[beandoctor]

I'll be moving with my 3 year old to Trumbull this June (working at St. Vincent's in Bridgeport). I need a 3BR apartment or townhome, and I don't see many options -- only Avalon Gates and some occassional townhomes on craigslist. Can any of you comment on :

1. Avalon Gates in Trumbull as a place to live with a small kid
2. What are some names of developments with townhomes/condos for rent in Trumbull?

Thanks!

[JayCT]

There are not a lot of apartment rentals in Trumbull. Avalon is about the only game in town except for a few (very few) small condo complexes where you may find a rental. One of the problems I have with this location it is located very close to a public housing project just over the town line in Bridgeport. I would consider expanding your search to other towns like Shelton or Fairfield. Jay

[Kristin85]

I had friends who lived at Avalon Gates a few years ago that hated it because there were college students from Sacred Heart University living there who had non-stop parties. However, management may have implemented a policy within the past few years disallowing college kids from renting there. Sacred Heart also built more housing for its students so they may not be renting at Avalon anymore. Check with building management about the types of tenants that live there now. Without college kids it's a nice place but the prices are very steep.

I agree with Jay: consider opening up your search to surrounding towns. Depending on your budget, you could look into renting a single family home in Redding or Monroe in addition to checking out Jay's suggestions.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by Kristin85

I had friends who lived at Avalon Gates a few years ago that hated it because there were college students from Sacred Heart University living there who had non-stop parties. However, management may have implemented a policy within the past few years disallowing college kids from renting there. Sacred Heart also built more housing for its students so they may not be renting at Avalon anymore. Check with building management about the types of tenants that live there now. Without college kids it's a nice place but the prices are very steep.

I agree with Jay: consider opening up your search to surrounding towns. Depending on your budget, you could look into renting a single family home in Redding or Monroe in addition to checking out Jay's suggestions.

Kristen - Were there any issues relating to the public housing project just over the line in Bridgeport? I know it is there and have heard people say there are but you are the first person I know that actually had friends that lived there, so I would be interested in hearing their opinion. Jay

[Kristin85]

My friends that lived at Avalon Gates never mentioned anything about the public housing on Reservoir Ave. However, one of my mother's close friends lives directly across the street from the public housing complex you mentioned. (Go figure.) Yes, there is a major problem with crime. Her house has been broken into 3 times in the past few years while everyone was at work. Her family's cars have been stolen. The front of her home has been vandalised. On the plus side, no one in her home has been mugged while living there. Needless to say, she's counting down the days until she can get her pension and move.

[CTMainStreet]

You may have more options if you expand your search to surrounding towns as suggested earlier. Craigslist may yield better results because in searching MLS, there are only two rents currently available in Trumbull. When Fairfield and Shelton were added, the results jumped to 15.

[Aerialifts]

Look in Shelton, Monroe, Stratford, Milford, Avallon gates would not be my first selection, I have lived here my whole life. Search realtor .com

[seymourct]

Trumbull for many years had a very strict 1 acre zoning that was militantly enforced, when they were sued - then in came the influx of cluster homes and condos.

Avalon had a rough start, newspapers many moons ago reported that although the bld inspector watched the footing get poured, and watched the construction diligently, he tried to refuse a CO after construction was complete....citing that the footings were a few inches too shallow. Old time Trumbull's very sad attempt at keeping out all low income housing. Needless to say Avalon sued and the bld still stands, but is pretty much the only apartment complex.

Now yes, there are some old homes (turn of last century) that are on tiny lots around Trumbull Center and Police Depts, But other than that you won't find much

[JayCT]

This is not entirely true about Trumbull having strict 1 acre zoning. A large part of Long Hill which is the central part of town has much smaller lot sizes. Also some of Nichols too. Outlying areas like Tashua and Daniels farm though do have one acre zoning. It is true that for many years Trumbull had strictly single family zoning and it wasn't until more recently they were forced to accept alternative types of housing like condos and apartments. Jay

[seymourct]

Jay, Yes, but they are all older homes....somewhere back in time last century there was a concerted effort to not let any more small building lots in. Dear old Mom was a RE independant Broker starting in the 1970's. I'm guessing the zoning lock down was the late 1950's to around the end of the 1980's. I also remember hearing that in the 1990's Trumbull had only around 40 acres of undeveloped residential land...dont know what it is now...regardles... there are simply NOT a whole lot of apartment buildings.