Hearing officer assesses $2,000 fine as owner shows progress removing illegal unit

The hearing officer at Norwalk City’s zoning citation hearing on July 14 assessed a $2,000 fine against a property owner who is removing an unauthorized unit from a two-family residence and placed the case on staff monitoring rather than keeping the matter on the public docket.

The matter dated back to February, when the property owner was ordered to remove the extra unit. The deputy zoning inspector reported an application for zoning approval was submitted in February and ultimately approved in June, and building permits are now in process. Counsel for the owners said the clients — “a young couple with a newborn” — have cooperated and taken steps toward compliance.

“I believe they will not be back here,” the property representative told the hearing, saying the owners “put in the application, as they were directed to do” and have been working to comply. Deputy zoning inspector John Hayducki confirmed permits and plans are on file and that inspectors will perform follow-up visits as the work proceeds.

The hearing officer said the statutory maximum fine is large but that the owner had shown substantial progress since the prior hearings. He reduced the potential penalty and assessed $2,000, with staff instructed to monitor permitting and inspection progress and to bring the case back if work stalls.

Background: the file includes prior continuances and a history of zoning and permit submittals. The hearing officer said staff will coordinate with the building department on inspections and that the matter may be removed from the public hearing process if the property completes the required work.

Next steps: staff will monitor building-permit inspections; the hearing officer may reinstate the matter for public hearing if compliance lags.