Regional Plan of Conservation and Development
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Eversource Energy Southwest Connecticut Reliability Project Bulk Filing #1 of Municipal Documents Regional Plans of Conservation and Development SWCT Reliability Project June 2016 Eversource Energy Note: This page is intentionally left blank SWCT Reliability Project June 2016 ADOPTED EFFECTIVE 7/1/2009 The regional plan shall be designed to promote with the greatest efficiency and economy the coordinated development of its area of operation and the general welfare and prosperity of its people - CT General Statutes 8-35a This Document has been extracted from HVCEO’s historic website. The website is archived here for reference There are formatting changes from the original to provide improve navigation throughout the document. This original document was created by HVCEO, and has been extracted by Mike Towle, Associate Planner, WestCOG, on 5/24/2016 In 1947 Connecticut first authorized regional planning. The goals were to provide a larger context for land use decisions made by individual towns, and to have a governmental entity available to address issues that extended beyond the boundaries of any single community. These goals remain today. How HVCEO has managed this responsibility for Greater Danbury since its formation in 1968, and the challenges encountered, is recorded in the History of HVCEO. State statutes require that the physical elements of regional planning be codified in an advisory regional plan by each regional planning organization in Connecticut. The Housatonic Valley Council of Elected Official (HVCEO) is one of fifteen suchregional planning organizations. This document is HVCEO's physically oriented Regional Plan of Conservation and Development. This Plan updates earlier regional plans of 1971, 1981 and 1997. It is designed to meet the requirements of State Statute Chapter 127, Section 8-35a, that a regional plan "shall be designed to promote with the greatest efficiency and economy the coordinated development of its area of operation and the general welfare and prosperity of its people." The HVCEO Regional Plan has the following uses: --- 1. Provides leading advice on Responsible Growth strategies --- 2. Sets development priorities as required by CGS 8-35a --- 3. Coordinates water and sewer utilities between towns --- 4. Promotes preservation of intertown water supplies and is supply assessment required under CGS 25-33g --- 5. Markets the region as a coordinated metropolitan area --- 6. Assists private investment studies and municipal bond sales --- 7. Meets 23 USC 134(h)(1) mandate for land use/transportation coordination --- 8. Works against mandatory consistency of local, regional and state plans --- 9. Addresses CGS 22a 102d regional input to municipal plans --- 10. Addresses CGS 16a-28 regional input to state plan --- 11. Addresses CGS 8-3b on coordination along boundaries --- 12. Coordinates aspects of municipal land use regulation The Greater Danbury - New Milford Area is one of fifteen state defined planning regions in Connecticut. Connecticut's original 1947 regional planning statute recognized that the growth of a municipality influences, and is influenced by, the surrounding region, that no town is an isolated entity. Since then it has become increasing clear that critically important service delivery, environmental, economic, utility and transportation systems are regional by nature and their proper development and management improves with a regional perspective. The authority of this policy document upon the ten municipal plans is advisory. The reasoning is quite logical; the choice as to who makes land use decisions should be those who live closest to the results. This is opposed to non-local persons who are insulated from experiencing the consequences of their decisions and the raised eyebrows of their neighbors. The Greater Danbury Region's ten municipal plans are required by statute to consider the regional plan in their ten year updates. Similarly, the local plans contain important considerations in the creation of this Regional Plan. This Regional Plan is part of a geographically interrelated planning process in Connecticut, taking its place between the Connecticut Conservation and Development Policies Plan for 2005-2010 and the Housatonic Region’s ten municipal plans of conservation and development: 2010 Ridgefield Plan of Conservation and Development web link 2010 New Milford Plan of Conservation and Development web link 2008 Redding Plan of Conservation and Development web link 2007 Bethel Plan of Conservation and Development web link 2004 Newtown Plan of Conservation and Development web link 2003 New Fairfield Plan of Conservation and Development web link 2002 Danbury Plan of Conservation and Development web link 2001 Bridgewater Plan of Conservation and Development 2001 Brookfield Plan of Conservation and Development 2001 Sherman Plan of Conservation and Development web link Fundamental to the preparation of any physical plan are the primary site factors of soil, slope and wetness. These factors interact with the Region's pattern of hills and valleys, as shown on the map below: Pattern of hills and valleys in the Housatonic Region. Browns are highest elevations, descending thru yellows and greens to lowlands. Proceed to the full size Topographic Overview Map. While the provision of water and sewer utilities may mitigate some site constraints, in this hilly Region the geographic extent of such utilities will always be limited. Successful planning, then, will require municipal regulations to take into account both the presence of development inducing utilities and the traditional natural site limitations of soil, slope and wetness. As for soils, unfortunately no soil category in our area is entirely problem free. Excessively drained soils may seem to solve hydraulic problems, but by the same token are at risk for groundwater contamination. And the area's many shallow and rocky soils can potentially impair septic system functioning, heightening regulatory review and the expense of design. Soil above increasingly stony subsurface layers Further, as the percentage of slope starts to rise, especially above 15%, there is increasing slope instability, greater potential for erosion and various structural concerns. And degree of wetness is a universal constraint at all locations. These core natural variables have long been recognized within the texts of local development regulations, with varying degrees of articulation and staff support for enforcement. As a planning aid for the regulatory process, defined below are four generalized and increasing degrees of constraint upon development, from 1) minimal to 2) moderate, 3) areas of more caution and finally 4) areas of most caution, as follows: MINIMAL: These most favorable areas have only a few or slight environmental constraints for development. This category includes excessively drained soils and also well drained soils with less than 15% slopes. Note that for mapping purposes, added in here are the soil categories of “urban” and “other” land, especially covering large portions of built up central Danbury and some town centers. MODERATE: Having moderate or localized areas requiring restrictions before approval of development. But problems may usually be overcome with careful environmental planning and mitigation. This category contains well drained soils with 15% to 25% slopes and/or well drained soils with high seasonal water table. Also included here are hardpan soils of less than 15% slope, and shallow or rocky soils of less than 15% slope. MORE CAUTION: Defined as having limitations that can take considerably more effort to overcome with environmental planning and mitigation. Included here are shallow or rocky soils with slopes 15% to 25%, hardpan soils of 15% to 25% slope and/or hardpan soils with high seasonal water table, and lastly the higher elevation 500 year frequency portion of the floodplain. Also included in these More Caution areas are soils with slopes in excess of a 25% slope (but unfortunately not included on the lavender areas on the maps below as it was digitally unavailable) On such steep slopes, limitations on development may be difficult to overcome even with the advanced environmental planning and mitigation. MOST CAUTION: Areas with obvious severe or very severe limitations on development. This strictest category includes the lower elevation 100 year frequency portion of the floodplain, peat, muck, and those soils in the CT Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Act definition of wetland soils that are poorly drained, very poorly drained and alluvial. Sources: The Region's soil types have been combined into groups based on the landmark 1974 report entitled "Know Your Land" by the University of Connecticut Cooperative Extension Service. Also, the 2008 regional plan of the neighboring Central Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments (COGCNV), Fairfield County and Litchfield County Soil Surveys (on file at the HVCEO office), and HVCEO staff. Note: These maps are for generalized planning purposes only. Sample of soil, slope and floodplain constraint map for the Danbury - Bethel border area The maps below suggest how, from a generalized perspective, local regulations and review procedures should increase their level of concern and extent of permit conditioning: 1. LINK TO CONSTRAINTS ON DEVELOPMENT MAP FOR BETHEL 2. LINK TO CONSTRAINTS ON DEVELOPMENT MAP FOR BRIDGEWATER 3. LINK TO CONSTRAINTS ON DEVELOPMENT MAP FOR BROOKFIELD 4. LINK TO CONSTRAINTS ON DEVELOPMENT MAP FOR DANBURY 5. LINK TO CONSTRAINTS ON DEVELOPMENT MAP FOR NEW