competitions. She asked the commission for enough time to finalize that confirmation and obtain a building permit.

A commissioner asked whether the applicant was seeking a one-year extension; Saatchi said she did not expect to need that long and hoped to finish in six months but requested a year to avoid returning to the commission if the pending confirmation took longer. Commissioner motions and a roll-call vote followed. The motion to grant the extension passed unanimously, with the commission recording all members present voting in favor.

The extension does not change the scope of the previously approved permit; it only lengthens the time the applicant has to secure outstanding approvals and a building permit. Saatchi said the applicant had recorded both the approved site plan and the certificate of special permit on the land records and had begun the zoning-permit process. The applicant remains required to obtain all remaining permits before beginning construction.

The commission did not add new conditions to the extension other than the usual requirement that the property comply with any recorded approvals and applicable city codes when permits are later issued.

If the applicant does not complete the required permits within the extension period, the commission will expect the applicant to return seeking an additional extension or provide a status report at a subsequent meeting.