Town Seeks Residents’ Views on Economic Development

Submitted release 

The second of three public workshops being conducted as part of Canton’s Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD) update process has been rescheduled to Monday, Nov. 14 from 7 to 9 pm at the Canton Community Center.

The workshop will focus on economic development issues, following last month’s workshop during which economic development was a major focus of the evening’s discussion. 

Connecticut cities and towns are required to update their POCDs at least every ten years. Canton’s POCD was last updated in 2003. 

“A lot has happened in Canton since then,” said Jonathan Thiesse, POCD Update Committee Chairman and member of Canton’s Planning Commission. “As a community we have had energetic discussions about development and growth issues, and how to balance that with the preservation of our unique historic resources and community character.”

Thiesse added, “The POCD needs to reflect a shared vision for Canton’s future and provide a roadmap to help the Town get there and make informed decisions along the way. Now is the time for people to participate and provide their input, and we’ve chosen a workshop format to make it easier and more engaging for everyone to be a part of the process.” 

The second workshop dealing with economic development will be even more “hands-on” than the first, which was attended by more than 135 Canton residents who were asked their opinions about what they were “proud” of in town, what they were “sorry” about, and where they would allocate planning resources. At the first workshop, "business development" received the most points in the exercise to identify the issues that participants considered most important for the POCD to address. A draft summary of the planning issues identified in Workshop #1 can be found on “Canton POCD News and Views” at: http://cantonpocd.posterous.com/.

“Economic development issues as a group also received the most ‘sorrys’ and comments about things that could be done differently or improved,” said Neil S. Pade, Canton Planning and Development director, “suggesting this needs to be an important area of focus for the POCD.” 

For Workshop #2, participants will be asked to consider community structure in various areas of town and economic development strategies for each (e.g., preserve and enhance; improve and evolve; transform; new growth). 

“We hope that everyone with a stake in Canton’s future – including business owners, commercial property owners and residents from all areas of town – will participate in this important workshop,” said Thiesse. 

Canton’s POCD Update is scheduled to be completed by September 2013. Canton’s Board of Selectmen appointed the POCD Update Committee in December 2010 to coordinate this process. The Committee consists of volunteer representatives from Canton’s many active civic boards, agencies and community groups, as well as at-large members. 

The POCD Update Committee meets the fourth Monday of every month, at 7 pm in the Community Center, 40 Dyer Ave. Meetings are open to the public and participation is encouraged. For additional information regarding the POCD Update Committee and scheduled events, please visit the newly reworked POCD Update Committee website at: http://cantonpocd.posterous.com/.