Despite concerns, P&Z OKs White Plains Road office

TRUMBULL — The Planning and Zoning Commission has approved a plan to add an attorney office at 807 and 811 White Plains Road, despite some concerns from neighbors about how a planned exit onto Sunset Avenue could affect that small, residential road.

At the commission’s Nov. 16 meeting, attorney Raymond Rizio, who represented the applicants, presented the plan, which would merge two building lots at the corner of White Plains Road and Sunset Avenue, and call for the construction of a 2,583-square-foot building. The one-story building would contain an attorney office, and would be designed in character with the surrounding residential neighborhood.

In general, Rizio said, he expected the impact of the firm, particularly on traffic, to be minimal.

“What’s happened, even post pandemic, is that a lot of meetings are held through Zoom,” Rizio said. “A lot of closings are done through mail. The amount of traffic through a law firm is probably the least I’ve seen in 35 years. People have learned to work remotely.”

He predicted that the office would only generate about three or four cars through the area per day.

But some neighbors took issue with the route through which clients would leave the building.

Rizio said clients would enter the building from White Plains Road, but would exit onto Sunset Avenue, a one-way street that would lead vehicles north to White Plains Road.

During the public comment portion of the hearing, White Plains Road resident Rachael Shove said she was concerned about the effect the cars coming out of the office parking lot would have on Sunset Avenue. She said Sunset is “lightly traveled, very narrow and a residential road,” as opposed to White Plains Road.

“White Plains Road is designed to absorb the additional traffic,” Shove said. “Sunset (Avenue) right now is not.”

Commissioner Richard Deecken also wondered why Sunset was being used as the exit, as opposed to having traffic enter and exit onto White Plains Road.

Rizio said using Sunset as an exit was done at the suggestion of the commission, to decrease the volume of traffic on White Plains Road.

“We all know what White Plains Road is like,” he said.

Another neighbor, Rebecca Rizzo, of Elberta Avenue, said her street runs parallel to Sunset. She said some people already “cheat” and go the wrong way down Sunset when cutting through the area, which can create safety concerns.

“I think that exit is going to impact the neighborhood,” she said.

Rizio emphasized that the law office likely would not create a great influx of traffic onto Sunset. He added that “the fact people cheat and try go down wrong way is more of a police issue” than a zoning one.

The commission unanimously approved the plan, but on the condition that the project included adding signs indicating there is no right turn onto Sunset Ave. when exiting the office.