Planning and Zoning minutes are available below from our most recent meeting. (Please allow processing time for any meeting that has taken place in the past few days.)
Note: Minutes held in hard copy by the Department of Planning and Zoning are the source for, and take precedence over, online information.
Planning and Zoning
MINUTES of RECENT MEETING:
PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION
WEDNESDAY, JULY 30 2008 (6:00 PM)
Plan of Conservation & Development (POCD)
Work Session Meeting Minutes
Planning & Zoning
Commission Present - Chairman Ellsworth McGuigan, Commissioners Phil Fischer, John Lust, Mike Laudano, Steve Duhamel, David
Perkins, Chuck Andres and Joe Vaiuso.
Staff Present: Shirley Rasmussen, Town Planner; Richard Stoecker, Assistant Town Planner;
Consultants: Glen Chalder- Planimetrics, Jason Vincent -
Planimetrics
Meeting started at 6:00 PM
Shirley Rasmussen distributed
draft POCD copies (07/29/08) to all commissioners. Jason Vincent reviewed all
the various changes which were noted in the 07/24/08 work session, correspondence
and review with the Planning and Zoning staff on Monday, July 28, 2008. Many
grammatical and sentence structure errors/omissions were noted and corrected
through the evening review.
The key draft POCD changes
that were highlighted with Commission are listed below:
- New page ADDED which highlights
the Vision Committee input into the planning process (Page 12).
- New language ADDED under
heading Enhance Wetlands & Watercourses Buffers "To protect
these resources, Branford has strict regulations for activities that might
affect them. Branford should continue to monitor these areas and review
opportunities to enhance buffers, regulations, land use agency
coordination, and enforcement" (Page 18)
- New sidebar ADDED
describing International Council Local Environmental Initiative (ICLEI)
sustainable development policy and use of tree planting programs to
protect air quality. (Page 24). Discussed cross-reference to tree
preservation (Page 21).
- UPDATED Branford Land Trust
(BLT) inventory (Page 26)
- New sentence ADDED under Improve
Open Space Acquisition "Tools" "Branford should evaluate the current
fee in lieu of open space process to ensure this tool is being used
properly". DELETE sentence "Some communities have increased the minimum
set aside to 15% or higher) and Branford may wish to consider doing the
same." (Page 32)
- New sidebar ADDED Water
Dependent Uses and paragraph ADDED under Enhance Coastal Access "Branford
should continue to evaluate opportunities to protect coastal resources by
expanding open space and, when appropriate , creating recreational areas
to provide additional public access" (Page 35)
- CHANGE historic districts
under Protect Historic Resources to historic areas. (Page 38)
- New paragraph ADDED under Improve
Signage "Branford also has a large number of billboards, most of which
were erected prior to the adoption of local zoning regulations. It is
expected that the owners of the billboards will explore opportunities to
"modernize" these billboards into digital Light Emitting Diode (LED)
billboards. Branford should work with billboard companies to develop a
solution that is sensitive to community character". (Page 42)
- New Community Structure
Plan Map ADDED Legend w/ nodes, potential nodes, and condo clusters.
(Page 45)
- New aerials and secondary
strategy ADDED Protect and Enhance the Villages. (Page50)
- New page ADDED Create
New Nodes (Page 51)
- New sentences ADDED to the
paragraphs on North Main Street, East Main Street under Enhance
Development Along Route 1. (Page 52)
- New paragraph ADDED to
heading Consider Requiring Inclusionary Housing "Policies that
promote new housing opportunities in the villages and along transit
corridors make sense and Branford should evaluate where this tool could
appropriately be utilizd" (Page 56)
- New heading ADDED Promote
Sustainable Development — relating to node.
- New Page REAPPEARS Monitor
Changes in House Construction pertaining to Residential Build Out and
Loom Factor. (Page 60)
- New clarification and
paragraph ADDED pertaining to Interstate Interchanges and traffic
congestion (Page 62)
- New Action ADDED to seek an
Economic Development Plan with measureable strategies. (Page 66)
- New paragraph ADDED under Landfill
Property heading. (Page 73)
- New sentence ADDED
promoting better transit connections and amenities within Branford
- New sentence ADDED under Monitor
Fuel Costs to promote fuel and energy conservation through market
changes. (Page 84)
- New sidebar ADDED under Address
Flooding that highlighted Community Rating System aimed at reducing
resident insurance premiums. (Page 89)
- New Future Land Use Plan
ADDED with "node concept" illustrated. (Page 95)
- New page ADDED that
illustrates how the Plan Implementation Committee (PIC) might
prioritize action items.
Next Steps
The consultants and
commission discussed statutes pertaining to review, schedule for adoption and
required referrals. A motion was made to accept the POCD draft of 07/29/08 with
modifications as the POCD scheduled for final review and adoption on Thursday
October 23rd, 2008 at 7:00 PM at the Canoe Brook Senior Center. All members voted unanimously to accept the motion.
Work session concluded at 7:15
PM.
Minutes submitted by Richard
H. Stoecker, Assistant Town Planner
MINUTES
PLANNING & ZONING COMMISION AND
INLAND WETLANDS COMMISSION
WEDNESDAY, JULY 30, 2008
JOINT SPECIAL MEETING/EXECUTIVE
SESSION - 7:30 P.M.
SENIOR CENTER, 11 CHERRY HILL ROAD
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