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NORWALK, Conn. Clayton Fowler's dream of getting "shovels in the ground" by the end of the year became closer to reality early Thursday when the Planning and Zoning Commission gave its approval to site modifications for the District 95/7 Sono complex.
The modifications got a green light near the end of the marathon meeting, which began at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and ended well after midnight, commission member David McCarthy said.
District 95/7, a development planned for 12 acres of vacant land at Interstate 95 and Route 7, has been in the approval process since 2007. The Common Council approved the modifications in June. Fowler, chairman and CEO of Spinnaker Real Estate Partners LLC, explained to council members that the company is moving the proposed puzzle pieces around.
What had been planned for the north side of the 12-acre site is now proposed for the south side. Instead of a 10-story hotel, the area next to I-95 will feature a five-story building with 232 multifamily residential units, 25,000 square feet of ground floor commercial/retail use and parking.
The overall plan remains within its original specifications, but the location of the proposed elements has shifted. "We're not diminishing, at this point, the size of the job," Fowler said. "We're just moving one of the pieces on our puzzle from one side of the puzzle to the other side."
Do you think the space next to I-95 is appropriate for development? Or would you rather it be a park?
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