Proposed Wegmans store wins key backing from Norwalk board
NORWALK — A proposal to build the state’s first Wegmans grocery store has cleared a key early hurdle on the path to city approval.
The Norwalk Conservation Commission voted Tuesday to endorse plans from the Rochester-based chain to build a new 97,000square-foot store on Richards Avenue between Connecticut Avenue and Interstate 95.
The commission’s decision came after the city conservation office recommended approving the store, according to John Moeling, the commission chairperson. The vote was also held after no one from the public spoke in support or opposition to the proposal at a virtual public hearing last month.
Wegmans needed the commission’s approval because the property selected by the company sits near a pair of wetlands. Among other responsibilities, the 10-member body is charged with determining whether construction projects adhere to local environmental regulations.
The proposal will now move to the Norwalk Planning and Zoning Commission, which must also sign off on the store before construction can begin. The approval process is expected to take several weeks or months to complete.
If approved, the store would be the upscale chain’s first location in Connecticut. It would also put Wegmans in direct competition for the first time with Stew Leonard’s, Connecticut’s homegrown upscale grocery store chain.
Wegmans has not provided a timeline for when construction might start on the store. A spokesperson for the chain said last month that it could take another two years before the supermarket officially opens its doors.
According to an application submitted to the city, Wegmans is aiming to build the two-story store at 47 Richards Ave., a site that is now occupied by MBI Inc. The company intends to demolish the 107,000square-foot office building before starting work on the proposed supermarket and a 255-space parking garage with two levels.
MBI, according to Wegmans, plans to relocate to a different location in the city before construction starts. But MBI officials have not yet said when the move will take place or where the company will relocate.
Site plans show that two retail buildings at 651 and 677 Connecticut Ave. will also be torn down to make way for a road connecting Connecticut Avenue to the grocery store’s entrance. The Connecticut Avenue stores will then be rebuilt along the new roadway adjacent to Bowlero bowling alley.
One of the buildings slated for destruction is home to an urgent care clinic operated by DOCS Medical Group. The other houses the chain retailer LL Flooring and a showroom for Mr. Shower Door, a shower enclosure manufacturer.
A representative for DOCS Medical Group has said the health care provider plans to stay in the city, but has not decided on a new location. A spokesperson for
LL Flooring has not returned requests for comment.
Tom Whitaker, the founder and owner of Mr. Shower Door, said last week he intends to open a new showroom when the existing one is forced to close.
“I plan on taking the proceeds from the sale and buying another property in Norwalk for a retail showroom,” said Whitaker, who also operates locations in Stratford and Eastchester, N.Y. “I’m definitely going to continue the business.”