UPDATE - 2/8/21 11:43AM THE APPLICATION FOR NORDEN PLACE HAS OFFICIALLY BEEN WITHDRAWN. THE PUBLIC HEARING IS CANCELED. BE SURE TO SIGN UP FOR EMAILS FROM EAST NORWALK NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION TO GET UP TO THE MINUTE INFORMATION ON THE NEXT STEPS. VISIT AND SIGNUP AT WWW.EASTNORWALK.ORG OR EMAIL US AT INFO@EASTNORWALK.ORG

ATTENTION - Please provide your EMAIL ADDRESS to ENNA by visiting WWW.EASTNORWALK.ORG so you can stay up to date on this application.

UPDATE: THE PUBLIC HEARING IS SCHEDULED FOR MONDAY, FEBRUARY 8TH 2021 AT 6PM - Sign up for ENNA emails for how to participate, for the zoom links and updates. WWW.EASTNORWALK.ORG

PLEASE DO NOT CLICK ON ANY "DONATE" BUTTONS ON THIS SITE - IT IS NOT FOR ENNA ! If you donated on this site by accident contact us for instructions on refunds.

Petition to Norwalk Zoning Commission

Save East Norwalk from possible 198 TRUCKS A DAY, air pollution, noise pollution and unsafe pedestrian and biking...

A 330,000 square foot warehouse/distribution center is being proposed for East Norwalk's Norden Place under a Special Permit Application.

• The use is NOT permitted in our Restricted Industrial Zone EXCEPT by Special Permit.
• The proposed use will bring an estimated 198 trucks, mostly 62'-67' tractor trailers, plus over 375 cars daily.
• The operation can be 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The 2-3 prospective tenants are unknown; their products are unknown.

click here to see proposed plan

• The proposed truck routes are Strawberry Hill Avenue to and from Norden Place, passing 3 public schools and one private pre-school, and East Avenue from I-95 to Fitch Street, one of the most heavily traveled and congested routes in our city.
• Residents are urging the Norwalk Zoning Commission TO REJECT this application. For more information and to get email alerts on this Application contact the East Norwalk Neighborhood Association at info@eastnorwalk.org

***URGE THE ZONING COMMISSION TO REJECT THIS APPLICATION**

How? SIGN THIS PETITION, send emails to the Zoning Commission c/o P&Z Director Steve Kleppin at skleppin@norwalkct.org and Mayor Harry Rilling at hrilling@norwalkct.org

PLEASE DO NOT SIGN THIS PETITION IF YOU ARE NOT A RESIDENT OF NORWALK! Also do not click on any donation links because they're NOT for ENNA - it is for donations to the petition site. If you'd like to donate to ENNA to support our efforts, email us at info@eastnorwalk.org for more information - thank you

Norwalk Residents Oppose 10 Norden Place Warehouse/Distribution Center Proposal

We, the primary stakeholders of East Norwalk 06855, and other Norwalk residents, oppose Special Permit Application #6-20SP for a 330,000 square foot Warehouse/Distribution Center at 10 Norden Place, and its proposed truck routes on Strawberry Hill and East Avenues for the below stated reasons:

1. Quality of life will be negatively impacted, perhaps permanently destroyed, with the proposal’s introduction of 62'-67' tractor trailers and other trucks making approx. 198 trips per day through our residential areas, plus 376 passenger car trips for a total of 574 vehicles. There are no restrictive conditions or mitigating factors that would result in this proposal being a suitable, desirable or acceptable use in the East Norwalk neighborhood.

2. Regardless of who the 2-3 tenants ultimately are (they are unknown at this time), the nature of warehousing and distribution will result in negative consequences such as increased air and noise pollution, environmental and safety concerns, and pedestrian and biking hazards, all of which would diminish quality of life of residents in many surrounding neighborhoods.

3. There are three schools along the preferred truck route of Strawberry Hill Avenue: Norwalk High School, Nathan Hale Middle School and Naramake Elementary School. There is also Apple Tree Pre-School, whose driveway backs directly out on Strawberry Hill. Children living within a 1.3 mile radius of the schools either walk or bike to school on Strawberry Hill Avenue. This proposal, which defeats the purpose of Strawberry Hill Avenue’s federally funded “Safe Routes To School” designation, would seriously, and even gravely, compromise their safety. Having them walk alongside tractor trailer trucks daily is unconscionable. Protecting our children and keeping them safe at all costs is our utmost priority.

4. The Tighe and Bond traffic counts that were the basis for the traffic analysis resulted in insufficient data to arrive at a “no significant impact” conclusion. The counts were from four intersections only and did not include those with significant traffic volumes and turns: I-95 at East Avenue, East Avenue at Fitch Street, Fitch Street at Strawberry Hill, and US-1 at Strawberry Hill. The traffic counts were from a single day in April of 2019, the Thursday before the Norwalk Public Schools spring break.

The State of Connecticut DOT analysis that approved the three truck routes ONLY looked at the State roads (Route 136 and US-1). They did NOT look at Exit 16, or at East Avenue, Strawberry Hill Avenue, Norden Place, Fitch Street, or Triangle Street. The City of Norwalk Traffic Authority that agreed with the State’s finding of “No Significant Impact” also only assessed the State roads.

When Tighe and Bond asked the State DOT in March of 2019 for their 5-year projected traffic rates and for any significant generators coming online, it was unknown then that 230 East Avenue would be coming online, or that the approval of a massive TOD project could result in over 1,000 new apartments in the East Avenue corridor, or that there would be potential for a massive construction project at the site of Norwalk High School. Nor did they factor in years of construction staging, detours and lane closures associated with the DOT Walk Bridge Projects.

Residents are concerned that this miscalculated traffic volume will lead to an irreversible overcapacity predicament, further exacerbating our already strained roadways.

5. East Norwalk traffic needs to be studied holistically and comprehensively, not in a piecemeal manner, and factor in the recently passed “East Norwalk Neighborhood TOD Plan,” which proposes high density apartment units and hundreds of additional vehicles, in order to accurately and responsibly gauge future East Norwalk traffic volume as a whole.

6. The location for this proposed land use is unsuitable, as there is no direct route to get on/off the 10 Norden Place site to/from Interstate I-95. The three proposed circuitous truck routes would be hugely disruptive to many neighborhoods, with all routes passing through residential areas. Residents will be subjected to dangerous diesel exhaust pollution, noise pollution, pedestrian safety hazards, and the inconvenience of tractor trailer trucks passing at a rate of 10 per hour, or more.

7. We disagree with the Applicant's traffic engineer’s statement that roads on the proposed three routes were designed to withstand 198 tractor trailer trips a day. Road infrastructure on these routes, overburdened already, is suitable in scale for cars and smaller trucks. Tractor trailer trucks which occasionally stray down these routes look out of scale and out of place, are imposing, and often can't make sharp turns on narrow roadways. We strongly oppose encouraging excessive volume of trucks routinely traveling these routes.

8. This proposal invalidates a goal of the “East Norwalk Neighborhood TOD Plan” to mitigate highway trucks filling up at gas stations on East Avenue. The proposed secondary truck route of Exit 16 would only serve to encourage the I-95 truck stop vibe, and further destroy the character of East Norwalk’s gateway.

9. Bicycle lanes on Strawberry Hill Avenue will become obsolete, as cycling will become unsafe alongside tractor trailer trucks. Strawberry Hill Avenue’s Northbound lane, which is narrower to accommodate a Southbound bike lane, cannot accommodate the scale of tractor trailer trucks unless bike lanes are removed, discouraging the bikeable and walkable community desired by residents.

10. Norwalk Zoning Department conducted limited outreach to the East Norwalk community regarding a Special Permit application of this scope that will permanently and negatively alter the character of our community. Disappointingly, residents have only become aware of the application through the volunteer community group East Norwalk Neighborhood Association, social media and word of mouth of neighbors.

For the reasons outlined above, we, the undersigned, strongly urge the Norwalk Zoning Commission to deny Special Permit #6-20SP.

WRITE TO COMMON COUNCIL AT COMMONCOUNCIL3@NORWALKCT.ORG

WRITE TO ZONING COMMISSION IN CARE OF: P&Z DIRECTOR STEVE KLEPPIN SKLEPPIN@NORWALKCT.ORG

ATTENTION: NORWALK ZONING COMMISSIONERS

GOLDSTEIN, JOSHUA M 06851

JOHNSON, RODERICK 06853

ROINA, R. RICHARD 06851

SCHULMAN, LOUIS 06850

WELLS, GALEN 06850

WITHERSPOON, MICHAEL L 06854

KANTOR, NICHOLAS S 06851

MANCINI, FRANK 06851