Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Norwalk nonprofit outlines hurdles, timeline for five-unit Berkeley Street affordable housing project
Summary
Open Doors told a Norwalk City committee that its five-unit Berkeley Street townhouse project is deeply affordable but was slowed by state design rules, a lengthy state financing process and contractor scarcity; construction is expected to resume in December with a planned certificate of occupancy in October 2026.
Open Doors, a Norwalk nonprofit that runs shelters and supportive services, told a Norwalk City committee on Nov. 26 that its five-unit Berkeley Street townhouse project will provide deeply affordable three-bedroom family housing but has faced a drawn-out financing and permitting process driven largely by state requirements.
"It took us a year to get through the state's process to close on financing," said Michelle Condreno, CEO of Open Doors, describing an application she called ‘‘several hundred pages’’ and requiring specialist consultants. Condreno said the nonprofit closed on financing with the state of Connecticut in October 2024 and later had to reenter permitting after letting a permit lapse.
The project, at 24 Berkeley Street, was bought in April 2022. Condreno said the site previously had architectural drawings, planning and zoning approvals and a foundation permit; Open Doors then performed value engineering to meet affordable-housing standards and reduce per-unit costs. "We had to value…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
