Planning Commission approves apartment complex

NORWALK – Approval of the Alondra Maidstone Mixed Use project was confirmed by the city Planning Commission Wednesday evening.

The project, which consists of 209 apartments at the former location of the Norwalk swap meet, was sent back for review on Jan.11 so city staff could address parking accommodations and concerns.

Shapell Properties Inc. and city staff added 11 stalls making the total parking space 421, according to the staff report. They also created an additional 19 parking spots that could be built on the street, 15 on the east and four on the west.

Doug Griffith, the vice president of development for Shapell Properties, explained additional changes to the complex.

“We managed to make some parking stalls from areas that were landscaping,” Griffith said. “We heard the request to create more parking and we wanted to maximize that request.”

During public comments, community members, who did not give their full names, expressed concerns about traffic in the area, as Cerritos College and Excelsior Adult School are nearby. The construction of the Sprouts grocery store created a traffic concern as well.

Traffic engineer Shirva Briggs assured the commission and Norwalk residents that traffic in the area would not become an issue.

“We prepared the traffic study and evaluated the intersection of Alondra at Maidstone as well as the laundrette on Pioneer blvd,” Briggs said. “We identified that the intersection with the existing configuration would operate within an acceptable level of service.”

Public safety director Ozzie Ramos encouraged the commission to conduct outreach to residents in the vicinity to make them aware of the new parking situation.

The commission voted unanimously to approve the mixed-use apartment complex.