If the City Council adopts them, Norwalk’s new design rules would make qualifying multifamily buildings over two stories next to single family zoning set the third and higher floors back 10 extra feet and limit overlooking balconies to 12 inches deep. They would also set rules for trash areas, lighting and parking, and require attached garages for townhomes. The Planning Commission recommended them 5 to 0 on October 14.
What the city is deciding
The city is writing objective design standards for qualifying multifamily buildings and townhomes. Objective standards are fixed, measurable rules that do not depend on an official’s personal judgment. They would add to existing zoning, not replace it, and would not change multifamily density or building heights.
Where and who it affects
The standards would apply to new qualifying housing projects where state law limits the city to objective rules or requires approval by staff against fixed rules. They would not apply to nonqualifying single family homes or multifamily properties, historic properties or nonresidential development.
What it could mean for your property
- Next to single family zoning: in qualifying multifamily buildings, floors above the second would need the extra setback, and balconies overlooking that zone would be no wider than the window or door they serve.
- Trash: multifamily trash enclosures would sit at least 20 feet from adjacent property zoned for residential use. Townhomes would have no shared enclosures; each unit keeps its bins in the garage or a side yard enclosure.
- Parking: multifamily surface parking would sit behind the building’s front wall, out of view from the street. Townhome parking would be in attached garages with quiet openers, and guest parking could not be visible from a public street.
- Light and noise: pole lights no taller than 16 feet, aimed down or shielded from neighbors. Service or refuse areas facing residential zones would need masonry walls for screening and sound.
Questions to ask before you buy or build
- Does a proposed project nearby qualify for these standards?
- Does a multifamily site border single family zoning, triggering the upper floor and balcony rules?
- Where would parking, trash and lighting sit in relation to nearby homes?
What happens next
The Commission’s 5 to 0 vote, “as revised”, is a recommendation, not adoption. The documents do not say what was revised, so the final wording may differ from the published draft. The City Council has not acted, and no hearing date is published.