SCALE IT BACK! Preserve East Norwalk & Mill Pond

THE FUNDRAISER:

This fundraiser is being posted by the East Norwalk Neighborhood Association (ENNA) on behalf of Norwalk residents in order to present the strongest and most effective opposition to the proposed development of 1 Cemetery Street @ Mill Pond.

ENNA has already spent Association funds to engage with a consultant and now will need to fund other consultants and legal assistance as the Public Hearing continues. Volunteer efforts by residents have been extraordinary, but now your monetary help is needed to "fight the fight" and convince the City of Norwalk's Planning and Zoning Commission to send this project back to the drawing board and to SCALE IT BACK.

The $11,000 goal will be earmarked specifically for the efforts to succeed in having this Special Permit withdrawn or denied. When you contribute you'll not only be protecting our natural and historic resources, but also our quality of life.

The need for funds is urgent - please contribute today if you can, and share this fundraiser with your neighbors, family and friends who care about the future of Norwalk. It's easy to give: if you're familiar with the project details and ready to donate, simply click the DONATE button (and you can donate without sharing your name on the screen). Otherwise, please continue reading to learn some important facts about this controversial and precedent-setting development proposal... and THANK you.

THE PROJECT:

The developers' proposal is for a 77-unit 140-bedroom. mixed-used development on the 1.6-acre parcel consisting of a nearly 300' wide singular, behemoth 3-1/2 story structure with multiple faux facade designs, and no gaps in between the facade changes, sitting just inches from the public sidewalks. A smaller structure will sit just adjacent to the larger one at the corner of Cemetery and Gregory, allowing for a single entry/exit access point on Cemetery Street as a driveway over a restricted easement for a storm drainage pipe (essentially the ONLY portion of the parcel the developer can NOT build upon).

The layout of the buildings is designed to maximize the number of residential units (and developer profits), and to do so requires Cemetery Street to be reduced from the current one-way two-lane road to a single one-way lane and provide space for a narrow, unprotected bike lane plus nine on-street, transient, paid parallel parking spaces. Another five parking spaces are slated for East Avenue across from the ice cream parlor. The development site itself will contain only 102 spaces, yet will also contain over 2,000 sf each of commercial & office space. In addition to the lane reduction on Cemetery Street, the plan calls for requiring the northbound traffic on Gregory Blvd to now yield to northbound traffic from Cemetery. The impacts of these changes alone will surely create congestion & gridlock in the height of summer beach season, plus the boat show, fireworks, dog show, car shows, and concerts & charity events - all of which draw regional crowds. The developers' Traffic Engineers concluded the additional traffic from the development will have No Significant Impact on current conditions, even though it sits on the PRIMARY ROUTE TO THE BEACH, PARKS, GOLF CLUB, AND MARINA and despite their required traffic counts only being recorded for one week in March of 2022 (perhaps one of the slowest traffic times of the year even with school in session!).

BACKGROUND:

The parcel at 1 Cemetery Street in East Norwalk is a special place in our community, not just because it overlooks the tranquil and natural beauty & wildlife of the Historic Mill Pond, but because the site itself is likely where the first settlers of Norwalk secured fresh drinking and washing water from the brook running beneath it and also due to its location directly across from the East Norwalk Historical Cemetery (a rich history all it's own from the 1600s including as the burial place for Governor of Colonial Connecticut Thomas Fitch and his son, Colonel Thomas Fitch, THE famous "Yankee Doodle Dandy").

For decades, the parcel has been home to a large asphalt parking lot and several different national bank chains ( and with possible mercury and petroleum contamination beneath from prior hat factories and storage industries). The parcel itself contains a small sliver of protected inland wetlands, and the Pond is a tidal embayment that outflows to the Norwalk River and Long Island Sound, and often seriously floods the parking lot.

In 2021, following two years of planning and subsequently approving a Transit Oriented Development Zone in East Norwalk (which was overwhelmingly rejected by East Norwalkers), the City then created a special "village district" zone designed to spur high-density, mixed-use development in the area of the East Norwalk Train Station. Among other language in the regulations, the village zone allows for residential developments with commercially-activated ground floors (retail, food, personal services, etc) to be applied for under a Special Permit for as much as TWICE the allowable residential units and ONE ADDITIONAL FULL STORY over the current maximum. And, in the case of any parcel that is situated between two corners, as 1 Cemetery is, even greater special consideration is given to allow for ground floor residential if commercial space is on either end.

To qualify for the greater height and density in the Special Permit, developers must assemble "points" for providing certain "public amenities", which are described in an ala carte menu of options. An accumulation of points specific to environmental sustainability benefits virtually guarantees maximum build-out. Yet these "feel good" sustainability options are almost exclusively for the benefit of the developer and their tenants, either as money-saving, energy-efficient options that should be the price of entry here (such as solar) or as rain gardens that achieve easy, fast and cost-effective stormwater management compliance for the developer!

This new village zone, dubbed the "East Avenue Village Transit Zone", or EVTZ, was adopted by the Planning and Zoning Commissions in January 2022, despite both the Zone regulations AND the Public Amenity Bonus Point system being overwhelmingly rejected by residents of Norwalk. Of particular concern to the community during that approval process was the possible negative impacts of such zoning on several specific parcels, one of which was.... Cemetery Street at Mill Pond.

THE BOTTOM LINE

While few in Norwalk would argue against improving 1 Cemetery by exploring better uses that are harmonious with our neighborhood and reduce the asphalt heat jungle, even fewer are supportive of this size development, which requires a structural footprint on nearly every possible square inch, and yet its "public amenities" are not nearly commensurate with the negative impact. It resembles NOTHING of the "New England style Nantucket village appropriately and tastefully scaled design" that one of the developers promised the residents of East Norwalk.

The public amenity bonus points for some shaded seating (seasonal), butterfly garden (seasonal) rain garden (a developer benefit to cheaply mitigate & treat runoff) and a walkway to view Mill Pond (which should be required and with ZERO points) do not provide an exclusive or meaningful public benefit - none are provided in the front of the parcel, all are hidden in the rear, all are shared with tenants and patrons of the commercial space (probable restaurant) and their placement would give walking, biking and driving passersby the impression of private property and trespassing, even with some conspicuous signage. And we have to be honest here - the first things to be pulled out of a final design are always public amenities....but by that time, shovels are usually in the ground and appointed City officials seldom have the political will or courage to enforce permit conditions.

Another concern is the conceptual drawing depicting a visitor viewing dock that, by their own admission, would not be funded, constructed or maintained by the developers. It's expected that Norwalk taxpayers would foot that bill. But even if residents desired such a dock, the CT DEEP has indicated it would never be approved in the pond location, especially where the beloved swans nest each year. DEEP has also advised the P&Z Commission to carefully consider the implication of approving high-density residential in a flood zone, especially given climate change predictions over the next 20 years. A single FEMA map change there based on the development could result in increased flood insurance rates for EVERY flood map property in Norwalk!

And while no one argues that some pedestrian, bike and vehicular safety measures are needed at that and other intersections, residents are NOT in favor of modifying our streets for the benefit of private developer profits (a State Route, no less, though ConnDOT is still evaluating as of this writing).

SO, WHAT IS THE COMMUNITY ASKING FOR?

It seems the "ship has sailed" in terms of pursuing a public park and open space there instead of development. The property owners (including the developer who has owned the parcel for decades and never did anything to mitigate runoff, contamination, or significantly increase tree canopy) are within their legal rights to develop: as of right 44 units at 2-1/2 stories, and under this Special Permit, the 77 requested units with an extra story.

ENNA is supporting the community's requests to Scale it Back by urging the P&Z Commission ...

WHERE ARE WE NOW?

A March 2, 2023, P&Z Public Hearing drew more than 200 residents, roughly half in person at City Hall and half on Zoom. After a 3-hour plan presentation by the developers and their hired experts, only a handful of members of the public got the chance to speak, including a Land Use Consultant hired by ENNA, who pointed out numerous deficiencies and inconsistencies in the application and a former Norwalk Mayor, who also urged the Commission to consider the development's impact and to scale it back. The hearing is continued to March 15th (check City website and ENNA website and register for ENNA emails for up-to-the-minute hearing notices).

ENNA has collected over 630 resident signatures on an online petition urging the Commission to either deny or deny without prejudice (meaning the developers can resubmit new plans without starting from scratch). Our petition goal was 300, but we are now optimistically pushing for 1,000! Click here to sign if you live in Norwalk

We need as many people as possible to contribute to this fundraiser to pay for the initial consultant testimony that was on 3/2, and to ensure money is available to continue working with consultants and the attorney (especially important if the development is approved & we pursue a legal appeal, which will require even more $).

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP PRESERVE EAST NORWALK

ENNA is a small neighborhood, non-profit* operating on a shoestring budget - we do not require membership dues, and only receive revenue through small contributions from residents. The most important thing today is to contribute whatever you're comfortable with based on your budget. No amount is too small, and every dollar counts. ALL FUNDS RAISED THROUGH THIS GOFUNDME FUNDRAISER WILL BE EARMARKED FIRST FOR THIS SCALE IT BACK CAMPAIGN* on behalf of the community for the associated expenses for legal and professional services. Additional fundraising to help replenish our operating funds is also being done via our regular weekly newsletters.

You can also start now or continue sending emails to the P&Z Commission expressing your concerns and urging them to Scale it Back. Email to Norwalk P&Z Director Steve Kleppin - (email addresses are restricted here due to phishing scams - his email can be found on the City website at www.norwalkct.org).

And please sign our online petition (click to sign if you live in Norwalk )

THANK YOU FOR CARING ABOUT NORWALK

Many community volunteers have stepped up by conducting their own research, distributing fliers, planting Scale It Back lawn signs, drafting information pieces, sending emails to the City P&Z Commission, and attending & speaking at or showing your support at the Public Hearing.

Please continue to spread the word and get as many people out to the March 15th hearing as possible. Together there is strength in numbers and residents can succeed. Don't allow 1 Cemetery Street to become a rubberstamped blueprint for the entire East Avenue corridor. The City needs to get this precedent-setting development right.

And to do that, the appointed P&Z Commissioner must first SCALE IT BACK.

East Norwalk Neighborhood Association Mission: The purpose of the East Norwalk Neighborhood Association is to foster and preserve the residential character; natural and historic resources; and quality of life in the East Norwalk community. And to encourage the residents of East Norwalk to actively participate in achieving this purpose.

*Although ENNA is a 501c3 non-profit, contributions are not always tax deductible. If you're uncertain whether your contribution to this community fundraiser is tax deductible, please consult with your tax professional or financial advisor.