Officials discuss, look at transit solutions for i.park The Norwalk Hour September 20, 2007
By Robert Koch
NORWALK — With the former Perkin-Elmer Corp. at 761 Main Ave. being reshaped into offices, a health club and hospital space, city officials are mulling boosting public transportation options.
Norwalk Transit District Administrator Lou Schulman met recently with Tad Diesel, the city's director of marketing and business development, and Lynne M. Ward, vice president of National RE/sources, which is redeveloping the nearly 30-acre property into i.park Norwalk.
"It seems pretty clear from their plan that i.park is going to need more service," Schulman said. "I asked (Ward) to take a look at the demographics of the employees that will be there, so we can determine the level and type of public service."
When completed, i.park Norwalk will be a mixed-use development with offices, an LA Fitness health club, space for Norwalk Hospital, and perhaps apartments.
"Based upon current lease negotiations, I believe the current office structure will have approximately 1,200 employees. The LA (Fitness) structure will have approximately 30 employees with 1,000 members to start," Ward said. "There has been considerable interest to build offices instead of the proposed apartment structure.
That would raise the number of workers at the site to 2,500-plus easily."
Ward said i.park employees will come from Norwalk and the surrounding areas by train, bus and car. "A shuttle bus to the South Norwalk station, in the interim before a restored train stop, (would) be extremely well-used and a boost to the i.park rollout of its space," Ward said.
Michael B. Greene, Norwalk's planning and zoning director, said i.park has mentioned it would like to see the Kent Road train station in Wilton reactivated. The train stop once served Perkin-Elmer.
"We support (reactivation), but it was not part of the approval (of i.park)," Greene said. "It's not even in Norwalk, so we have no control over that."
Norwalk Hospital's use of i.park will consist of five hospital units with administrative offices and medical consultation practices, including women's health, pediatrics, internal medicine and dermatology, Ward said.
At present, the Transit District operates a shuttle from the South Norwalk Train Station to 10-20 Danbury Road in Wilton. The shuttle now operates close to capacity, according to Schulman.
"Ridership on all our shuttles is growing," Schulman said. "In order for me to make the case to purchase additional equipment, we'd work with the (state) Department of Transportation."
In addition, the Transit District Route 4 Wheels Bus runs down Main Avenue. The bus circles in the Wal-Mart parking lot across the street from i.park Norwalk. Schulman said the district, at present, has neither the money nor equipment to boost that service.
Lastly, a Route 7 bus running from Danbury to Norwalk passes the site, Schulman said.
