Plan of Conservation and Development Update

Documents

Why Now?

 

The Town of Windsor is required by law to update its Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD) every ten years.  Since the current plan was adopted in 2004, the Town Planning and Zoning Commission has chosen not to wait until 2014 to update the plan and has taken the initiative to update critical chapters of the POCD as the need arises.  The Commission has already updated plan chapters dealing with agricultural and open space preservation, and the development of the Day Hill Corporate Area, which have yielded dramatic results.  This current process of updating the chapters on residential and economic development as well as village enhancement, and natural and historic resource conservation will continue the process of keeping the plan as current and effective as possible.

 

Public Workshops

The Town Planning and Zoning Commission held the first of several public workshops on natural and historic resource conservation and preservation for updating the 2004 Plan of Conservation and Development on Wednesday, May 2, 2012.  The Commission heard from a diverse group of residents and board and commission members about important natural and historic resource issues for Windsor to consider over the next ten to twenty years.  The conservation/preservation topics discussed included protecting natural resources, encouraging historic preservation efforts, enhancing community character, and more.

The Town Planning and Zoning Commission held a follow-up public workshop for updating its 2004 Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD) on Tuesday November 29, 2011.  The Town Planner made a presentation based on a "Development Policy Guide" that was prepared and has been made available at the Windsor Public Library and on this website.  The booklet summarizes the public input obtained from the kickoff meeting held in May, as well as other significant information on development issues in Windsor.  This booklet formed the basis for discussion of development topics by the Commission at the follow-up meeting, as well as the update of the three chapters of the POCD dealing with residential and economic development and village enhancement.   The Commission heard from a diverse group of residents and business owners who were in attendance. 


The Town Planning and Zoning Commission held the first of several public workshops on development related topics for updating the 2004 Plan of Conservation and Development on Tuesday, May 17, 2011.  The Commission heard from a diverse group of residents and business representatives about important development issues for Windsor to consider over the next ten to twenty years.  The development topics discussed included promoting economic development, meeting housing needs, encouraging appropriate residential development patterns, neighborhood preservation, enhancing village centers and more.

 

After receiving an update of conditions and trends over approximately the  last decade, participants were engaged in several interactive planning exercises that were intended to guide discussion and spark creative thought towards the goal of developing strategies to guide future residential and economic development of the town. The results of this workshop will be incorporated into a development strategy booklet that will be made available here and at the Windsor public libraries.  This booklet will form the basis for discussion of development topics by the Commission as it updates three chapters of the POCD dealing with residential and economic development.

 

 

 

Next Steps

 

The Planning Department will be surveying and interviewing relevant town staff as well as boards and commissions that have input into the planning process, with the results combined with the workshop results to develop policy guides for each chapter.  These policy guides will be made available on this site as well as at the town libraries for public review and comment at future workshops.

 

At the direction of the Town Planning and Zoning Commission, the Planning Department will incorporate any changes to the policy guides resulting from the second workshop into draft POCD chapters.  These draft chapters will also be made available both here and at the libraries for review and comment at a future public hearing for their adoption. 
 

To be added to our e-mail list for future workshops/hearings, or provide input to or ask questions about this planning process,  e-mail us here or call (860) 285-1982.

Did You Know?

There is 125 times more mercury in an old fashioned mercury thermometer than a compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulb.  You do not need to contact hazardous materials, poison control, or environmental agencies to clean up a broken CFL bulb. 

 

While the mercury in a CFL bulb would only amount to the size of the period at the end of this sentence, you should still clean up a broken CFL bulb with caution due to the fine glass and trace amount of mercury following the instructions at the following link.