Since September, signal crews have been at work on White Plains Road between Daniels Farm Road and Reservoir Avenue, and the town has asked drivers to plan for delays and take other routes when they can.
The cones are the part everyone sees. Behind them, two other things are going on along the same half-mile. The plaza storefronts that sat dark are filling up. And the town has approved a building at the Reservoir Avenue corner that its own planner calls the gateway to "the Trumbull Center downtown area." Taken together, the three are moving the Center away from a road people drive through and toward a place the town wants people to walk.
What the Cones Are For
First Selectman Vicki Tesoro covered the project in her annual address to the business community on October 1. She called it the "long-awaited resignalization of traffic lights and other improvements at three major intersections along White Plains Road," carried out by the Connecticut Department of Transportation. Work began in September and will continue into the new year. She said the finished work will "improve both safety and traffic flow."
The town's September 8 roadway notice set the limits as Daniels Farm Road to Reservoir Avenue. That is Trumbull Center's main stretch. So the delays sit right on top of the businesses that have been filling in, and right beside the corner where the next building will go up.
White Plains Road is a state road, so the state is doing the signal work. That matters again further down, because the sidewalks the town wants at that corner also need state approval.
What the Cones Run Past
A year of openings has already reshaped the plaza side of the road.
Wonder, 965 White Plains Road. The food hall chain soft-opened July 21 and 22 and officially opened July 23, according to Patch. Patch confirmed the dates with Rina Bakalar, the town's Economic and Community Development Director. "Wonder is a food hall concept," Bakalar told Patch. "It brings food item choices from multiple restaurants to one place." It took over two storefronts between CVS and Starbucks, as the local site Old Exit 48 described it. One order can pull from several kitchens at once. The chain's Trumbull menu page currently lists more than two dozen, including these:
- Streetbird by Marcus Samuelsson
- Yasas and Chios Taverna, both by Michael Symon
- Di Fara Pizza and Detroit Brick Pizza Co.
- Ess-a-Bagel
- Tejas Barbecue
- SriPraPhai
- Bobby Flay Steak
The lineup changes. Patch's opening story named Magnolia Bakery, which is not on the current list.
Antonio's Kitchen & Bar, 921 White Plains Road. The space belonged to parker. Steak & Scotch until it closed that June, as the CT Post reported in November 2024. The town reported that the Trumbull Chamber held a ribbon cutting for the new restaurant on January 30. Antonio's takes reservations and online orders through its own site.
Qwik Pack & Ship, 938 White Plains Road. Tesoro included it in her list of businesses that opened over the past year, alongside Wonder.
All three opened before the cones went up. That order matters. The road work is a fix for traffic that is already there, and more is coming once the Reservoir Avenue corner is rebuilt.
The Corner the Town Calls the Gateway
At the Reservoir Avenue end of the work zone, the Planning and Zoning Commission has approved a two-story mixed-use building at 855 and 861 White Plains Road for Madison Properties LLC, according to CT Insider. CT Insider's earlier report on the proposal placed the site across from the Trumbull Center firehouse.
| Feature | Approved plan |
|---|---|
| Building size | 16,980 square feet, two stories |
| Ground floor | Five commercial spaces, retail or restaurant |
| Second floor | Ten one-bedroom apartments |
| Designated units | One affordable, one ADA-accessible |
| Parking | 65 spaces, plus six EV charging stations |
| Access | Driveways on both White Plains Road and Reservoir Avenue |
| Other | Bike racks |
The May proposal described an 8,500-square-foot building. The approved plan is roughly twice that.
The Commission's September 16 minutes show why this one lot carries so much weight. Town Planner Rob Librandi pointed to the Trumbull Center Corridor Study, which identifies these parcels as the Center's front door:
"...the Trumbull Center Corridor Study highlights the parcels in question as the gateway to the Trumbull Center downtown area and this project should be approached as a beacon for what the Commission would like to see happen in this area in terms of quality architecture, welcoming landscaping, and signage."
He also asked for signs marking the Trumbull Center area. Because the building can be seen from most directions, he wanted it designed with three sides that face the street.
Where the Sidewalks Come In
The approval comes with conditions. The one that ties this corner to the cones down the road is the sidewalk requirement. The building must have sidewalks along White Plains Road and Reservoir Avenue, subject to state approval. Commission Chairman Fred Garrity said the town wants the area to be walkable, which makes sidewalks and crosswalks important, as CT Insider reported. In the minutes, the condition reads that sidewalks will be installed "pending State approval or in a location of the Town's choosing."
In practice, this fall's two biggest changes to Trumbull Center both depend on the state. Connecticut is rebuilding the signals that decide how cars move through the corridor. The town's walkability goal for its gateway corner needs the state's approval before the sidewalks can go in. Tesoro presented the signal project as a matter of safety and traffic flow, and the commission presented the corner as a walkable gateway.
The other side of the road is also part of the picture. Tesoro said the town "continue[s] to work with the owner of Trumbull Center to encourage redevelopment of this important commercial property," and that an approved development project is already in place there.
The Calendar From Here
Here is how the timeline lays out from what has been reported so far:
- July 23, 2026. Wonder officially opens at 965 White Plains Road.
- September 2026. State signal work begins between Daniels Farm Road and Reservoir Avenue.
- September 16, 2026. Planning and Zoning holds its hearing on 855 and 861 White Plains Road.
- Early October 2026. CT Insider reports the approval on October 2.
- Into the new year. Signal work continues.
- 2027. Demolition of the two existing houses and the start of construction are expected, with the build taking about a year, according to CT Insider.
On that schedule, the cones should be gone well before the gateway building rises. When it opens, the corner adds five storefronts and ten apartments to a stretch where Wonder, Antonio's and Qwik Pack & Ship are already open, with new signals in place and sidewalks pending state approval.
Our team follows changes like these because they shape how Trumbull Center feels to the people who live here, and over time how buyers see the homes around it. If you live near White Plains Road and want to know where your home stands as the Center fills in, John Hackett can walk you through it. Request Your Free Home Valuation.
