Public Hearing Set For Feb. 8 For Norden Distribution Center Plan

NORWALK, CT — The next public hearing on the proposed Norden Logistics Center in East Norwalk is scheduled for Feb. 8, but on Saturday the two neighborhood groups that oppose the plan have scheduled a rally and media conference.

The East Norwalk Neighborhood Association and the Sasqua Hills Association will hold the media conference at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 30, on Strawberry Hill Avenue in the area of Fitch Park.

Organizers of the event said they are encouraging residents to attend and bring opposition signs. Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling and District C Common Council Members John Kydes and George Theodoridis have been invited to attend, as well Third Taxing District Commissioners, and elected Board of Education members.

Both groups are urging Norwalk's Zoning Commission to deny a Special Permit Application to renovate an existing building in Norden Park for use as a 330,000 square foot warehouse and distribution Center. The applicants estimate 200 truck trips daily. There is no access to the Norden site except through East Norwalk residential neighborhoods, the groups say.

The developers argue that the proposed logistics center would not generate the same amount of activity compared to the Norden complex when it was a defense manufacturer. Additionally, the planned facility would provide good-paying jobs, they said.

"Residents' concerns and reasons for wanting the application denied include truck and tractor trailer traffic & congestion, safety issues for pedestrians and bicyclists, increased air pollution and noise pollution, and the inevitable degradation of property values in the entire neighborhood," the groups said.

The application is #06-20SP and the documents are posted on the City website at https://www.norwalkct.org/2021/10-Norden-Place

The virtual Feb. 8 Zoning Commission public hearing is scheduled for 6 p.m. Commissioners will hear comments from the public as well as expert testimony on behalf of East Norwalk residents, followed by the applicant's rebuttal. City officials have not disclosed if a vote and decision will take place the same night or at a later meeting.