Plan Of Conservation And Development–—

Selectmen Seek To Move Planning Document

From The Shelf Into Community Life

By John Voket

Two of Newtown’s three selectmen who were in attendance July 19 for a regular Board of Selectmen meeting heard the first half of a presentation by top local land use officials, and came away with a vision for a possible sidewalk loop that would connect the town center with several schools and recreational facilities as well as Sandy Hook center.

First Selectman Pat Llodra and Selectman Will Rodgers both told The Bee following the meeting Monday the presentation motivated them to determine how to put enforcement “teeth” and implementation processes into Newtown’s Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD). The pair — Selectman Bill Furrier was absent — are also interested in learning how to compel local agencies and departments to produce and report back measurable outcomes when using the comprehensive planning tool.

Mrs Llodra said both George Benson, Newtown’s director of Planning & Land Use, and the agency’s Deputy Director Rob Sibley came to the meeting to begin discussing various points in the POCD where the Board of Selectmen are specifically referenced, or are listed as playing a role.

Mr Rodgers said the introductory presentation was particularly valuable because up to that point, neither he nor Mrs Llodra were fully aware of all of the specific points where the selectmen were mentioned in the plan.

Mr Benson told The Bee that in preparing for the selectmen’s meeting, he and Mr Sibley, along with the assistance of two department interns, combed through the lengthy planning document to locate every reference to the town’s elected executive board. His department then created what he thought would be a practical appendix for the revised plan, that would break down not only the selectmen’s roles, but the specific roles of any other town agencies and departments referenced in the POCD.

“People say Newtown has no long-term planning, but there it is,” he said, hefting the phone book-sized POCD, which was last revised in 2004. “It’s just not being utilized properly, or it’s underutilized. We just need to update and reorganize the document so everybody will be able to use it.”

Selectmen Support Required

Currently, Mr Benson believes the land use agency is the primary user of the POCD. But in identifying the various roles and references to the Board of Selectmen Monday, he related a need for specific language that would tie the board’s support to mitigating issues the land use department developed related to town-owned property or buildings.

“The presentation did a really good job focusing on seven of the 14 identified recommendations that connect the Board of Selectmen to land use, and where the selectmen have a primary role,” Mrs Llodra said. “I think what is most important is determining how we can build a culture around the POCD so it has processes to implement.”

She added that today, the POCD is not serving as a driving force behind decisionmaking, and that whether by policy or ordinance, she would seek to clarify points in the document so departments using it can “not only report on how the future will look, but then be held accountable for an action plan to get there.”

Mr Rodgers explained that state statutes mandate the establishment and a schedule to revise the POCD, but the statutes fail to direct how town departments should utilize and follow the plan.

“That’s why a lot of local plans end up sitting on the shelf,” Mr Rodgers said. “Since we are charged to do so in our charter, it will be up to the selectmen to develop an implementation policy.”

During the meeting, the selectmen also learned that Mr Sibley was in the final stage of being trained as a FEMA-certified flood plain manager. Upon completion of his training this week, Mr Sibley would not only be the only official in Newtown to complete this certification, but among just a few municipal officials in the region to achieve the Federal Emergency Management Agency designation.

As part of the training, Mr Sibley attended training sessions in Wallingford as well as in Washington, D.C. Mrs Llodra said the town would begin to see benefits from Mr Sibley’s FEMA training immediately.

“Since Mr Sibley will be qualified under FEMA standards to ensure Newtown is in complete conformity with the National Flood Insurance Program,” Mrs Llodra said.

Sidewalk Loop

Another conceptual proposal that caught the selectmen’s attention involved the possible development of an integrated sidewalk loop that would connect Sandy Hook Center to the Queen Street area, as well as several schools, and Fairfield Hills.

Mr Benson said if the town could gain traction on the sidewalk proposal, he might be able to access grants to help underwrite parts of the project through the federal Safe Routes To School program.

“With a plan in place, we can begin looking for funding,” Mr Benson said. “But we could also begin requiring any individual developers of properties touching the loop to include sidewalks.”

Mr Benson added that such a requirement is already in place in the Borough of Newtown, so extending it for the purpose of constructing a safe, walkable sidewalk route connecting other areas of town should be relatively easy.

During this part of the discussion Monday, Mr Rodgers said he suggested the land use agency coordinate with the Police Commission, which is the town’s traffic authority. He said the Police Commission might be able to see different ways implementing a sidewalk program could also contribute to better or safer general traffic flow around town.

“You can actually enhance traffic management by developing sidewalks,” Mr Rodgers said.

“We’re very interested in moving forward with this idea,” Mrs Llodra added. “It engages as many as five of our schools and it addresses some very compelling quality of life initiatives.”

In relation to other parts of the POCD that support Newtown’s village districts or hamlets, Mrs Llodra wondered if it was time to create design districts in Botsford and Dodgingtown. Sandy Hook, Hawleyville, and the South Main Street corridor including areas of the borough already have such districts in place.

“Maybe it’s time to bring in Botsford and Dodgingtown to create a grand vision for the entire town,” Mrs Llodra said of that aspect of the POCD. She said that the full board of selectmen is scheduled to hear the second half of the POCD presentation at its next regular meeting.