NORWALK — As the Stew Leonard’s expansion, which will include permanently enclosing the outdoor retail space, kicks into high-gear, an indoor garden center is expected to be completed in less than two months.
“We are hoping to have the garden center substantially completed by the end of November,” Stew Leonard’s director of public relations Meghan Bell said. “The siding should be put on in the next few weeks and two new compressors for the more environmentally friendly CO2 refrigerant have also just been installed on the roof.”
The entire parking lot will be re-paved by the spring, Bell said.
The addition will be located on the west side of the building, and construction to permanently enclose the outdoor retail space previously reserved for its garden products is nearly complete. Customers will be able to enter the store from the new garden center and peruse a variety of indoor plants and gardening essentials throughout the year, Bell previously said.
“For the most part, no real delays to speak of and everything seems to be going smoothly,” Bell said. “The Leonard family has been very pleased with the progress and they are excited for our customers to see the new space once it is complete.”
To the left of the garden center, Stew Leonard’s plans to expand its entrance to house its farmers market and add a second floor for office space for store staff. Construction on that addition will begin in late spring or early summer 2023, according to Bell.
The garden center and farmers market will add 10,500 square feet to the supermarket’s existing 130,000-square-foot headquarters on Westport Avenue.
The supermarket doesn’t anticipate the construction to inconvenience customers as they shop at the store.
Norwalk Planning and Zoning approved the project in August 2021. The city previously approved a special permit for Stew Leonard’s in 2008 for a similar project that would have added 18,000 square feet to the building. Construction never started on the project and the permit expired.
Abigail Brone can be reached at abigail.brone@hearstmediact.com.