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Learn About Norwalk's Coastal Area Management Zone
What is Norwalk's Coastal Area Management Zone?
Norwalk is a coastal community—one of the oldest and most historic communities on Long Island Sound. In 1614, the Dutch explorer Adriaen Block sailed by the Norwalk Islands and, in perhaps the first written description of this area, called them the Archipelagoes. The community began in 1640 when English settlers purchased Native lands between the Norwalk and Five Mile rivers, extending from Long Island Sound inland for a distance “as far up in the country as an Indian can go in a day, from sun rising to sun setting.”
Since the first settlement, Norwalk’s character and quality of life have been tied intrinsically to the water and shoreline resources of Long Island Sound and the Norwalk Harbor. Today, the City’s connection to its harbor and Long Island Sound is as vital as ever. It is fair to say that the coastal area is Norwalk’s most important natural resource area, providing a variety of environmental, economic, and cultural benefits and opportunities.
Thinking about purchasing waterfront property or are you considering doing some work on your coastal property? First check out CT DEEP's Coastal Property Owner's Guide to review some questions you should ask before jumping in.
State of Connecticut Regulation
Activities within Tidal Waters or Tidal Wetlands, at or below the Coastal Jurisdiction Line (CJL), or certain activities that impact tidal resources are under the jurisdiction of the State of Connecticut through DEEP. The installation or alteration of docks, alteration of marsh vegetation, or alteration or installation of any hard structure, such as seawalls, revetments or groins.
Municipal Regulation
The Connecticut Coastal Management Act sets the coastal boundary line marking the area within which the provisions of the CCMA apply, including the requirements for coastal site plan review (CSPR). CSPR is the process through which proposed development projects within the designated coastal boundary area must be reviewed by municipal planning and zoning agencies to ensure that the potential adverse impacts of the proposed activity on both coastal resources and future water-dependent development activities are acceptable. These properties need to consider the impacts of their actions on the Long Island Sound ecosystem more than their counterparts outside of the Coastal Management Zone. For this reason, certain actions within the Coastal Area Management Zone need to fill out a Coastal Area Management (CAM) form.
State-wide, the coastal management boundary is a continuous line delineated by a 1,000-foot curvilinear setback from the mean high water (MHW) line, a 1,000-foot setback from the inland boundary of state-regulated tidal wetlands, or the inland boundary of the “100-year” floodplain, whichever is farthest inland. As authorized by the CCMA, Norwalk modified the state-designated coastal boundary within the City’s jurisdiction to follow a more identifiable rectilinear path along either the nearest street, lot line, or other boundary, but always encompassing the area within the state-delineated boundary. This is Norwalk’s coastal boundary line officially shown on the city’s Building Zone Map. This line delineates the inland extent of the land and water area often referred to as the Norwalk Coastal Area Management (CAM) Area.
Find out if you're in the Coastal Area Management Plan by viewing the map below: