Norwalk planning panel approves 32‑unit building at 19 Day Street, grants waiver of required parking

The Norwalk Planning and Zoning Commission voted to approve a special permit, site plan and coastal site plan for a new six‑story, 32‑unit apartment building at 19 Day Street, including a waiver of eight required parking spaces. The motion carried by roll call 5 yes, 2 no, 1 abstention.

Attorney Liz Saatchi, a partner at Carmody Torrance Sandak & Hennessy, told the commission the proposal would add a 32‑unit building while keeping the existing 56‑unit apartment structure on site; the rear building that houses a distillery would be demolished to make room for parking and construction staging. Saatchi said the new building’s affordable units would be targeted at 60 percent of state median income (SMI), which lowers the parking requirement for those units to 1.0 space per unit under local rules; the existing building’s affordable units remain at 80 percent SMI and are calculated at 1.3 spaces per unit. She summarized the applicant’s parking math as presented to staff and the commission and noted the project relies on a 10 percent transit proximity reduction for properties within a quarter‑mile of the South Norwalk train station.

Why it matters: The commission’s decision allows additional housing in a transit‑adjacent area, an…