Norwalk Jimmy John's Plans Approved By Zoning Commission

NORWALK, CT — Plans for the state's first Jimmy John's fast food restaurant in Norwalk were unanimously approved by the city's Zoning Commission during a recent meeting.

Plans to open the restaurant in a shopping center at 295 Westport Avenue were discussed at a commission meeting last month, during which the Jimmy John's team was asked to work with the city's Transportation, Mobility and Parking department to address traffic concerns at the space.

John Ryan, an attorney representing M.F. DiScala & Company, the owner of the property, said he thought the July meeting was productive and that a resolution was developed addressing the commission's concerns about the possibility of long lines spilling onto Westport Avenue.

Conditions outlined for the restaurant include ensuring there is additional and adequate traffic control from the Norwalk Police Department available during the restaurant's grand opening and up to 30 days after during lunchtime hours.

"The idea is that we understand when there is a new business in town, especially a restaurant, it's something shiny and new, and people like to go to that and gravitate towards it," Planning and Zoning Director Steve Kleppin said during the meeting, "so we anticipate that there is definitely going to be some initial increased traffic. We hope there's measures in place to deal with that."

Other traffic concerns for the space were also addressed, and Kleppin noted they worked closely with Transportation, Mobility and Parking to make sure the department approved of the conditions.

"We also have longer-term concerns," Kleppin said, "and we put some conditions in there that we think address that should that worst case scenario arise and the traffic problems persist, and so that's what these conditions hope to address."

Louis Schulman, the commission's chair, and commission member Richard Roina both noted they were pleased to see the resolution did a good job addressing the commission's concerns.

"The resolution is key here," Schulman said. "The concerns we expressed at the last meeting still exist, but this approval addresses them and gives the city the opportunity to make sure that this doesn't become an attractive nuisance."

Jimmy John's offers customers a variety of sandwiches and wraps featuring fresh produce on fresh-baked bread, according to their website. The sandwich chain operates a number of locations across the country, however, the Norwalk restaurant would mark the chain's first location in Connecticut.

The Norwalk Hour reports the restaurant will repurpose the building's existing drive-thru window. The property previously housed a Wells Fargo bank branch.

Ryan said it was unclear when the restaurant would open, however the building's renovation would likely take months to complete, according to the Norwalk Hour.

A full video of the Aug. 6 commission meeting can be viewed here.

Patch has reached out to the Norwalk Planning and Zoning Department for more information.