This afternoon the third meeting of the committee working on the updating of the City's Plan of Conservation and Development (aka "Master Plan") took place. Two major items were on the agenda: the first was agreeing on a vision statement which, after review from last meeting's input by the members and some discussion on the desired residential population growth over the next 20 years, was accepted. As soon as I get the final draft from planning staff, I will post here. The second was an extremely interesting and informative presentation from C. James Gibbons, a UConn professor at the Center for Land Use Education and Research (CLEAR). (A good use of our state tax dollars...no charge for this presentation and Jim's formidable knowledge. Factoid: he's a Meriden native!). The committee arranged to have his presentation videotaped for public viewing on the cable access channel. I urge you to watch it. Jim gave a great overview on what the planning process should consider, including the statutory requirements that all towns and cities are under to meet. One point he kept returning to was that public input is critical. Another was that the local officials, not the consultant, should be prepared to educate the public on the plan as it evolves. Be assured that both these elements will be adhered to in the process.
Jim also shared some of the work CLEAR is doing, and pointed us to their website, www.clear.uconn.edu. One particularly interesting slide dealt with land cover. For instance, it shows that since 1985, with all the development that took place through 2002, 25% of Meriden is still forested. Granted, it's a drop from 28% 20 years ago, but it's illuminating. It points to the type of resource information the City must catalog and understand before we finalize our Master Plan.
The next step is to hire a consultant that will help guide the committee in its work. This is planned by May. The whole process will take 1 to 2 years, but I think Meriden is well on its way. For more information, please contact the City Planner, Dominick Caruso at City Hall. His number is 630-4081. And watch the presentation by Jim Gibbons if you get a chance.
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Steve, you absolutely right on this one- Professor Gibbons was terrific, and I encourage people to watch the presentation on cable. A great deal of interesting information on Meriden is contained on the website you referenced. The process the City will follow in updating our plan of conservation and development gives everyone with an interest in the City the opportunity to have input into decisions that will have a real impact on Meriden's future development. The decisions of this committee, and the actions taken by the Planning Commission and the City Council on the plan that is developed will set the course for the City's future development, the preservation of open space, and help define what kinds of public projects are undertaken in the future, all of which will have a great influence on our quality of life and fiscal health here in Meriden. The City Council already has acted on certain zoning issues recently- reducing density in certain zones, increasing the requirements for rear lots- and City staff will be bringing forward other proposals, but the work of the steering committee will allow all these kinds of issues to be considered in a more organized and deliberative fashion. I think there is more consensus on these issues in the community than people think there is, and I look forward to hearing from the public as this process goes forward.
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