Gov. Dannel Malloy Welcomes Green Investment In Norwalk

NORWALK, Conn. – The shopping and movie plaza at 542 Westport Ave. in Norwalk is receiving more than $700,000 in solar panels and exterior lighting upgrades under a public/private partnership spearheaded by Gov. Dannel Malloy.

The project is the first under the state’s Commercial and Industrial Property Assessed Clean Energy Program, which works with businesses and property owners to install energy-efficient and renewable energy improvements.

According to Robert Hartt, managing member of Hartt Realty Advisors LLC, which manages 542 Westport Ave., the project will save the complex and the businesses more than $17,000 in energy costs annually.

“We’re too expensive in this state, and it’s hurting businesses,” Malloy said during a ceremony at the shopping complex Monday. Joining Malloy were several state and local officials, including state Sen. Bob Duff (D-25), state Rep. Gail Lavielle (R-143) and Norwalk Mayor Richard Moccia. “We want to be cleaner, we want to be cheaper and we want to be more competitive.”

Funding for the project is supplied as a loan by a newly created Clean Energy Finance and Investment Authority, or “green bank,” that state officials established to help businesses pay for energy-efficient upgrades.

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