The best way to preserve the historic character of Norwalk’s Wall Street corridor as it undergoes a $29 million revitalization project is through the city’s form-based code zoning regulation, which focuses more on a project’s appearance than its use, according to a prominent developer in the city.
As part of the city’s Wall Street Corridor Improvement Project, Jason Milligan, founder of Milligan Realty who owns several properties in the area, plans to build an approved 210-room extended-stay hotel at 23 Isaacs St.
The city’s pedestrian-friendly plan for the downtown area, which was damaged during the flood of 1955, includes widening sidewalks, creating public event spaces and adding landscaping and greenspace. It also aims to improve street lighting, form seating and gathering areas and preserve historic buildings, according to the city’s website.
Milligan spoke Tuesday during a panel discussion on local development held by Westport’s FLB Law in Norwalk’s SoNo Collection shopping mall.
One of the key topics he discussed was how to preserve the historic nature and buildings within the Wall Street corridor, a key commercial artery in Norwalk that includes Wall, River, Main, Isaacs, Commerce and Mott streets, West Avenue and Burnell Boulevard.
Milligan said using form-based zoning is one way to keep “the character of the buildings, because there’s too much incentive to take” them down.
Form-based zoning codes are intended to create uniform character and visual appeal in certain areas by regulating the physical form of proposed development, rather than the types of uses (i.e. industrial, retail, office or multifamily).
Essentially, it gives developers more discretion in determining the types of uses for a property.
“You can do whatever you’d like in them, within reason, within the rules, but you don’t have to provide parking,” Milligan said. “We’re not going to limit the density.”
Most towns and cities in the U.S. follow Euclidian codes, which designate areas for certain types of development, such as industrial, retail or multifamily housing.
In February 2024, Norwalk enacted a new set of regulations that enforced Euclidian code for single-family homes and form-based code for industrial and multifamily areas, according to the city’s website.
Milligan said many of the old buildings in the Wall Street area have no elevators, though, so their market appeal is limited.
There is little to no demand for office space or three-bedroom apartments on the third floor of buildings that lack elevators and parking, he said.
He said some of the old buildings in the corridor should be taken down for this reason.
“Just because it’s old doesn’t mean it’s well-built or worth preserving,” he said “Most of those buildings I think have been removed, or probably will be, but there’s quite a few that are worth preserving.”
