Developer’s plan to expand multifamily workforce housing on two historic properties approved in Norwalk
Workforce Partners
The Mansion, at 204 Flax Hill Road, Norwalk
A developer’s plans to add more workforce multifamily housing to two historic properties it owns in Norwalk have been approved, according to a zoning official.
Norwalk-based Workforce Partners LLC, doing business as Norwalk Housing Ventures II LLC, plans to build a 17-unit apartment building on a 1.4-acre property, at 204 Flax Hill Road, that currently has 36 units across four buildings, according to an application filed with the city.
The four buildings consist of a 7,500-square-foot historic mansion with six one-bedroom units; a 5,700-square-foot building with two studios and six one-bedroom units; and a 2,700-square-foot building with two. one-bedroom units, a two-bedroom unit and a three-bedroom unit. It also has a 17,200-square-foot building with six one-bedroom apartments and 12 two-bedroom apartments.
The 2,700-square-foot building with two apartments will be demolished and replaced with a new structure that will follow the mansion’s historic architecture and have 18 one-bedroom apartments and three, two-bedroom apartments.
“The applicant also proposes to remove the unsightly parking spots at the front of the property, which was not a condition of the prior approval but will improve the aesthetic appeal and historic significance of the development,” the application said.
The 53-unit development will have five units of workforce housing.
In another approved proposal, Workforce plans to renovate a 4,250-square-foot former Victorian home with six studio and six, one-bedroom apartments, at 1 Elmcrest Terrace, while also removing a basement-level unit, the application said.
The building’s fire escapes will be removed. The developer also plans to replace another 6,700-square-foot building on the property that has two two-bedroom units with a 13-unit apartment building, while keeping an 11,800-square-foot building with 16 apartments unchanged.
“The second building on the property is in sub-par condition, renovation and preservation are not financially feasible, and it detracts from the historic preservation and cultural value of the property,” the application said. “Although the original goal was to preserve all buildings on the property, the primary reason that Workforce Partners did not move forward following the approval of (a previous plan) was the economic infeasibility of the approved development.”
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