What Do You Want To See In Simsbury? Tell The Town On Monday

SIMSBURY, CT — Looking ahead to what Simsbury could or will look like in the future is one of the charges of the Simsbury Planning Commission.

And as the the commission works on revising the Simsbury Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD), it is seeking the public's participation in a special public forum on Monday, Jan. 30.

The public forum is from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Henry James Middle School cafeteria, 155 Firetown Road.

The goal is simple: to garner input from Simsbury residents and taxpayers about what they want to see in the town as far as future development goes.

A POCD is a document every municipality has and updates regularly that acts as a handbook for land-use commissions regarding development.

If, for example, a type of development (manufacturing, for example) is included in the plan, a land-use board will take that into consideration when deliberating a proposed manufacturing project.

What that plan will look like is why Simsbury residents are being asked to identify issues of concern to them and suggest priorities and strategies for the updated plan.

The current plan of conservation and development was adopted in 2017.

Following the public meeting, the commission will review community input and then use that information to evaluate strategies to help guide the community in the future.

Town officials said the POCD is an advisory document used by the Simsbury Planning Commission and other agencies to:

• Promote the overall sustainability of the community

• Protect the resources and assets important to residents

• Guide growth and change in Simsbury

• Identify facilities and services needed or wanted to support the community

Simsbury residents are encouraged to come to the meeting to help ensure the POCD reflects community goals.

“This plan is an important document which will be used to guide future conservation and development activity over the next decade and beyond,” said Erin Leavitt-Smith, chairperson of the Simsbury Planning Commission.

For more information on the Simsbury Planning Commission, click on this link.