By Thane Grauel

WESTPORT — A multi-story, mixed-use development on the Norwalk-Westport town line would eliminate several houses on Renzulli Road, and, as zoners noted at a recent meeting, loom high over neighboring Westport homes.

The discussion appeared to highlight concerns about differences in how the municipalities address development and neighbors’ concerns.

Several Westport properties are on the abutting neighbors’ notification list for the project by Coastal Luxury Homes, which is represented by Redniss and Mead of Stamford. They include homeowners on Rivard Crescent, off Kings Highway South.

Renzulli Road is bisected by the Westport-Norwalk town line.

The private road theoretically connects Kings Highway South and the Post Road, but has been long had formidable private-road signs and barriers to ward off any such traffic, something of a suburban Checkpoint Charlie.

Under the plan, the road in Norwalk would end with a cul de sac at the complex. The Westport stretch would have a cul de sac a short way in.

The project area encompasses 556 Westport Ave., which for a while was a party supply store and wine shop; 558 Westport Ave., and since the mid-1980s has been the most recent home of 93-year-old business Sanitary Cleaners; and 4, 6, 8 and 10 Renzulli Road.

The development would have retail spaces on the ground level, and 136 residential units. It also would have an outdoor pool and sidewalks near an undeveloped area that includes wetlands.

The applicant has requested from Norwalk a zoning map amendment and a site plan approval.

“The property straddles the municipal boundary line,” Westport Planning and Zoning Director Mary Young told the Westport Planning and Zoning Commission earlier this week.

“It certainly affects Westport, but there is no work in Westport,” she said. “It’s limited to the jurisdiction of Norwalk.”

She said the Westport P&Z staff is working on a draft letter to Norwalk and asked for P&Z members’ input.

Westport Planning and Zoning Commission member Michael Cammeyer expressed concern about drainage, and that it be routed away from Westport.

“It’s a sensitive issue on our P&Z, I don’t know if it’s a sensitive issue on their P&Z,” he said.

Westport P&Z Chairwoman Danielle Dobin weighed in.

“I thought you’d find this really interesting, most of you know there’s the big rental building, The Westporter, that’s across from Whole Foods in Westport, but it’s in Norwalk,” she said. “So this is going to be real competition for them. This is a building that’s designed to beat them.”

“It’s going to loom over the back yard of one, two, three Westport properties it looks like,” said Westport P&Z member Paul Lebowitz.

Member Patrizia Zucaro said those neighbors are on Rivard Crescent.

Dobin said that when Westport sends neighbor notification letters, it’s in a way it doesn’t look like junk mail, going unnoticed.

“Is there a way for us to ensure that those neighbors know what’s going on?” Dobin asked Young. “Can we send them a letter?”

Young said yes.

“Whether or not they were notified, we can notify them,” Young said.

Dobin said she wasn’t suggesting Norwalk didn’t properly notify Westporters, but recalled earlier situations with applicants.

“As you remember, the developers, before we forced them to put Westport P&Z as the return address, it would be in a blank envelope with no return address sometimes,” Dobin said.

Young said, “Why not double down, and send it in one of our envelopes, which might be perceived as important enough to open?”

“That would be great,” Dobin said.

Lebowitz said the outdoor pool at the complex would “hard-up against” a neighbor’s property.

“It’s the kind of thing we would pay a great deal of attention to, were it in our purview,” he said. “So hopefully they’ll hear our request to play nice in the sandbox.”

Thane Grauel, executive editor, grew up in Westport and has been a journalist in Fairfield County and beyond more than three decades. Reach him at editor@westportjournal.com. Learn more about us here.