RPOCD 2023 – Regional Planning Starts with You!
The Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments (NVCOG) is working on its first Regional Plan of Conservation and Development (RPOCD). The RPOCD is an advisory policy document which will help guide regional development and investment in the NVCOG community over the next ten years to 2033. We anticipate this RPOCD to be completed in 2023. Please click the tabs below to learn more about our RPOCD, participate public outreach and follow the progress of our work.
EXISTING CONDITIONS REPORT DRAFTED SECTIONS
We have begun to post draft sections of the Existing Conditions Report. Please go to the ‘What We’ve Done’ tab to view the drafts. The public may comment on these drafts by email at contactus@nvcogct.gov or by calling NVCOG’s offices at 203-757-0535. Comments may also be sent in writing to the NVCOG offices c/o Joanna Rogalski, Senior Regional Planner, 49 Leavenworth Street, Third Floor, Waterbruy, CT 06702.
MEETINGS WITH MUNICIPAL PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSIONS
We have met 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. Local official’s input has helped us as we write the plan, and we thank them for their help.
ASKING FOR YOUR THOUGHTS
Public participation is a key part of updating the RPOCD. From the general public, 136 people contributed their thoughts about the region’s future in an online survey we offered. We thank everyone who participated, and your thoughts helped us identify the land use issues and goals that are most important to the people who live and work here in the region. This will help us shape the final version of the plan, which will suggest strategies for our communities and regional non-profits to meet those goals over the next ten years. NVCOG will share the results of that survey on this page in the near future. And please check this page for further opportunities to comment on the RPOCD.
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.
Existing Conditions Drafted Sections
DRAFT – Chapter 6 – Transportation
DRAFT – Section 7.5 – Brownfields
DRAFT-Chapter 8 – Infrastructure
DRAFT-Chapter 9 – Natural Environment
DRAFT – Chapter 10 – Natural Hazards
DRAFT – Chapter 11 – Environmental Justice Populations
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
Watertown Planning and Zonning Commission meeting – January 4, 2023 – Presentation
Beacon Falls Planning and Zoning Commission meeting – January 19, 2023 – Presentation
Seymour Planning and Zoning Commission meeting – February 9, 2023 – Presentation