.bodytext {float: left; } .floatimg-left-hort { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right: 10px; width:300px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-caption-hort { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:300px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-vert { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right:15px; width:200px;} .floatimg-left-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; font-size: 10px; width:200px;} .floatimg-right-hort { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px;} .floatimg-right-caption-hort { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimg-right-vert { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px;} .floatimg-right-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; border-top-style: double; border-top-color: black; border-bottom-style: double; border-bottom-color: black;} .floatimgright-sidebar p { line-height: 115%; text-indent: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar h4 { font-variant:small-caps; } .pullquote { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 150px; background: url(http://www.dmbusinessdaily.com/DAILY/editorial/extras/closequote.gif) no-repeat bottom right !important ; line-height: 150%; font-size: 125%; border-top: 1px solid; border-bottom: 1px solid;} .floatvidleft { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatvidright { float:right; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} Norwalk may soon get a lot bigger. The Norwalk City Council on Thursday will hold a public hearing regarding a plan to annex 2,008 acres of land on the city’s northwest side, which would increase the city’s land area by more than three square miles, or about 40 percent.

The annexation would extend the city boundaries to 40th Avenue to the west, County Line Road to the north and County Road G14 to the south.

The voluntary annexation, which could be a first step toward further development in that area, began more than a year ago at the request of a number of larger landowners in that area, said Chris Nosbisch, Norwalk’s community development director. After those larger landowners signed voluntary annexation petitions, the city approached the smaller landowners, and has since received voluntary applications from owners of 88 percent of the land area, Nosbisch said.

“Getting them in the city limits is obviously the first step (toward development),” he said. “Then we will take individual applications as they’re submitted.” Nosbisch said he doesn’t expect large amounts of development within the next five years, however. In addition to farmland, the area already contains about five subdivisions that are mostly completed.

Provided the city council approves the annexation, the request will then move to the state’s City Development Board for final consideration.