209 apartments and retail proposed at 11600 Alondra Boulevard in Norwalk

The large, empty site that was once home to the Norwalk Swap Meet could be redeveloped with a mixed-use project featuring housing and commercial space, according to a notice distributed by the City of Norwalk.

Shapell Properties, Inc., owner of the eight-acre site at 11600 Alondra Boulevard, is seeking city approvals to clear the parking lot and foundation that once served the swap meet to make way for a new project consisting of 209 one-, two-, and three-bedroom  apartments and up to 3,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space. Plans also call for 410 parking stalls to serve commercial and residential tenants, located in garages, car ports, and curbside spaces.

AO is designing the proposed development, which is referred to as Alondra Maidstone for its two cross streets. Plans call for the construction of eleven separate buildings which would range between two and three stories in height. Renderings depict the new structures with Modern Farmhouse style architecture, while a site plan shows a network of internal streets, green spaces, and paseos, as well as shared amenities such as a club house and a swimming pool.

Additionally, while the ground level along Alondra Boulevard is envisioned with commercial space, those street-fronting spaces may also be incorporated into live/work homes in the units above.

According to an initial study published by the City of Norwalk, construction of the Alondra Maidstone development is expected to occur over a roughly 24-month period, starting as early as Fall 2023 and concluding by Fall 2025.

The project joins a growing collection of large mixed-use developments now being considered by Norwalk officials, including proposals that would bring housing and commercial spaces to the city's Civic Center and the site of a shuttered youth prison.

• Norwalk (Urbanize LA)