Neighbors and church clash as St. George seeks to open community hall to non‑members; hearing continued

The Norwalk Planning & Zoning Commission continued public hearings on a request from St. George Greek Orthodox Church to modify a 2006 special permit so the church’s community hall could be rented by non‑members.

Attorney Eric Burnheim, representing St. George, told commissioners the church seeks to remove a condition that restricted the hall’s use to parishioners and to replace it with a package of conditions intended to limit neighborhood impacts. Proposed controls include compliance with the city’s noise ordinance, private security or off‑duty police for events, limits on street queueing and off‑site parking, requirements to meet fire marshal capacity limits, end‑of‑event times, and a self‑reporting mechanism for verified violations.

The proposal drew forceful public comment. Dozens of nearby residents described repeated late‑night events with loud music, parked cars spilling into residential streets, litter, and instances in which neighbors said they had to call police. Several neighbors said music was audible inside homes with windows closed and urged the commission either to deny the modification or to impose strict conditions such as earlier curfews, limits on the number of private (non‑parish) events, mandatory hiring of uniformed off‑duty police at larger non‑member events, and tighter enforcement of parking and trash rules.

Supporters from St. George’s parish and allied community groups countered that the hall provides cultural programs, charity work and a lower‑cost option for community events. Speakers including clergy and long‑time parishioners said revenues from rentals would support the church’s programs and that many other houses of worship and local venues operate similarly without the member‑only restriction.

Commissioners pressed the applicant on how the hall had come to be marketed to non‑members, whether third‑party event planners had listed the venue, and what permits (fire, health, liquor) had been obtained for prior events. Attorney Burnheim said some existing contracts made it difficult to cancel events after a citation was issued and that the church had since stopped commercial listings and was prepared to accept conditions, but that some concessions would need church council approval.

After a nearly three‑hour exchange and a 20‑minute recess in which the attorney spoke with church leaders, the commission decided to keep the hearing open to allow the church council to respond in writing to specific items raised by commissioners and residents — including proposed closing times, caps on private events, use of off‑duty police versus private security, and responsibilities for routine site management such as screening, maintenance of dumpsters, and long‑term vehicle parking. The hearing was continued to the commission’s May 6 meeting.

What’s next: The commission requested written responses from the church council on the outstanding conditions and indicated it would consider borough‑wide policy options (a zoning text amendment) to address whether event rentals associated with houses of worship should be handled by site‑specific special permits or by a broader regulatory change.