Coastal Area Management Report Norwalk, Connecticut

CITY OF NORWALK Norwalk Harbor Management Commission 125 East Avenue Norwalk, CT 06856

May 1, 2018

Coastal Area Management Report

Prepared for:

Plan of Conservation and Development Oversight Committee

Norwalk is a coastal community—one of the oldest and most historic communities on Long Island Sound. In 1614, the Dutch explorer Adriaen Block sailed by the Norwalk Islands and, in perhaps the first written description of this area, called them the Archipelagoes. The community began in 1640 when English settlers purchased Native lands between the Norwalk and Five Mile rivers, extending from Long Island Sound inland for a distance “as far up in the country as an Indian can go in a day, from sun rising to sun setting.”1

Since the first settlement, Norwalk’s character and quality of life have been tied intrinsically to the water and shoreline resources of Long Island Sound and the Norwalk Harbor. Today, the City’s connection to its harbor and Long Island Sound is as vital as ever. It is fair to say in 2018 that the coastal area is Norwalk’s most important natural resource area, providing a variety of environmental, economic, and cultural benefits and opportunities. Accordingly, the coastal area requires significant attention in not only the Norwalk Harbor Management Plan—the City’s master plan of water-use and conservation—but also the Norwalk Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD)—the City’s master plan of land-use and conservation. As part of the process of updating the POCD in 2018, the Norwalk Harbor Management Commission (NHMC) has prepared this background report on coastal management for consideration by the Planning Commission and POCD Oversight Committee.

Connecticut Coastal Management Act

Recognizing that Connecticut’s coast on Long Island Sound and along the Sound’s tidal rivers is deserving of special consideration to protect sensitive coastal resources and guide beneficial use and economic development, the Connecticut General Assembly in 1979 passed the Connecticut Coastal Management Act (CCMA; Sections 22a-90 through 22a-112 of the Connecticut General Statutes). The CCMA, administered by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental

1 See Norwalk—being an historical account of that Connecticut town by Deborah Wing Ray and Gloria P. Stewart, Norwalk Historical Society, 1979. 2

Protection (DEEP), establishes the state’s goals and policies for both use and conservation of coastal resources and is implemented in large part through municipal planning and zoning authorities, specifically local plans of conservation and development and zoning regulations.

Among the legislative findings that provide the foundation for the CCMA, the Connecticut General Assembly determined that:

1) the coastal area represents an asset of great present and potential value to the economic well- being of the state, and there is a state interest in the effective management, beneficial use, protection, and development of the coastal area; and

2) the key to improved public management of Connecticut's coastal area is coordination at all levels of government and consideration by municipalities of the impact of development on both coastal resources and future water-dependent development opportunities when preparing plans and regulations and reviewing municipal and private development proposals.

(See Sec. 22a-91 of the General Statutes)

Norwalk, Connecticut on the Norwalk River and Long Island Sound

Coastal Boundary, CAM Area, and Norwalk Harbor

In addition to defining coastal resources (see below) and establishing legislative goals and policies for use and conservation of those resources, the Connecticut Coastal Management Act sets the coastal boundary line marking the area within which the provisions of the CCMA apply, including the requirements for coastal site plan review (CSPR). CSPR is the process through which proposed development projects within the designated coastal boundary area must be reviewed by municipal planning and zoning agencies to ensure that the potential adverse impacts of the proposed activity on both coastal resources and future water-dependent development activities are acceptable.

State-wide, the coastal management boundary is a continuous line delineated by a 1,000-foot cur- vilinear setback from the mean high water (MHW) line, a 1,000-foot setback from the inland boundary of state-regulated tidal wetlands, or the inland boundary of the “100-year” floodplain, whichever is farthest inland. As authorized by the CCMA, Norwalk modified the state-designated coastal boundary within the City’s jurisdiction to follow a more identifiable rectilinear path along either the nearest street, lot line, or other boundary, but always encompassing the area within the state-delineated boundary. This is Norwalk’s coastal boundary line officially shown on the city’s Building Zone Map. This line delineates the inland extent of the land and water area often referred to as the Norwalk Coastal Area Management (CAM) Area. (See the CAM Area map prepared by the NHMC.)

The Norwalk Building Zone Regulations define the Norwalk “Coastal Zone” as the area within the coastal boundary and landward of the MHW line. The MHW line marks the dividing line between the City’s planning and zoning authorities (landward of the line) and the City’s harbor management authority (waterward of the line). There is, of course, a significant overlap of these authorities on the shoreline, insofar as waterfront land-use and development have a significant influence on the use and condition of Norwalk Harbor and the city’s coastal waterways. Con- versely, use and condition of the harbor and Norwalk’s coastal waterways influence waterfront conditions. This relationship between upland areas and coastal waters requires that Norwalk’s Harbor Management Plan and POCD be implemented as consistent and complementary documents

For the purpose of this report, the Norwalk CAM Area is considered to include not only the Coastal Zone defined in the Building Zone Regulations but also the navigable and intertidal waters of Norwalk Harbor. The CAM Area therefore encompasses the jurisdiction of the Norwalk Harbor Management Commission (and an area within the jurisdiction of the Five Mile River Commission) as well as land areas within the jurisdiction of the Norwalk planning and zoning commissions. (See the following section on the Harbor Management Area.)

Within the CAM Area, Norwalk’s irregular shoreline on Long Island Sound and Norwalk Harbor measures about 22 miles (excluding island shorelines). The CAM Area includes large parts of the Rowayton, South Norwalk, Norwalk Center, and East Norwalk sections of the City. Within these larger areas are a number of distinct, long-standing coastal neighborhoods, including the Farm Creek, Belle Island, Wilson Point, Village Creek, Harborview, Shorefront Park, and Marvin Beach neighborhoods.

Harbor Management

The 1984 Connecticut Harbor Management Act (Sections 22a-113k through 22a-113t of the Gen- eral Statutes) authorizes coastal municipalities to establish harbor management commissions and plan for the most desirable use of their harbors for recreational, commercial, industrial, and other purposes. In 1986, the Norwalk Common Council established the Norwalk Harbor Management Commission by ordinance (Chapter 69, Article III of the Norwalk Code of Ordinances). The area of jurisdiction of the NHMC and Norwalk Harbor Management Plan is known as the Norwalk Harbor Management Area. (See the CAM Area map prepared by the NHMC.)

While the Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD) prepared by the Planning Commission focuses on land-use, the Harbor Management Plan, prepared by the NHMC, establishes City goals and policies for the most desirable use of Norwalk’s coastal and navigable waterways in the Harbor Management Area, including most of Norwalk Harbor as defined in the City Charter.2 Three basic principles of the Harbor Management Plan are to: 1) maintain public safety; 2) protect coastal resources and environmental quality; and 3) support appropriate beneficial uses of the Harbor Management Area and waterfront, including water-dependent uses and public access to the harbor. The Harbor Management Plan, approved by the State of Connecticut, was adopted by the Common Council in 1990 and most recently amended in 2009. The two plans—the POCD and Harbor Management Plan—are the city’s principal guides for land and water use in the CAM Area and are to be implemented as complementary and consistent documents.

Norwalk coastal area on Long Island Sound and the Norwalk River and Harbor (Google Earth)

2 Defined in Sec. 1-205 of the City Charter, Norwalk Harbor includes the Five Mile River Harbor, so much as lies within the City’s territorial limits. However, the Five Mile River Harbor, located at the municipal boundary between Norwalk and the Town of Darien, is not subject to the jurisdiction of the NHMC and Harbor Management Plan but instead is subject to the jurisdiction of the Five Mile River Commission—a joint commission (established by Special Act of the Connect- icut Legislature) of the City of Norwalk and Town of Darien. In other words, the Five Mile River Harbor within Norwalk’s territorial limits is part of the Norwalk CAM Area but not part of the Harbor Management Area.

The inter-relation between land- and water-uses and among land-use planning and zoning and harbor management is recognized in the General Statutes and Norwalk Code of Ordinances. In accordance with Sec. 22a-113p of the General Statutes and Sec. 69-21 of the Norwalk Code, the NHMC reviews, for consistency with the Harbor Management Plan, proposals affecting the real property on, in, or contiguous to the Harbor Management Area as submitted to, or proposed by, other City agencies. Those agencies include, but are not limited to, the Planning Commission, Zoning Commission, Zoning Board of Appeals, Recreation and Parks Department, and Redevel- opment Agency.

Norwalk Inner Harbor looking east over South Norwalk and Veteran’s Memorial Park; Included in this view are the Liberty Square Area (between the bridges) and East Norwalk Transit-Oriented Development area

The NHMC reviews: 1) all development proposals subject to the Coastal Site Plan Review process and affecting the real property on, in, or contiguous to the Harbor Management Area; 2) all proposed uses or activities occurring waterward of the state’s coastal jurisdiction line (CJL)3, and 3) all proposed revisions or amendments to City plans, regulations, or ordinances affecting real property on, in, or contiguous to the Harbor Management Area. Accordingly, revisions to the POCD are subject to these review requirements and must be submitted to the NHMC by the Planning

3 All structures, dredging and fill waterward of the CJL require approval from DEEP. Pursuant to Sec. 22a-113n of the General Statutes, a recommendation of the NHMC, consistent with the Harbor Management Plan and supported by the Plan, with respect to a proposed project shall be binding on any official of the state when making regulatory decisions or undertaking or sponsoring development affecting the Harbor Management Area, unless such official shows cause why a different action should be taken.

Commission for review and comments prior to any action by the Planning Commission to adopt the revisions. In accordance with Sec. 22a-113p of the General Statutes and Sec. 69-21 of the Norwalk Code, a 2/3 vote of the referring City agency (including the Planning Commission and Zoning Commission), is required to approve a proposal that has not received a favorable recommendation from the NHMC.

Coastal Resources

A variety of coastal land and water resources, defined in the Connecticut Coastal Management Act, are found in Norwalk’s CAM Area, including but not limited to, tidal waters and embayments, intertidal flats, tidal wetlands, beaches, floodplains, living marine resources such as finfish and shellfish, and the Norwalk Islands. Upland coastal resources adjacent to the shoreline include areas classified according to the CCMA as “developed shorelands” and “urban waterfront” areas.

Norwalk Outer Harbor shoreline looking east over Rowayton; Five Mile River Harbor in lower left.

The largest wetlands are in the Farm Creek area of Rowayton, the Village Creek and Harborview areas of South Norwalk, and the Canfield Island area of East Norwalk. Intertidal flats are found along the shoreline throughout the harbor; the most prominent is south of Veteran’s Park in the Norwalk Inner Harbor. As areas of high nutrient value and biological productivity, the wetlands provide detrital products which become the food of organisms living in the harbor and Long Island Sound, including crabs, worms, snails, finfish, and shellfish. Tidal wetlands also provide habitat, nesting, feeding, and refuge areas for shorebirds and serve as the nursery ground for larval and juvenile forms of many of the Sound’s marine organisms.

Norwalk Harbor’s intertidal flats provide natural values similar to the values provided by the wetlands, serving as sources and reservoirs of nutrients for many marine organisms. Shellfish are among the conspicuous benefactors of the productive intertidal flats in the CAM Area. In addition, intertidal flats enhance water quality and fisheries habitat by acting as a sink for toxic material and other pollutants.

Norwalk’s shellfish resources are of singular importance in Connecticut; they consist of not only shellfish populations but also the habitat required for those populations to reproduce, survive, and flourish. Oysters, clams, and other shellfish have been harvested from the harbor for centuries. In the early 1800s, Connecticut’s shellfishing industry began in Norwalk. Today, shellfish resources in and near the CAM area provide uncommonly high economic and recreational values and support a viable interstate shellfishing industry generating significant local and state-wide economic benefits. The Norwalk Shellfish Commission manages use and conservation of the designated “natural” shellfish grounds in Norwalk Harbor for general public use. Within those grounds, shellfishing areas currently open for recreational harvest are found offshore of Calf Pasture Beach. In addition, there are many private shellfish grounds designated by the City and worked by commercial shellfishing companies owning the exclusive rights to raise shellfish on these grounds

Norwalk Shellfishing (Mural image by Alexander J. Rummler for the WPA, 1937)

The Norwalk Islands, formed by glacial deposition about 18,000 years ago, are exceptional coastal resources and a unique feature of Connecticut’s western Long Island Sound shoreline. Chimon Island (the largest island) and part of Sheffield Island are owned by the federal government and are part of the Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge. Grassy, Shea, The Plains, and Little Ram islands are owned by the City of Norwalk. Other islands are privately owned. The islands’ diverse natural environments provide essential habitat for fish and wildlife, especially for migratory birds. 8

The Norwalk River is another major feature of the CAM Area. The lower reaches of the river give shape to the harbor and there is a fundamental relationship among the Norwalk River watershed, harbor, and Long Island Sound. The watershed encompasses about 64 square miles in parts of seven towns. Storm water runoff from the watershed (and from the smaller Five Mile River watershed) eventually enters the harbor and Sound, affecting the quality of surface waters and other coastal resources, including shellfish resources. The Norwalk River Watershed Action Plan to protect and enhance water quality was one of the first watershed-based plans prepared in Connect- icut. Historically, Norwalk and the other watershed towns (New Canaan, Redding, Ridgefield, Weston, and Wilton in Connecticut and Lewisboro in New York), collaborated on the Norwalk River Watershed Initiative for implementing the watershed plan to, among other things, protect and improve water quality.

To summarize, Norwalk’s coastal resources are vitally important determinants of Norwalk’s quality of life; they provide important natural values and ecological functions related to fish and wildlife habitat, water quality, and scenic quality; and they are valuable for many different beneficial uses including boating and other recreational activities, water-dependent commerce and industry, and water-enhanced residential and commercial development.

Maritime commerce in the Upper Harbor (courtesy of A.N. Mobilia)

Boating, Commerce, and Navigation

Norwalk is an important center of recreational boating, commercial shellfishing, and other water- dependent activities in western Long Island Sound. Harbor facilities in 2018 include 14 commercial marinas, 13 private clubs, one port terminal, and a number of commercial fishing businesses, including shellfishing businesses. There are more than 1,800 berthing spaces and 500 Harbor mooring locations serving recreational vessels. Also, many boats are launched regularly from storage racks at marinas and clubs and over 3,000 trailered boat launches occur each year from the 9

City’s David S. Dunavan Boating Center at Veteran’s Memorial Park.4 Waterborne commerce in Norwalk Harbor, in addition to shellfish, includes barge shipments of sand and gravel dependent on the Harbor’s federal navigation channels.

Norwalk Harbor is served by a Federal Navigation Project consisting of designated navigation channels and anchorage basins originally authorized by the U.S. Congress in the late 1800s and subsequently modified several times by Congressional Acts. Recognizing the importance of the harbor to the economy of southwest Connecticut, the U.S. Congress allocated over $12 million for the most recent maintenance dredging of the harbor’s federal channels and anchorage basins; the State of Connecticut provided another $1 million. Dredging was conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) at the request of the NHMC in three phases during the period 2005- 2014.

Public Access, Tourism, and Education

Numerous points of public access to the harbor and Long Island Sound are found along the Nor- walk shoreline, including the large waterfront parks Veteran’s Memorial Park in the Inner Harbor and Calf Pasture Park and Shady Beach on the Outer Harbor shoreline. Veteran’s Memorial Park includes the City boating facilities at the Norwalk Visitor’s Dock and boat launching ramps at the David S. Dunavan Boating Center as well as the City Marina in the East Norwalk Basin. Along the Upper Harbor, Oyster Shell Park and the Heritage Park Riverwalk are key elements of the Norwalk Heritage Park, a linked system of historic places and activity centers established to affirm Norwalk’s status as a vibrant urban center on Long Island Sound.

Calf Pasture Beach in 1950 (courtesy of Norwalk Museum)

The Heritage Park Riverwalk extends from The Maritime Aquarium to Oyster Shell Park and continues on to Mathews Park—the site of the historic Lockwood Mathews Mansion and Stepping- stones Children’s Museum. In the future, city planners envision the Heritage Park Riverwalk

4 Data concerning boating uses in 2018 is being reviewed and updated as necessary by the NHMC.

10 linked with the Norwalk River Bikeway and Linear Park planned to follow both sides of the Nor- walk River to the north.

Special opportunities for public access to the Norwalk Harbor and Long Island Sound are also provided by the Norwalk Islands, including opportunities for boating, fishing, and nature-based tourism. The protected natural areas of the Chimon and Sheffield island units of the Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge are complemented by beach recreation and overnight camp- ing opportunities on City-owned islands. In addition, Sheffield Island Lighthouse Park is owned and operated by the Norwalk Seaport Association which runs ferry service to the park. Built in 1868, the lighthouse is one of Norwalk’s and Long Island Sound’s most significant historic resources.

Calf Pasture Beach in 2016 (courtesy of A.N. Mobilia)

Among Norwalk’s many coastal area attractions, The Maritime Aquarium stands out as Southwest Connecticut's principal tourist attraction and the only aquarium devoted to Long Island Sound. The Maritime Aquarium’s mission is to inspire people of all ages to appreciate and protect the Long Island Sound ecosystem and the global environment through living exhibits, marine sci- ence, and environmental education. On average, 500,000 visitors enjoy The Maritime Aquarium each year, including more than 150,000 school children on field trips. Included are 75 living exhibits with more than 2,700 marine animals of 300 species; an IMAX theater; and the research vessel “R/V Spirit of the Sound” providing year-round educational cruises of Norwalk Harbor and Long Island Sound.

Shark exhibit at the Maritime Aquarium (courtesy of the Maritime Aquarium)

Institutional Framework for Coastal Management

The institutional framework for guiding the use and conservation of Norwalk’s coastal resources involves a number of agencies at the local, state, and federal levels of government, as well as many local, state, and federal laws, regulations, and ordinances. The Mayor, Common Council, Planning Commission, Zoning Commission, Zoning Board of Appeals, Harbor Management Commission, Redevelopment Agency, Conservation Commission, Inland Wetlands Agency, Water Pollution Control Authority, Shellfish Commission, and Department of Public Works, for example, have important City authorities and responsibilities.

State agencies with significant coastal management-related authorities include the Connecticut DEEP, Connecticut Port Authority, Department of Transportation (CT DOT), and Department of Economic and Community Development; federal agencies include the USACE, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Federal Emergency Management Agency.

In addition, the general public and waterfront property owners have significant water-related rights and interests, and there are several regional and private organizations, along with neighborhood associations, with coastal management interests. It also is recognized that actions originating in the neighboring communities of Darien and Westport and in the municipalities with jurisdictions in the Norwalk River Watershed can influence Norwalk’s coastal resources.

City regulations and ordinances affecting use and conservation of the CAM Area include the Norwalk Building Zone Regulations, including the Coastal Zone regulations intended specifically to implement the CCMA, and the Flood Hazard Zone regulations, along with the Norwalk Harbor chapter of the Norwalk City Code. Relevant state laws include, but are not limited to, the CCMA (which requires the Planning Commission to follow the legislative goals and policies of the CCMA when revising the POCD), Connecticut Harbor Management Act, Tidal Wetlands Act (Sections 12

22a-28 through 22a-35 of the Connecticut General Statutes), and the Structures and Dredging Act (Sections 25-102a through 25-102s of the General Statutes).

In addition, several federal laws, such as Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 administered by the USACE, affect land-use and environmental conservation in the CAM Area.

South Norwalk coastal area on the Inner Harbor

Norwalk’s Municipal Coastal Program

Given Norwalk’s maritime history, extent of coastal resources, and pressures for use of those resources, the City has an understandably long and distinguished history with respect to coastal area management. Soon after the Connecticut Coastal Management Act was enacted in 1979, the City began its own program to set and advance City goals and policies, consistent with the state’s, to address Norwalk’s coastal management issues, including, but not limited to, issues concerning the type, extent, and impacts of waterfront development; public access to tidal and navigable waters; water quality; and conservation of natural coastal resources including tidal wetlands and shellfish resources.

The CCMA envisions a shared municipal/state approach for implementation. In addition to the mandatory Coastal Site Plan Review process, the CCMA provides for the voluntary development, by each coastal municipality, of local programs to implement the policies and provisions of the CCMA through municipal land-use plans and regulations. These local programs are called Mu- nicipal Coastal Programs (MCPs).

Norwalk’s MCP was approved by the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (now DEEP) in 1988. A ceremony and presentation regarding this approval took place on the public access pier at The Maritime Aquarium on July 26, 1988. Seven years of dedicated work by many City residents and officials preceded that event. In 1981, the then-Planning and Zoning Commis- sion, 5 aided by the Norwalk Coastal Area Management Citizens Advisory Board and following a number of public meetings and hearings, completed the document “Norwalk Coastal Area Man- agement (CAM) Program.” This document described the City’s coastal area and set forth proposed planning goals and objectives for coastal area management along with recommendations for use and development of specific waterfront opportunity areas.

Consistent with the CAM document, the Planning and Zoning Commission in 1982 adopted coastal area management revisions to the Norwalk Master Plan (now called the POCD), noting that the revisions represented “the commitment of Norwalk to its future.” Subsequent changes to the Zoning Regulations, including establishment of the Marine Commercial District applied to the South Water Street waterfront and the Cove Marina area, were enacted to implement the Master Plan’s coastal management provisions, thereby completing Norwalk’s MCP.

South Water Street Marine Commercial District

5 In 1988, by action of the Norwalk Common Council, the Planning and Zoning Commission was divided into separate Planning and Zoning Commissions. The Planning Commission’s responsibilities affecting the CAM Area include preparing the POCD and overseeing its implementation; the Zoning Commission’s responsibilities include preparing and implementing the City’s Building Zone Regulations and conducting Coastal Site Plan Reviews for most development activities within the CAM Area. 14

Three bridges (including Walk Bridge under high towers) and Norwalk Upper Harbor on the Norwalk River; SONO District in foreground; Oyster Shell Park on west bank of Norwalk River

Planning and Development Initiatives

In 2018, Norwalk’s coastal area remains subject to significant pressures for use and development. In fact, the principal planning and development initiatives in the City are now concentrated in the coastal area. These include, but are not limited to:

• the South Norwalk Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Redevelopment Plan affecting the South Norwalk waterfront;

• the Norwalk Center Neighborhood Plan for the Wall Street-West Avenue Redevelopment Area affecting the Upper Harbor waterfront;

• the Walk Bridge (Norwalk River Railroad Bridge) reconstruction project by the Connecticut Department of Transportation affecting the Maritime Aquarium and the larger South Norwalk and East Norwalk areas, including the Liberty Square area identified as a redevelopment opportunity area in the City’s Mid-Harbor Development Plan;

• redevelopment of the Reed Putnam Urban Renewal Area including the SoNo Collection mall project;

• “Head of the Harbor” redevelopment in the Wall Street area;

• possible redevelopment of the deactivated power plant site on Manresa Island;

• refurbishing by the CT DOT of the Yankee Doodle Bridge and areas of I-95 draining into the Norwalk Harbor; and

• plans for improving the boating facilities at Veteran’s Memorial Park and otherwise implementing the park’s master plan, including the ongoing project to rebuild the Visitor’s Dock.

Planning for the Future

In 2018, public attention is and should be directed toward the opportunities for community enhancement and economic development provided by the Norwalk waterfront, coastal area, and harbor. Moving forward in the 21st century, Norwalk Harbor will continue to be a source of significant economic, environmental, recreational, and cultural benefits for Norwalk residents and the public at large. To sustain those benefits, there will be an ongoing need for thoughtful long-range planning and active involvement by City government, working in coordination with state and federal agencies, private organizations, waterfront property owners, and all other stakeholders.

The POCD and Harbor Management Plan are the principal City instruments for establishing Nor- walk’s vision for the future use and conservation of its coastal resources. The two plans must continue to provide the foundation for the City’s efforts to maintain safe and beneficial use of the CAM Area as well as preservation and enhancement of the natural environment.

The NHMC is concerned that the current POCD, adopted in 2008, does not give sufficient attention to Norwalk’s coastal area and that the significance of the City’s Municipal Coastal Program, first established in 1982, thereby has been diminished. Efforts to update the POCD in 2018, however, provide an opportunity for the City to re-evaluate and strengthen its land-use policies for waterfront use and development and protection of coastal resources.

Former Norwalk Harbor Power Station on Manresa Island 16

In light of the above considerations, the NHMC, at the outset of the POCD planning process, rec- ommended that the revised 2018 POCD should include a separate and distinct section pertaining to the CAM Area. The NHMC continues to believe this is necessary to properly comply with Sec. 22a-102 of the General Statutes requiring the Planning Commission to follow the legislative goals and policies of the Connecticut Coastal Management Act when revising the POCD.6 Just as im- portantly, the NHMC continues to believe that a separate section concerning the CAM Area is necessary to properly emphasize and plan for the future use and conservation of Norwalk’s most valuable natural resources. The NHMC remains concerned that inclusion of coastal management provisions in several different sections of the revised POCD, as now called for, will dilute those provisions and detract from the significance of Norwalk as a coastal city on Long Island Sound and Norwalk Harbor.

The NHMC looks forward to continuing to participate on the POCD Oversight Committee and to providing additional information to strengthen the document. In addition, the NHMC looks forward to reviewing the draft POCD revisions pursuant to the formal harbor management review procedure set forth in Sec. 22a-113p of the General Statutes and to providing comments and recommendations to the Planning Commission as part of that review process.

6 Sec. 22a-102. Municipal plan of development. Proposed municipal land use regulations. (a) In revising the municipal plan of conservation and development in accordance with subsection (b) of section 22a-101, the municipal planning commission shall follow: (1) The policies and goals in section 22a-92; (2) criteria listed in section 8-23. (b) In adopting any proposed municipal plan of conservation and development, zoning regulations or changes thereto or other municipal coastal regulations listed in subdivision (2) of subsection (b) of section 22a-101 or changes thereto, the following criteria shall also be considered: (1) The character and dis- tribution of the coastal resources defined in section 22a-93 within its coastal boundary, the capacity of and limitations on such resources to support development, and the types and methods of development compat- ible with the wise use, protection and enhancement of such resources; (2) the nature and pattern of existing development; and (3) the need for public services. [Emphasis added]

1868 Sheffield Island Lighthouse at the entrance to Norwalk Harbor (courtesy of A.N. Mobilia)

Prepared by the Norwalk Harbor Management Commission

For more information, contact:

Jan Schaefer Chair, NHMC Plans and Recommendations Committee [email protected]