By Thane Grauel

WESTPORT — The Planning and Zoning Commission on Monday night narrowly approved a parking management plan for an office building being converted to medical offices.

The primary occupant will be the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, which has leased the first floor of the 30,000-square-foot building, according to Richard Redniss of Redniss and Meade, speaking on behalf of the applicant, 191 Post Property Owner LLC.

The building at 191 Post Road West was built as offices in 1980. In January, the P&Z approved a text amendment to local zoning regulations providing flexibility in parking requirements and allowing a changeover to medical offices.

The text amendment allowed the owner to apply for the new parking management plan. In addition to changing the parking, it also includes a new entrance canopy and facade modifications.

The soon-to-be medical building is behind the Schulhof Animal Hospital, where the Post Road has a sharp bend and intersects with Kings Highway North. It’s across a stream and up a hill from Kings Highway Elementary School’s fields.

The building shares a driveway and parking with the animal hospital. Redniss said an underground parking area could have cars parked by a valet in tandem.

Perhaps to pave the way for parking changes, the medical building’s owner will contribute $50,000 for a town project to rebuild the sidewalk along Post Road West and install a new bus shelter. That project will be managed by the town, and also will utilize federal American Rescue Plan Act money.

Other bus shelters are planned along the Post Road corridor, where passengers waiting for buses in many places now have to stand by the side of the road in the sun, rain or snow.

“It’s very exciting to hear about a new bus shelter being added,” commission member Marcia Falk said. “And I know there’s been so much discussion about wanting to add more bus shelters along the Post Road.”

Commission members Michael Cammeyer, Jon Olefson and Marcia Falk voted in favor of the parking management plan.

Patrizia Zucaro and John Bolton voted against.

Thane Grauel, the Westport Journal executive editor, grew up in Westport and has been a journalist in Fairfield County and beyond more than three decades. Learn more about us here.