Residents Invited To Give Input On New Canaan's 10-Year Plan

NEW CANAAN, CT — The next opportunity for New Canaan residents to offer input on the town's Plan of Conservation and Development will be held at Town Hall this week.

According to a news release provided by the town, the meeting will be held Thursday at 6 p.m. Topics covered will be housing and the downtown.

The meeting will be the third community dialogue event conducted this fall as part of the town's process of gathering input from the public about the next 10-year plan for the town.

A town-wide survey was conducted in September, results of which have been posted. Highlights are below:

• Survey participants are largely content with New Canaan, rating the overall quality of life an 8.5 out of 10.

• Reliable cell phone service, traffic congestion, road maintenance, and speeding are the top four quality of life concerns for survey participants across the town.

• Participants are mostly satisfied with the variety of housing options, though opinions on the amount of small, single-family homes and affordable housing options are mixed.

• Over 50 percent of participants agree that the downtown is visually attractive and well lit.

• Walking in downtown is generally well regarded, though only 16 percent of participants feel that they are safe from traffic while biking in downtown.

• All town facilities were classified as excellent, except for roads and sidewalks (adequate) and senior services (don’t know).

• Over 90 percent of participants had an experience in the last 10 years related to loss of power, internet or phone connection due to storms, and the majority of participants do not feel that the town is doing enough to protect against the loss of those services from storms.

• The top priority for the town over the next ten years, according to survey participants, is the continued support and improvement of the education system.

For the full report, click here for POCD Update and scroll down to "community survey results."

The state requires all municipalities to update their Plan of Conservation and Development every 10 years, according to town officials.

The planning document is intended to guide growth and development as well as identify strategies to protect important resources and attributes. The plan sets the table for many initiatives the town may undertake, town officials said.