Correction, 1 p.m., Chick-fil-A not approved.
NORWALK, Conn. — The Belpointe gang won two victories Wednesday with approval from the Norwalk Zoning Commission for an apartment complex expected to bring a big change to central Norwalk and approval for a significantly larger building on West Avenue than originally planned: Think a bowling alley in one location and major traffic improvements in another.
Highpointe would bring 278 apartments to the High Street-North Avenue-Main Street block in two buildings, one of which spans a block.
Michael McGuire of the Austin McGuire Company, a commercial real estate company, called it a “wonderful property in the presentation of what it does,” urging the Commission to approve the project.
“Creating a live/work neighborhood like this with this level of intensive residential development is just a net plus for the area. … It’s going to raise all boats down here,” said McGuire, a Wall Street property owner who was speaking as a member of the general public.
Paxton Kinol of Belpointe Capital was on hand both for Highpointe and for the changes to the Waypointe development, officially owned by NW MFP Norwalk Town Center II, LLC.
The planned two- to three-story building at 17 Butler St. and 3 Quincy St. was modified to be a seven-story building, to include a 16-lane bowling alley and 80 apartments.
The numbers on that are:
- 526-seat iPic theater
- 46,866 square feet of retail space
- 6,604 square feet of restaurant space
- 4,428 square feet of office space
Included as new amenities are a “green” roof, wide sidewalk and a 25-foot deep pedestrian plaza, directly across the Waypointe mid-block pedestrian plaza where pizza lovers now visit Colony Grill and where Barcelona restaurant is expected to open soon.
Highpointe Holding LLC is paying to expand North Avenue from two lanes to five lanes, allowing an easement over part of its property to allow room to widen the road, Craig Flaherty of Redniss and Meade said. This would provide dedicated turn lanes and dovetail with the state’s expected improvements at East Avenue and Route 1.
A six-story building fronting on High, North and Main would feature 212 apartments with 12,730 square feet of retail, while a smaller six-story building on the other side of North would feature 66 apartments and 4,320 square feet of retail.
Approval was unanimous. Design review with the Redevelopment Agency is pending.
Chick-fil-A discussed for Connecticut Avenue
In other Zoning business, a public hearing was held for a proposed new two-building complex on the corner of Rampart Road and Connecticut Avenue, to replace an existing two-building complex.
“It’s going to eliminate something we have lived with for 20 years, namely a commercial slum. It’s been a disaster,” said Jim Conte of the Conte Companies at 75 Rampart Road, an adjacent property.
The existing buildings, dating to the 1940s and ’70s, would be demolished to make way for a Chick-fil-A and a furniture store, which would be set much farther back from the road, Attorney Liz Suchy said. The new complex would feature modern storm water management systems and be much better for Keeler Brook, she said. A public hearing with the Conservation Commission is expected Tuesday, she said.
The Chick-fil-A would have a two-lane drive through window, allowing two drivers to simultaneously order food.
The only discussion about the proposal touched on traffic, including drivers using Cossitt Road to get to Interstate 95 northbound.
Conte complained that drivers exiting Stop & Shop make illegal left turns on Rampart from a driveway designed to encourage right turns.
Assistant Planning and Zoning Director Mike Wrinn said it would be very difficult to do anything about that, and Zoning Commission Chairman Adam Blank said nothing could be done to require Stop & Shop to change its property.
No action was taken.
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