Modifications being sought for Norwalk school under construction

Construction is underway on the South Norwalk Elementary School, an estimated $76 million project on 11.74 acres that is the city’s first neighborhood school in more than 40 years serving grades Pre-K to 5. The school is being built on the former Hatch and Bailey Lumber Company property at 1 Meadow Street Extension, which was acquired by the city. Parcels immediately adjacent to the school site that were not originally involved in the project have now been purchased by the city for $2.9 million. The state of Connecticut is expected to reimburse 60% of the project’s cost.

The city is asking it Planning Commission to approve modifications to the originally approved special permit and coastal site plan now that it owns the adjacent properties. The new properties include 28, 32, 36 and 38 Oxford St., 16 Meadow St. Extension, and three other pieces of land known as Parcel A and lots 8 & 9. The modifications would including addition of a basketball court, relocating the main driveway entrance and creating a driveway to connect an ancillary parking lot with the main parking area.

The new school will have a maximum capacity of 682 students with the intended occupancy at approximately 85% of capacity. The proposed building will be two stories for a total of approximately 86,000 square feet. The anticipated completion of the new school is in late summer 2025 in time t open for the 2025-26 school year.

At the April groundbreaking for the school, Norwalk’s Mayor Harry Rilling noted that elementary school students living in the southern part of the city currently “have to wake up in the morning, get on a bus and drive all the way across town to go to school, and their neighbor may go to a different school than them. But that is all about to change.”

Connecticut’s Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz said, “This project will remove obstacles that parents and students were forced to face by having to enroll in various schools outside of their neighborhood and throughout the city. When we invest in the wellbeing of our students, teachers, and schools, the returns on our investment will be seen for generations to come.”

Connecticut State Department of Education Deputy Commissioner Charles Hewes said, “We all know the importance of education in shaping the future. By investing in this new school, Norwalk is investing in the success and well-being of generations to come. It’s a decision that speaks volumes about this city’s commitment to excellence and progress.”