Danbury planners hear proposal to add physical‑therapy clinic at 100 Mill Plain Road

The Danbury Planning Commission on July 2 heard a public hearing on an application by 100 Mill Plain Road Investors LLC to convert professional office space to medical office use for a physical‑therapy tenant at 100 Mill Plain Road. The commission closed the hearing and moved the matter to old business for further action.

Attorney Tom Beecher, representing the applicant, said the building totals about 77,700 square feet and that prior commission approvals already allowed up to 7,874 usable square feet of medical office in the structure. "This current application merely seeks to add 1,381 usable square feet of medical space to the 7,874 previously approved," Beecher said, arguing the net increase is modest and compatible with the commercial arterial CA‑80 zoning.

The applicant submitted a traffic study by project engineer Thomas Wamser that used Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) trip generation rates. Wamser reported the proposed 5,314 gross‑square‑foot tenant (4,517 usable per the ITE formula) would produce an incremental increase of about 9 additional morning peak trips, 13 additional afternoon peak trips and roughly 133 total weekday trips. "We found marginal changes to the traffic, about a one‑second increase in delay and queue lengths increased by less than one car length," Wamser said, concluding the conversion would not have a significant operational impact on the roadway.

Commissioners questioned whether the ITE (2021) rates reflect post‑COVID hybrid work patterns; Wamser responded that the 2021 edition is the most recent published manual and draws on historical data and available studies rather than ongoing labor‑market shifts.

Public commenters spoke in favor of reusing vacant office space but urged caution on traffic and pedestrian connectivity. Paul Rotello supported the proposal as a way to fill long‑vacant space and expand medical services in the city, while urging the commission to prioritize sidewalk connections and remain attentive to left‑turn conflicts on Mill Plain Road. "I support the project," Rotello said, "but we just need to be cognizant of the fact that the traffic on Mill Plain is the primary issue." Another commenter noted that, during peak backups, exiting the site can take "15, 20, 25 minutes," and recommended anti‑blocking markings to keep lot exits clear.

Beecher told the commission the applicant would accept several staff‑requested conditions: adding the trip‑generation table to the revised site plan, submitting a pavement‑marking plan for the drive‑through lanes, providing new signage and revising driveway markings and stop bars. "That's really not the property owner's fault," Beecher said in response to concerns about drivers blocking exits; he suggested the city work with the state where signal timing is controlled by Connecticut Department of Transportation.

The commission closed the public hearing by motion and voice vote and then moved the application to Item 1 under old business for discussion and possible action. Commissioners expressed general support for converting underused office space to medical use but reiterated the need for sidewalk connections, the applicant's pavement and signage plans, and coordination with state authorities about signal timing on Mill Plain Road.

Next procedural steps noted during the meeting: staff reports are complete, the applicant will supply the revised site plan with the required tables and pavement‑marking plans if the commission conditions approval on those items, and the commission will continue consideration under old business (the next regular meeting is 07/16/2025).