EAST GRANBY, CT — East Granby's draft plan for the next decade calls for more housing choices, expanded sidewalks and investment in the Village Center, alongside efforts to preserve additional open space.
The town has released its draft 2026 Plan of Conservation and Development, which lays out priorities for housing, businesses, transportation and natural resources. The document is marked for review and offers recommendations to guide future decisions.
Among its housing proposals: update zoning regulations to encourage accessory apartments and consider requiring a share of units in new developments to carry deed restrictions keeping them affordable.
The draft identifies a need for homes suited to different ages and incomes, "with a focus on allowing residents to age in town, and young adults to remain in town and grow their families."
About 30 percent of East Granby households spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing, according to DataHaven figures cited in the draft plan's housing chapter. The document also notes that limited sewer service and reliance on private wells constrain development in many areas.
Business owners who participated in a Jan. 5 public input session identified expanded sewer and water connections in existing commercial areas as a priority, according to the draft's summary. Patch previously previewed that meeting as part of the town's planning process.
The summary says participants also favored more business-friendly sign rules, measures to slow traffic through the Village Center and recruitment of a grocery store, drugstore and hardware store in a walkable area.
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For the Village Center, the draft recommends a program to help improve building exteriors, additional pedestrian connections and a public gathering place that could draw people to town activities and nearby businesses.
Residents' survey responses also emphasized conservation. About 30 percent of respondents ranked preserving more open space as their top priority, while 16 percent placed protecting the natural environment first, according to the draft.
The proposed conservation actions include setting aside money for additional open space, seeking acquisition grants and prioritizing parcels adjoining existing protected land to expand wildlife habitat. The draft also calls for reviewing subdivision rules governing open space and clustered housing.
On transportation, nearly 47 percent of survey respondents selected expanding the sidewalk system as the top initiative, the document says.
The draft discusses a possible trail connection between the Village Center and East Granby Farms as an alternative to sidewalks along Route 187. It also recommends working with the state on pedestrian safety, particularly around businesses on Route 20, and exploring expanded bus connections.
The recommendations would require follow-through by town boards, staff and other partners. The town's planning project page describes the plan as an advisory guide rather than a mandate.
Residents can review the full draft through the town's website.
For more Northern Connecticut news, follow Patch editor Jay Kenney.
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