Town Plan Update Aims

To Clarify Document

By Andrew Gorosko

Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) members have met with representatives of the Board of Selectmen and the Legislative Council, as the P&Z continues its update of the 2004 Town Plan of Conservation and Development.

At a recent P&Z session, First Selectman Pat Llodra, representing the Board of Selectmen, thanked P&Z members for expediting their update of the decennial planning document.

The town plan had been scheduled for an update by 2014, but P&Z members have set 2012 as the target completion date for the project.

The current comprehensive plan, which the P&Z approved in March 2004, addresses a broad range of issues facing the town, including: community character, conservation, natural resources, open space, housing, economic development, community facilities, and transportation. The voluminous document lists a broad range of planning goals for the town.

The state requires cities and towns to update their plans at least once every ten years. A town plan is an advisory document that provides local officials with guidance for public decisionmaking. The P&Z often cites whether a given development proposal adheres to or conflicts with the tenets of the town plan when, respectively, approving or rejecting construction applications.

Mrs Llodra said she hopes the updated town plans focuses on improving local neighborhoods, noting that Newtown is a geographically large town which may expect an eventual 25 percent increase in population. It is unclear, however, whether such population growth would occur by 2030, she said.

The first selectman suggested that P&Z members use the planning document to encourage the creation public amenities, such as sidewalks and bicycle paths.

“It’s really about the quality of life,” and the fostering of a sense of community, she said.

P&Z Chairman Lilla Dean said that involving the public in revising the town plan has not been a simple matter. People tend to be involved in their own interests, and not necessarily interested in revising a municipal planning document, she said.

The P&Z plans to hold sessions on updating the town plan at the start of its regular twice-monthly meetings, she said. If that approach does not prove successful, some other approach would be employed, Ms Dean said.

Public officials are aware of residents’ interest in preserving local open space, Mrs Llodra said.

Also, local officials are aware of residents’ traffic concerns, Mrs Llodra said. The town plan should address local traffic issues, she added.

Considering that the average age of local residents is increasing, town officials should now consider the planning implications of that situation, Mrs Llodra said.

The selectmen would help the P&Z update the town plan to create a sound tool for local decisionmaking, Mrs Llodra said.

The first selectman noted that revising the lengthy town plan is a “daunting task.”

While recently reviewing the plan, she “struggled” with the document in seeking to find particular content in it, she said.

The town plan’s “ease of use” could be improved, she said, noting that content pertaining to a given issue tends to be scattered through the document.

Also, the acronyms that are used throughout the town plan can be confusing to a reader, she said.

Mrs Llodra said the P&Z’s goal of simplifying the document to make it easier to use is a worthwhile goal.

The Board of Selectmen is not seeking to usurp the P&Z’s authority in revising the town plan, but is seeking to help the P&Z in its work, Mrs Llodra said.

The selectmen have been meeting with town land use staff members as the town plan revision proceeds, she noted.

Legislative Council

At a September 2 session, P&Z members met with Gary Davis, who is chairman of the Legislative Council’s administration committee.

The town plan is a very useful document, Mr Davis said.

Mr Davis asked P&Z members to consider what role the council could play in revising the town plan.

It is yet unclear how the council would fit into the P&Z’s ongoing revision of the town plan, Ms Dean responded.

Mr Davis said that the council makes decisions on many town spending matters.

Ms Dean noted that such decisions pertain to setting municipal priorities, and the town plan does not seek to set priorities.

The P&Z would thus need to consider whether it should set priorities in a town plan, she said. It is unclear whether setting priorities would be in the P&Z’s domain, she added.

P&Z member Robert Mulholland recommended that council members critically review the town plan and make suggestions on how it could be improved. Also, council members should comment on how the council could be involved in updating the town plan, he said.

That would amount to a “good first step” toward council involvement in the town plan update, Ms Dean said.

The 2004 Town Plan of Conservation and Development is available for review at the town’s website on the Internet. The address is www.newtown-ct.gov/Public_Documents/NewtownCT_POCD/toc.