The Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments (NVCOG) received the 2026 Special Chapter Award, presented by the Connecticut Chapter of the American Planning Association (CCAPA) at its Annual Hot Topics in Land Use Law and Practice conference on May 22, 2026.
The CCAPA, whose mission is to advance the practice of good planning in Connecticut by providing members with up-to-date information on current planning issues and techniques, holds its annual Hot Topics conference to discuss industry trends and issues and the best ways to navigate them. The CCAPA recognized NVCOG for its service in developing a summary analysis of Public Act No. 25-1 with the Connecticut Association of Councils of Governments (CTCOG) Housing Work Group. The summary is meant to guide municipal compliance and implementation of housing growth in the state of Connecticut. It was conducted in a multi-stage, statewide collaboration between all nine Councils of Governments (COGs), which were tasked with producing a clear, consistent, and practical resource that reflects a shared understanding of Public Act No. 25-1.
Public Act No. 25-1, an act concerning housing growth, was first introduced during the Connecticut General Assembly’s November 2025 Special Session and was signed into law the following month, in October. The regional housing growth plan within the Act allows NVCOG to develop and adopt a plan that addresses housing growth policies for each municipality in the Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, while acknowledging areas where the underlying legislation is open to interpretation.
To read more about Public Act No. 25-1, click HERE.
The CTCOG Housing Work Group paired two members from each COG and assigned them several sections of Public Act 25-1, organized by theme, to analyze and summarize. The process was done in four steps: pairing COGs for initial review, rotating sections for secondary review, compiling and formatting the full draft, and addressing comments and ensuring consistency.
The two NVCOG staff members who were a part of the Housing Work Group were Lana Harrison, Supervising Community Planner, and Demetre Coles, Housing & Community Planner. Tucker Beckett, Senior Community Planner, also worked on the analysis during his time at Western Connecticut Council of Governments before joining to NVCOG.
“Public Act No. 25-1 is a hefty piece of legislation with significant impacts on both Connecticut municipalities and the nine COGs,” said Harrison. “Understanding and analyzing that legislation demonstrates a commitment among COG planners to practice thoughtful and thorough planning that serves our respective communities and regions well.”
“We recognized that our municipalities were facing significant changes and were looking to us for clear, consistent guidance,” shared Coles. “By bringing together different perspectives and expertise, the collaborative approach not only strengthened our recommendations, but also helped ensure our municipalities received consistent and reliable information.”
The 2026 Special Chapter Award reflects NVCOG’s commitment to its region by responding to state, regional, and local policy changes, aiming to foster collaborative decision-making that aligns short, medium, and long-term municipal and regional goals.
