P&Z Consider Rational Development...

If you attended the PZ zoning meeting last night, you would have left dumbfounded. Even the great rational Aristotle would be rolling over in his grave this morning....

The P & Z commission clearly admitted that they never 'had such a difficult decision to make' and secondly, 'we screwed up with our original zoning decisions'. But even more disconcerting, is the idea that family-owned landowners have NO real importance to some commissioners.  A perfect example of this was uttered by a new commissioner, when he implied that dozens of property owner's petitions were 'irrelevant' because they owned their own properties on the location in question.... Are you kidding me, of course their voices are important. One cannot simply dismiss public sentiment because they have a vested interest in their lands and the community as a whole. The majority of petitions submitted to P & Z supported rational development of a 8500 square foot medical building in between Bridgeport and the Trumbull Mall.

Last night, the chief contentious issue with the combined-lot amendment is that it allows for a monstrosity residential building (ie.condos, apartments, etc.) and/or a miniscule professional office.  That's it.  Apparently, there are NO intermediate rational development options. Having offered a modest FAR of 20%, with further highway restrictions, that would limit development to a miniscule part of Trumbull, would have made tremendous sense and was actually offered by commissioner Gariety.

But of course last nights charade has nothing to do with rationality it had to do with appeasing a small group of dissenters and more obviously, to post-pone a grown-up decision about Trumbull town planning by P & Z.

Aristotle states in his 'theory of the mean', one must always take the middle ground, or the 'mean', when evaluating a complex problem. That is to say, a 13,000 residential house verses a 2900 square foot office space are extreme options. A 8500 residential-like medical office is a compromise even the great philosophers would have agreed upon....

The elephant in the room last night was clear, make no mistake.  Unless you bring in '100 million to the town' like the 'Trumbull Westfield Mall' all other resident requests are off the table. Even Jamie Bratt, in her staffs reports alludes to the Westfield Mall in her opening paragraph. Suggesting, billionaire corporations are the stimulus for P & Z zoning changes, not middle-class property owners...

To date, the P & Z continues to post-pone any serious plan to rectify merged-lots in professional use zones. They bring up extraneous counterarguments, and admit that the current regulations are 'incomplete'. However, they refuse to 'complete' or clarify their stance. They apparently have no incentive, excluding a few commission members.

Sadly, the only way I see this commission getting its act together is when a giant conglomerate offers massive amounts of money to build a commercial monstrosity along Main Street. If that happens, the true clandestine nature of this P & Z board will be fully known.

For those handful of residents dissenting rational development, I would heed the advice of the commissioner last night. He suggested once Westfield Mall decides to develop, you will not be able to control future lots like you can now. Furthermore, the nebulous ruling by P & Z only will result in ongoing distrust by Trumbull families that are truly interested in preserving this town....

I submit that the P&Z committee create a reasonable and suitable amendment that satisfies residents, developers, and businesses as well-noted by commissioner Gariety.

More importantly, follow the theory of the 'mean', it is our most rational way to developing our town...