ENFIELD — The Planning and Zoning Commission is seeking input from the community to assist in creating the state-mandated, 10-year Plan of Conservation and Development.
The Plan of Conservation and Development is a document that each municipality must create to guide land use and development decision making for the next 10 years. Enfield’s next plan has a deadline of April, although an extension might be granted to make up for time lost due to COVID-19, Director of Development Services Laurie Whitten said.
“It’s a pretty major task, but if it’s done correctly and actually followed it’s the roadmap to our future,” Whitten said.
In getting started, town officials decided to start the process of developing a community survey to solicit input. The survey is an opportunity for residents to provide their thoughts and perspectives on how they want the town to progress, Whitten said.
“As a starting place we’re doing this survey,” Whitten said. “We’ll kind of get a pulse of the community with that.”
The survey asks about general demographics, housing information, community engagement, and opinions on the town’s business and land development.
Whitten said the survey takes about 10 to 15 minutes, and officials want as many people as possible to complete it.
“This is supposed to be a big collaborative process and we want the public involved,” Whitten said. “This is the citizens of Enfield’s plan.”
A link to the survey can be found on the Planning and Zoning Department’s website. Paper copies also are available to pick up at the Enfield Public and Pearl Street libraries or at the Enfield Express. There is no set deadline to complete the survey yet, Whitten said.
In addition to the community survey, baseline studies are also being conducted to gather information. The town has hired Goman+York Property Advisors as a consultant to perform all background and data research, Whitten said.
“It is a full-time job to get this done,” Whitten said.
Once the survey and consultant work is done, the next step will be to organize a “steering committee,” to guide the process. Whitten said this committee would be made up of representatives of relevant town departments including planning and zoning, agriculture, economic development, the Town Council, and the Zoning Board of Appeals.
Adam covers the towns of Enfield and Suffield. For more updates, follow Adam on Twitter: @AHushinJI and Facebook: Adam Hushin.
