Regional Plan of Conservation and Development

What is your current Regional Plan of Conservation and Development?

Current regional planning work is being guided by the three POCD’s from the three regional planning agencies which consolidated as the NVCOG in 2015: the Valley Council of Governments, the Council of Governments of the Central Naugatuck Valley, and the Central Connecticut Regional Planning Agency.

What is a Regional Plan of Conservation and Development? 

The Regional Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD) is the NVCOG’s advisory policy document on the future physical development of the region. The POCD addresses planning issues which transcend municipal boundaries, such as water supply, economy, housing and transportation, presents a metropolitan perspective, and recommends general policies that will guide the NVCOG region’s residents and decision makers in responding to future change. 

Why prepare a regional POCD? 

Legal reason: State Statute 8-35a mandates that regional council of governments prepare such a plan at least once every ten years. 

Practical reason: We live in a regional community. Each city and town in the NVCOG region relies on each other for employment, housing, retail, healthcare, and other services and needs. The regional POCD provides planning linkages between towns and cities and offers policies to more efficiently coordinate development to improve its residents’ quality of life. 

How will the Plan be used? 

The Plan will guide NVCOG in setting priorities, reviewing state, regional and local proposals, implementing programs, and assisting member communities. 

Relationship between Local, Regional and State Plans? 

LOCAL: Each municipality in the region has a local POCD. These plans address local issues and are connected to local zoning codes.

STATE: At the State level, its POCD is much broader in scope. State POCD recommendations guide major state initiatives and local and regional projects involving state funding in excess of $200,000.

REGIONAL: The Regional Plan falls between the two, more specific than the State Plan and more general than the local plans. Furthermore, State statutes require a review of consistency between a municipal plan and regional and state POCD’s. Because the municipal plan is connected to zoning, it is typically the most influential. For this reason, the Regional POCD places a great deal of emphasis on local plans and zoning. 

When will you update the POCD? 

The NVCOG staff and Regional Planning Commission is currently in the process of reviewing the three regional POCD’s to create one new NVCOG POCD.  Please check back to this page for NVCOG POCD progress updates and latest drafts. 

I want to tell you what I think about the Regional POCD’s! 

And we want to hear from you! We are in the process of creating an online survey and setting a schedule for public workshops and informational meetings.