Regional Plan of Conservation and Development

MEETINGS THIS MONTH WITH MUNICIPAL PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSIONS

We are currently meeting with NVCOG area municipal Planning and Zoning Commissions and Land Use Departments to better understand the planning issues they are addressing now and in the near future.

In December 2022 we are meeting with:

SOUTHBURY – Planning Commission on December 13, 2022.

BEACON FALLS – Planning & Zoning Commission on December 15, 2022.

ASKING FOR YOUR THOUGHTS – PLEASE TAKE OUR ONLINE SURVEY!

The Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments invites you to share your thoughts about where you live, work, learn and play in the Naugatuck Valley Region. All responses are anonymous! Survey open to January 31, 2023.

ONLINE SURVEY IN ENGLISH – tinyurl.com/RPOCD1

ENCUESTA EN LÍNEA EN ESPAÑOL – tinyurl.com/RPOCD1Esp

Your survey resposnes will help us identify the land use issues and goals most important to our region’s residents and workers. This information will be used to develop our first Regional Plan of Conservation and Development (RPOCD) which will suggest strategies for our communities and regional non-profits to meet those goals over the next ten years.

Though there are legal reasons to write a Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD), we think the practical ones are far more important. Learn more about POCD’s through the questions and answers below:

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! Please check the “Surveys and Public Input” tab to participate in our current public online survey in English or encuesta en línea en Español, or contact Joanna Rogalski, Senior Regional Planner, at jrogalski@nvcogct.gov.

Public Outreach Events:

Woodbury Planning Commission meeting – October 5, 2022 – Presentation

Middlebury Planning And Zoning Commission special meeting – October 6, 2022 – Presentation

Naugatuck Planning, Zoning & Inland Wetlands Commissions special meeting – October 13, 2022 – Presentation

Waterbury City Plan Commission – November 9, 2022 – Presentation

Derby Planning and Zoning Commission meeting – November 15, 2022 – Presentation

Oxford Planning and Zoning Commission meeting – November 15, 2022 – Presentation

Plymouth Special meeting of the Commissions of Inland Wetlands and Watercourses, Economic Development and Planning & Zoning –  November 30, 2022 – Presentation

Southbury Planning Commission meeting – December 13, 2022 – Presentation