Brighter future for ‘blighted’ SoNo site
Lt. gov.: Plans for Norwalk parcel to boost tax rolls
NORWALK — As plans to build a 200-unit mixed-use apartment building near the South Norwalk station begin, Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz highlighted the $1.3 million the project received as part of the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development’s Brownfield Remediation and Development Program.
“We are here to highlight the cleanup of this 3-acre site, and this is a very exciting project,” Bysiewicz said. “It is going to take a very blighted, vacant site and put it on the tax rolls.”
The $1.3 million grant, originally awarded in June, is one of 22 properties in 15 towns receiving $23.8 million in funding to remediate brownfields. Connecticut defines brownfields as “sites that, once used for industrial, manufacturing, or commercial purposes, have been abandoned or underutilized due to known or suspected contamination from past uses.”
Located at 15 Chestnut St. next to the South Norwalk Train Station, the city has approved plans for a 200-unit mixed-use apartment building with restaurant and commercial space. As part of the development, the city sold a 60-space parking lot to the developers, Spinnaker Real Estate Partners, for $4.6 million.
“This is transit-oriented development at its best,” Bysiewicz said when she visited the site on Monday. “This is going to increase walkability within Norwalk. It’s going to encourage more people to come to Connecticut.”
Bysiewicz championed the planned transit-oriented development that will provide market-rate and affordable housing for the state’s growing workforce.
“We have more than 100,000
jobs open, so in order to bring more people to fill those jobs, we need market and affordable housing,” Bysiewicz said. “Also, this is going to help all of the businesses in the area.”
Ten percent of the units will be workforce housing, with seven studios, seven one-bedrooms, four two-bedrooms, and one three-bedroom designated on the application.
“One reason Norwalk is one of the fastest-growing cities in Connecticut is because there are 1,000 housing units just within walking distance of the train station,” Bysiewicz added. “The governor and I are very proud to be investing in this project.”
This development joins other Spinnaker projects in the South Norwalk station neighborhood, including The Platform Sono, completed in 2020, and the Shirt Factory Lofts. Both are across the street from the South Norwalk station.
Additionally, this project meets the qualifications for Norwalk to receive $6 million in state grants to improve the streetscape and traffic network around the South Norwalk train station.
State Sen. Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, noted the investment that has already gone into improving the area around the South Norwalk station.
“I love the fact that people want to move to the city of Norwalk; that’s a great thing,” Duff said.
The state and city’s goal to develop
near transit centers is part of a larger vision and initiative to make cities and towns more walkable and less car-dependent.
“We really do need to expand our transit-oriented development to get the cars off the road,” said state Rep. Lucy Dathan, D-Norwalk. “There are
so many jobs here in Norwalk in the surrounding area that are accessible by trains.”
While there are 294 parking spaces, including 60 public
parking spaces, planned in the development, the city hopes some residents will choose not to own a car and will use the train and public transit.