Purpose and intent. The purpose of this zone is to provide for the
continued growth and development of Norwalk Hospital in a manner compatible
with the surrounding residential neighborhood. Hospital facilities
shall be designed within the capacity of the infrastructure necessary
to support such operations. The provisions of this zone permit hospital
facilities and specified accessory uses, which are supportive of,
but clearly subordinate to, the primary hospital facility.
A voluntary, not-for-profit, acute care and short-term general
hospital licensed by the State of Connecticut; which provides medical,
surgical, psychiatric and obstetrical care primarily to inpatients
and emergency room, ambulatory and clinical care for outpatient diagnosis
and treatment and other uses customarily associated with a hospital.
A "hospital" shall include, but is not limited to, offices for hospital
administrators and hospital employees, including physicians who work
for or are under contract with the hospital; hospital support facilities,
such as medical laboratories, diagnostic testing centers, physical
therapy and inpatient pharmaceutical facilities; storage facilities
for medical equipment and supplies; hospital operations and maintenance
facilities, such as food service and laundry facilities, housekeeping
and maintenance storage areas; extended care facilities; overnight
accommodations and cafeteria facilities for on-duty hospital employees
and medical residents; medical libraries, research and educational
facilities; cogeneration, incineration, water, electrical and heating
equipment facilities; and off-street parking facilities.
Regulations for hospital zone development. Hospital zone development shall be permitted by Special Permit in accordance with the provisions of § 118-1450, Special Permits, and the other requirements of this section, and shall include the following principal and accessory uses:
Accessory uses and structures. The following accessory uses
which are incidental to and customarily associated with the principal
use of the premises shall be permitted in a Hospital Zone, provided
that the cumulative floor area devoted to such uses does not exceed
25% of the gross floor area of the hospital:
Offices for private physicians affiliated with and having staff
privileges at the hospital and their employees, which may include
private examination rooms, limited to no more than 10% of the gross
floor area of the hospital.
All areas of the site not used for building, parking, walks
and drives shall be suitably landscaped. New construction shall be
designed and carried out in a manner which results in the least disturbance
to the existing landscape features of the site.
Lot and building requirements. See the Schedule Limiting Height and
Bulk of Buildings, Commercial and Industrial, and all other applicable
sections of these regulations, and in addition:
The height, bulk, location and use of all buildings and parking
lots in existence or for which Special Permits have been issued as
of the effective date of this section are hereby declared to be in
conformance with the requirements of this section, provided that if
such buildings are destroyed by fire, explosion, act of God or act
of public enemy to an extent exceeding 50% of their assessed value,
they may be reconstructed only if the height, bulk, location and use
of the building is substantially as it had previously existed, subject
to approval by the Director of Planning and Zoning. The owners of
such property shall document by A-2 survey or other means, the height,
bulk, location and use of the building as it had previously existed.
On lots where the principal use is a private physician's
office or a D Residence use, developments shall comply with the Schedule
Limiting Height and Bulk of Buildings, Residential: D Residence, over
six dwelling units.
If two or more parcels of land are recorded on the Norwalk Land
Records as being under the ownership of Norwalk Health Services Corporation
or its subsidiaries and are divided by a public street, such lots
shall be considered as one for the purposes of these regulations.
A maximum building height of nine stories and 115 feet and six
stories and 75 feet shall be permitted for any portion of a hospital
building within the nine-story or six-story building areas, respectively,
as shown on the A-2 survey of the Hospital zone filed in the Norwalk
Land Records.
Stair and elevator towers and appurtenant vestibules, of two
hundred (200) square feet or less, shall be exempt from the maximum
building height and story limitations of this section and as shown
in the Schedule Limiting Height and Bulk of Buildings and Size of
Lot, Commercial and Industrial Part 2 for the Hospital Zone.
Entrances and exits to parking and loading areas shall be located
and directional signs shall be placed so as to direct traffic away
from local residential streets.
Buildings within a Hospital Zone may be attached or connected
by an enclosed aboveground walkway which may cross a public street,
subject to review and approval by the Director of Public Works and
the Norwalk Common Council. Such aboveground walkways and their associated
elevators or stairwells shall be exempt from the setback provisions
of this regulation.
All signs shall be setback a minimum of five feet from any property
line and shall otherwise comply with the Exterior Signage and Graphics
Manual, as approved by the Zoning Commission.