The Town of Newtown has announced that work will once again begin on a “comprehensive update to its Plan of Conservation and Development,” according to a press release issued November 20.

This news heralds an extended planning process for Newtown’s Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD), which is scheduled to continue until late spring of 2024.

Mandated to be drafted every ten years by state statute, the POCD serves as a foundational blueprint. While not legislatively binding, the plan will guide and inform future legislation and actions pertaining to Newtown’s growth and development for the next decade and beyond.

According to state guidelines — which have evolved over the years to demand an ever more holistic and comprehensive approach to local issues — the plan must reflect the community vision towards land use, housing, transportation, and environmental conservation.

To discuss these important questions related to the POCD, Planning & Land Use Director Rob Sibley sat down with The Newtown Bee to shed light on the purpose and significance of the processes at play.

According to Sibley, the POCD serves multiple purposes besides being the general guidelines for future development.

He explained that “it is also the carrot that the state uses to help guide the grant processes for a multitude of agencies.”

By proactively mapping out space for programs that are important to Newtown citizens — such as sustainable development, transportation infrastructure, or open space preservation — the POCD can set a precedent that will serve as a foundation for the town when it applies for future funding.

“It really is one of those reset buttons that the public can actively engage in,” said Sibley. “It helps people start to think about the generation of what their hopes are for the community, how their community currently operates, what is needing improvement, what has succeeded.”

First Selectman Dan Rosenthal echoed Sibley on the plan’s importance.

“Planning & Zoning is a quasi-judicial body,” he said to The Bee, “so when someone comes in to make a development application, it’s not a popularity contest. If it fits with the law, they’re duty-bound to approve it. The public’s opportunity is to get involved with what shapes the Plan of Conservation and Development.”

In order to expedite the process of gathering that crucial public input, the town has developed a short survey to gauge the mood of public opinion on a number of issues that cut to the heart of what Newtown residents value.

The survey — accessible in English here and in Spanish here — represents each Newtown citizen’s opportunity to play an active role in a local participatory democratic process, and all interested in voicing their vision for the town’s future should take the time to complete its roughly 20 questions.

“The goal is to be able to reach as many people as easily as possible,” said Sibley. “Language barriers, technology barriers, informational gaps, all should be bridged in this process so that I can get the word out to folks that they have an opportunity to speak to this.”

Assuring Newtown citizens that their input will be received and valued, he added that, “There’s not a stop date. It doesn’t turn into a pumpkin in mid-December or the end of January. This process continues right up to the draft of the Plan of Conservation and Development.”

As the planning process progresses, each response to the survey will become a small part of the larger project of crafting a plan that is both reflective of and responsive to the needs, aspirations, and values of the Newtown community. According to Sibley, this survey will serve an integral role in developing a comprehensive and inclusive POCD that resonates with our community’s collective vision.

“At the end of the day, everybody needs to review and understand the community they live in,” Sibley concluded. “This is a great opportunity for anyone in the community to raise their voice, to say something that they’re passionate about, that they have a concern about, or that they have a dream about.”

Residents interested or concerned with progress currently being made on the plan should also consider attending an upcoming public meeting at 7 pm Thursday, November 30, in the Newtown Community Center. There, town officials will answer questions and solicit feedback from the public.

Reporter Owen Tanzer can be reached at owen@thebee.com.