What is a "Master Plan?" and Why does it matter?
One of TPZ’s most important responsibilities is to create a “Plan of Conservation and Development” (“POCD” or “Master Plan”). However, the “current” Master Plan was created 13 years ago in 2000, and it relies heavily on 23-year-old data from the 1990 U.S. Census – in other words its woefully out of date. The TPZ’s updated POCD will be perhaps Fairfield’s most significant strategic document so far this century, setting the tone and rules for our commercial and residential development with vast implications for our town’s spending and services. THIS MATTERS!
One of TPZ’s most important responsibilities is to create a “Plan of Conservation and Development” (“POCD” or “Master Plan”). However, the “current” Master Plan was created 13 years ago in 2000, and it relies heavily on 23-year-old data from the 1990 U.S. Census – in other words its woefully out of date. The TPZ’s updated POCD will be perhaps Fairfield’s most significant strategic document so far this century, setting the tone and rules for our commercial and residential development with vast implications for our town’s spending and services. THIS MATTERS!
Through its control and implementation of zoning regulations, the TPZ has enormous power over what and where people can build (e.g., subdivisions, “McMansions” and Affordable Housing), and thus over how many people live in Fairfield, how much traffic there is on our streets, how many students attend our schools, the diversity of our population, the character of our neighborhoods, whether Fairfield looks and feels more like a city than a New England town, how well we protect our environment and natural resources, and how much of our tax burden falls respectively on the owners of residential, commercial and industrial property. Ultimately, this means that TPZ has a major impact on the quality of our lives and the value of our properties.
One of TPZ’s most important responsibilities is to create a “Plan of Conservation and Development” (“POCD” or “Master Plan”). However, the “current” Master Plan was created 13 years ago in 2000, and it relies heavily on 23-year-old data from the 1990 U.S. Census; indeed, one important section, the Shore Area Management Plan, actually dates back 30 years to 1983. In recent years, a “Commerce Drive Station Area Plan” was adopted in 2011 and a “Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan” was completed in 2013, but the 2000 Master Plan has not been updated.
Fairfield Taxpayer believes that the Town’s POCD should be updated as soon as possible, with the full involvement of all town agencies, boards, departments and commissions and with the maximum involvement of all Fairfield residents. Our new Master Plan should answer the three basic questions of any good plan – Where are we? Where should we go? How do we get there? – with due consideration for both our Conservation and Development concerns, and based on the current physical and economic realities and challenges we face.
Fairfield Taxpayer further believes that this long overdue update of our POCD should be integrated into the creation of a Strategic Plan for the Town that, among other things, establishes clear priorities, timetables, responsibilities and accountabilities, as well as a rolling five-year plan for spending and taxes, again with the maximum involvement of all Fairfield residents.
Fairfield’s Plan of Conservation and Development
Fairfield Taxpayer has posted a copy of the Town’s POCD on our website, and some background and a brief summary of what you will find there is provided below.
1. “Section 8-23 of the Connecticut General Statutes requires Municipalities to update plans of conservation and development every ten years. Public Act 07-239 has amended this statute. Effective July 1, 2010 municipalities that do not have an updated plan of conservation and development (less than ten years old) will be ineligible for discretionary state funding.”
http://www.ct.gov/opm/cwp/view.asp?A=2990&Q=389822
2. The authority and responsibility for creating the POCD lies with the TPZ, which is supposed to “regulate and establish districts within the municipality and to regulate the permitted uses and design requirements for buildings and structures within such districts. “Such zoning regulations, together with the adopted zoning map, constitute the comprehensive plan as defined by Connecticut laws. “The zoning regulations and map provide the regulatory framework to achieve the goals and support the policies found in the POCD.” (Page 1 of Fairfield’s POCD)
3. The POCD “shall show the Commission’s recommendation for the most desirable use of land within the municipality for residential, recreational, commercial, industrial and other purposes . . . [and] shall be a statement of policies, goals and standards for the physical and economic development of the municipality . . . [and] shall be designed to promote, with the greatest efficiency and economy, the coordinated development of the municipality and the general welfare and prosperity of its people . . .” (Pages 1-2 of Fairfield’s POCD)
4. “The Master Plan is not a set of regulations or laws. “The Plan is the Commission’s recommendations for the most desirable use of land. “Whereas the zoning regulations express the current regulatory scheme, the Master Plan provides a longer-range (10 to 15 years) view of the town’s development. “It should serve as a guide to future decisions regarding development and use of land both public and private.” (Page 2 of Fairfield’s POCD)
5. Chapter 1 (Community Conditions and Projections) begins on page 3, and is essentially a collection of information that might be relevant to a Master Plan if it were not, in most cases, based on the 1990 Census, and thus 23 years old. For example, the Plan notes that the Town’s population is “more than 53,000” residing in “more than 19,000 households,” and “is expected to grow slowly over the next twenty years, increasing less than 1%.” The Plan also notes that “traffic on most roads is projected to increase only modestly.” Our current population is about 60,000 and we now have around 21,000 households.
6. Chapter 2 (Development Policies) begins on page 32, and divides the Town into eleven areas and then provides a brief description of Characteristics and Policies for each of them. The eleven districts are as follows: Greenfield Hill, Stratfield, Holland Hill/Grasmere, Tunxis Hill, Hoydens Hill, Samp Mortar/Black Rock Turnpike, Southport, Mill Plain, Shore Area, Center Area, and Commerce Drive Area. Some examples of the so-called “Policies” provided for various districts are as follows:
· “Mixed-use commercial/residential development should be encouraged in existing commercially-zoned sections.”
· “Expansion of commercial districts should be restricted.”
· “Encroachment of commercial zones into residential areas should be discouraged.”
· “Undeveloped parcels should be considered for acquisition by the Town for open space.”
7. Chapter 3 (Revised Planning Goals) begins on page 47, and addresses the following topics: Environment and Ecology, Community Appearance, Housing, Population Density, Recreation/Open Space/Conservation, Community Safety, Education, Government, Transportation, Economics, Social Services. Many of the goals listed under each of these topics are still important and relevant, while others are not, including some that are merely clichés, such as: “Encourage user-friendly Town services and increased coordination among various agencies,” and “Encourage economic development that provides jobs and services for our population.”
8. Chapter 4 (Shore Area Management Plan) begins on page 60, and apparently dates back to 1983 – 30 years ago. It describes the Shore Area, sets goals in eight categories (Residential, Commercial & Industrial, Open Space, Recreation, Coastal Waters, Beachfront Areas, Transportation, and Historic Visual), and makes a number of specific recommendations, some of which, like those in Chapter 3, are still important and relevant.
9. For anyone who is interested, the Town of Greenwich offers excellent access to its POCD through the following link: http://www.greenwichct.org/Public_Documents/GreenwichCT_LandUse/pocd/index/
One of TPZ’s most important responsibilities is to create a “Plan of Conservation and Development” (“POCD” or “Master Plan”). However, the “current” Master Plan was created 13 years ago in 2000, and it relies heavily on 23-year-old data from the 1990 U.S. Census; indeed, one important section, the Shore Area Management Plan, actually dates back 30 years to 1983. In recent years, a “Commerce Drive Station Area Plan” was adopted in 2011 and a “Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan” was completed in 2013, but the 2000 Master Plan has not been updated.
Fairfield Taxpayer believes that the Town’s POCD should be updated as soon as possible, with the full involvement of all town agencies, boards, departments and commissions and with the maximum involvement of all Fairfield residents. Our new Master Plan should answer the three basic questions of any good plan – Where are we? Where should we go? How do we get there? – with due consideration for both our Conservation and Development concerns, and based on the current physical and economic realities and challenges we face.
Fairfield Taxpayer further believes that this long overdue update of our POCD should be integrated into the creation of a Strategic Plan for the Town that, among other things, establishes clear priorities, timetables, responsibilities and accountabilities, as well as a rolling five-year plan for spending and taxes, again with the maximum involvement of all Fairfield residents.
Fairfield’s Plan of Conservation and Development
Fairfield Taxpayer has posted a copy of the Town’s POCD on our website, and some background and a brief summary of what you will find there is provided below.
1. “Section 8-23 of the Connecticut General Statutes requires Municipalities to update plans of conservation and development every ten years. Public Act 07-239 has amended this statute. Effective July 1, 2010 municipalities that do not have an updated plan of conservation and development (less than ten years old) will be ineligible for discretionary state funding.”
http://www.ct.gov/opm/cwp/view.asp?A=2990&Q=389822
2. The authority and responsibility for creating the POCD lies with the TPZ, which is supposed to “regulate and establish districts within the municipality and to regulate the permitted uses and design requirements for buildings and structures within such districts. “Such zoning regulations, together with the adopted zoning map, constitute the comprehensive plan as defined by Connecticut laws. “The zoning regulations and map provide the regulatory framework to achieve the goals and support the policies found in the POCD.” (Page 1 of Fairfield’s POCD)
3. The POCD “shall show the Commission’s recommendation for the most desirable use of land within the municipality for residential, recreational, commercial, industrial and other purposes . . . [and] shall be a statement of policies, goals and standards for the physical and economic development of the municipality . . . [and] shall be designed to promote, with the greatest efficiency and economy, the coordinated development of the municipality and the general welfare and prosperity of its people . . .” (Pages 1-2 of Fairfield’s POCD)
4. “The Master Plan is not a set of regulations or laws. “The Plan is the Commission’s recommendations for the most desirable use of land. “Whereas the zoning regulations express the current regulatory scheme, the Master Plan provides a longer-range (10 to 15 years) view of the town’s development. “It should serve as a guide to future decisions regarding development and use of land both public and private.” (Page 2 of Fairfield’s POCD)
5. Chapter 1 (Community Conditions and Projections) begins on page 3, and is essentially a collection of information that might be relevant to a Master Plan if it were not, in most cases, based on the 1990 Census, and thus 23 years old. For example, the Plan notes that the Town’s population is “more than 53,000” residing in “more than 19,000 households,” and “is expected to grow slowly over the next twenty years, increasing less than 1%.” The Plan also notes that “traffic on most roads is projected to increase only modestly.” Our current population is about 60,000 and we now have around 21,000 households.
6. Chapter 2 (Development Policies) begins on page 32, and divides the Town into eleven areas and then provides a brief description of Characteristics and Policies for each of them. The eleven districts are as follows: Greenfield Hill, Stratfield, Holland Hill/Grasmere, Tunxis Hill, Hoydens Hill, Samp Mortar/Black Rock Turnpike, Southport, Mill Plain, Shore Area, Center Area, and Commerce Drive Area. Some examples of the so-called “Policies” provided for various districts are as follows:
· “Mixed-use commercial/residential development should be encouraged in existing commercially-zoned sections.”
· “Expansion of commercial districts should be restricted.”
· “Encroachment of commercial zones into residential areas should be discouraged.”
· “Undeveloped parcels should be considered for acquisition by the Town for open space.”
7. Chapter 3 (Revised Planning Goals) begins on page 47, and addresses the following topics: Environment and Ecology, Community Appearance, Housing, Population Density, Recreation/Open Space/Conservation, Community Safety, Education, Government, Transportation, Economics, Social Services. Many of the goals listed under each of these topics are still important and relevant, while others are not, including some that are merely clichés, such as: “Encourage user-friendly Town services and increased coordination among various agencies,” and “Encourage economic development that provides jobs and services for our population.”
8. Chapter 4 (Shore Area Management Plan) begins on page 60, and apparently dates back to 1983 – 30 years ago. It describes the Shore Area, sets goals in eight categories (Residential, Commercial & Industrial, Open Space, Recreation, Coastal Waters, Beachfront Areas, Transportation, and Historic Visual), and makes a number of specific recommendations, some of which, like those in Chapter 3, are still important and relevant.
9. For anyone who is interested, the Town of Greenwich offers excellent access to its POCD through the following link: http://www.greenwichct.org/Public_Documents/GreenwichCT_LandUse/pocd/index/