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07/13/2021 02:30 PM

RiverCOG’s Regional Land Use Plan Receives Public Input


A project to produce a Regional Plan of Conservation & Development (RPOCD) for the 17 towns that make up the Lower Connecticut River Valley, including Chester, Deep River, and Essex, took another step toward completion at a public hearing of the draft plan on June 30.

The Lower Connecticut River Valley Council of Governments (RiverCOG) and the consultant Fitzgerald and Halliday, along with a Regional Planning Committee (RPC), have been working on the RPOCD since 2019.

The public hearing, which was attended by members of these groups, town planners, and members of planning and zoning commissions, along with other town officials, provided feedback on a 78-page draft plan.

“Generally, we got some good statements of support, so we were happy about that,” said Megan Jouflas, a senior planner for RiverCOG, by phone, after the meeting.

Comments at the public hearing spanned many topics related to those already in the document, such as “services for aging populations, more on addressing waste disposal, wastewater discharge, obviously COVID, [and] the impacts of COVID on our data and our recommendations,” she said.

The RPC plans to discuss the feedback received at the public hearing, and comments submitted in writing, during the months of July and August, with any changes to the document occurring thereafter. Any public comments will also be included as an appendix to the final plan document.

The draft plan organizes its goals and recommendations around four major themes: Sustainable, Connected, Innovative, and Community, which were topics that came up repeatedly during previous public information sessions, said Jouflas.

“We thought that by making these themes, you could break down the silos and show how these goals interrelate and connect,” she said. “It also makes it more, I think, more tangible for people to really tie it more to their vision.

“It’s less abstract than say, housing, if you’re saying this (goal) is sustainable,” she added.

Each goal is accompanied by three elements that would help users decide: (1) how quickly to implement it based on its rating of urgency (low, moderate, or high); (2) which entity or organization should take responsibility for actions to achieve the goal; and (3) the extent to which there is an element of collaboration required, or opportunity for collaboration, to accomplish the goal.

As an example, “Expand access to high-speed Internet” is listed as a goal under the theme of “Connected,” with a rating of high for urgency.

“The more we heard something, the higher the priority level we gave it,” said Jouflas. “In addition to just things that we know are important right now.

“Access to high-speed Internet was a high priority because obviously, if COVID has taught us anything, it’s the importance of reliable Internet access,” she continued.

Other topical subjects, such as affordable housing, are also broadly addressed in the RPOCD, with other projects, such as the regional housing plan, being developed to focus specifically on them in greater detail.

“The big thing to take away from this [RPOCD] plan is that because it’s regional, because it’s a bird’s-eye view, it’s going to necessarily be fairly high level,” said Jouflas. “It’s going to really be the next steps that drill into making the vision a reality. So, it’s a first in a series of actions that we would hope to engage the towns in.”

Once the RPOCD is finalized and formally adopted by the board of RiverCOG, which Jouflas said could be in September, municipalities are not bound to any of the recommendations, although those developing it hope that it will help guide local decision making.

“So, because it’s voluntary, there is not really a direct route for us to implement everything,” said Jouflas. “So, it’s kind of going to be implemented as you go, as projects come up, as funding becomes available, as town are working on their own projects, keeping this plan in mind, and [RiverCOG] assisting as we can.”

More information on the project and a draft copy of the RPOCD are available under “projects” at www.rivercog.org.