Land-use attorney joins fight against proposed distribution hub
NORWALK — East Norwalk residents have enlisted the help of an experienced land-use attorney to intervene in the fight a proposed distribution hub in East Norwalk.
Residents recently launched a GoFundMe to help pay for land-use attorney Joel Green and expert consultants, who organizers say will take on the “huge task” of opposing an application that seeks to transform 330,000 square feet of existing property at 10 Norden Place — otherwise known as Norden Park — into a warehouse and distribution facility.
“We need your help today to raise money to help defend our neighborhoods from this travesty. If the warehouse comes into being 36,000 trucks will rumble down our streets every year going past three schools,” said Farhan Memon, a resident who organized the fundraising efforts.
Neighbors have raised concerns that the proposal "would destroy the neighborhood" by increasing traffic and contributing to pollution in the area.
On Dec. 7, Green filed a formal request on behalf of residents to become an intervening party on the Norden Place application, which, if accepted, would grant neighbors more time to call up their own experts to discuss the application.
Under state law, citizens can intervene on an application that “has, or which is reasonably likely to have, the effect of unreasonably polluting, impairing or destroying the public trust in the air, water or other natural resources.”
In the request, Green claims the influx of trucks, and the resulting pollution, associated with the proposed distribution hub would “degrade” the air quality.
The applicant has estimated that the hub would generate about 198 truck trips per day in the area.
At a Dec. 7 public hearing, the project developer unveiled some new additions aimed at addressing residents’ concerns.
The changes included the introduction of adaptive traffic signal controls at select intersections, self-funded road improvements at Fitch Street and Strawberry Hill Avenue, and the creation of a 24/7 resident hotline where residents could call and express concerns about trucks or traffic related to the development.
But Memon said the applicant, Benerofe Properties, provided “an incomplete picture” of the potential environmental issues caused by the proposed facility. Green and a team of experts, he hopes, could provide a “clearer picture” to the Zoning Commission.
“Our job is to provide the Zoning Commission with a set of facts that we think are closer to the truth of the impact of this proposal than the case the applicant has presented,” Memon said.
Green, who was hired in a joint
effort by the East Norwalk Neighborhood Association and the newly formed Sasqua Hills Neighborhood Association, has specialized in landuse law for nearly 40 years.
Memon estimated that legal fees, as well as those for a panel of experts, could cost the two neighborhood associations about $50,000.
To help cover the costs, Memon called on residents outside of East Norwalk, saying the development could cause “negative effects” not just in East Norwalk but all around the city.
“Your quality of life will be impacted by even worse traffic congestion and probable gridlock. By air pollution. By truck noise. By creating unsafe conditions for pedestrians, bicyclists, dog walkers. By diminished property values. By a lack of future investment in a community that could evolve into a truck depot instead of village district,” he said.
Memon said all donations will be held in a trust by Green, and any leftover funds will be given to an unnamed Norwalk charity.
The final public hearing on the proposal is scheduled for Jan. 7.