Trumbull thwarts progress with a laughable regulation
Town of Trumbull presents two contradictory sides.
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On the one hand - the First Selectman Tim Herbst declares Trumbull as a business-friendly town and welcomes new residents, developers and investors. Then we have to live with a laughable regulation of Planning and Zoning of Trumbull that thwarts progress.
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Again and again - the Planning & Zoning of Trumbull is unable to fix an omission about lot mergers they did not think through initially when the POOZ-regulation (Article II) was put together and introduced a few years ago.
Not only limiting the building size for an over one acre lot to 2900SF regressive - IT IS LAUGHABLE as pointed out by our Atty. John Fallon and Commissioner Fred Garrity last night. If two half acre lots are not merged, then the regulation allows 2500SF structure on each half-acre lot; however when merged – they are limited to 2900SF – an arbitrary number that chokes Trumbull development.
The Commission denied an Amendment that would have allowed a FAR of 20% for POOZ development when some structures like Residential-Condominiums and Affordable-Housing can go up to 50% and higher.
Our proposal for the Main Street development project would have achieved the following:
A medical building in the fashion of Dr. Patregnalli Building (7500SF) opposite Townhall that has the same zoning as our lot, but with 40% lesser land (0.75 acre versus 1.05acre). As a precedent, we should be allowed to build 10,500SF medical building considering land proportionality.
State-of-the-Art building that looks Residential, but embraces - latest designs/materials/equipment/ technologies (including green technologies)
Luscious landscape for both occupants and neighbors since the larger acreage is well suited for it.
Most importantly – 25-30, well paying, local jobs that would have raised the Town Revenue many fold than the restrictive 2900SF regulation.
What is even more illogical is that the regulations allow us to put up a residence with same facade and look that can be 13,688SF; Instead of doctor’s office configuration, this lookalike building will have 8 bedrooms, 10 bathrooms and larger than normal living quarters!
So now the land will sit idle not for years, but for decades and maybe a century for our great, great, great grandchildren since we hail from India where our great, great, great grandfathers bought land for less than pennies or were given free, which now is worth in tens of USD millions! [In the case of my wife, the free land came to honor the OBE (Order of the British Empire) status of her ancestors and India’s Partition of 1947 bestowed free land to my refugee grandparents; A great example of - God Taketh and God Giveth.]
