On Thursday, December 7, the Planning & Zoning Commission met in the Council Chambers for the first time since the recent election for a lengthy meeting, during which important community updates and two significant applications were heard.

The meeting began with a procedural matter: the election of a new chairperson of the commission. Roy Meadows nominated David Rosen for the seat, and the motion was carried by unanimous vote. Connie Widmann was also elected vice-chairperson, on a 3-2 vote, with members Greg Rich and Barbara Manville dissenting. Finally, Barbara Manville was unanimously elected secretary of the commission.

These procedural matters having been attended to, the commission then gave the floor to Thomas Madden, who returned to Newtown to once again represent BFJ Planning, the firm charged with developing our town’s Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD). Madden presented a brief update on the development of the POCD, while bringing the newer members of the commission up to speed on the processes already ongoing.

He announced the completion of the first public workshop along with many stakeholder meetings. He then reviewed the overall time line of drafting the plan, which BFJ still expects to have completed by this coming February.

Michelle Gilman, a planner at BFJ, walked through some of the main takeaways from the POCD public workshop that took place November 30.

According to her, “We identified a theme on preserving farms and open space. Deep Brook Farm was mentioned several times. Overall, maintaining that small town quaint feeling and increasing the open space percentage goal, set by the state at 20 percent, were emphasized.”

She also mentioned that Newtown residents had complex and even sometimes contradictory feelings surrounding the future of the Fairfield Hills municipal complex. While consensus exists that Fairfield Hills is “a cornerstone in the Newtown Community,” Gilman explained that they observed “conflicting ideas on how to best utilize the facility for future use.”

According to these observations, significant popular support exists for the expansion of Community Center event programming, especially that directed towards cultural arts and senior citizens. However, the issues of pickleball court installation and novel housing developments were far more controversial, eliciting “mixed opinions” from the audience.

In general, residents expressed “apprehension about development and overdevelopment,” but BFJ described the overall attitude of Newtown citizens to housing and economic development as “diverse.” According to Gilman, while many do oppose novel higher-density housing developments, others do “support diverse housing options, especially for seniors and young families.”

Having reviewed these public discussions, Gilman went on to outline BFJ’s path forward in continuing to gather data for the POCD. She announced that the firm would be employing a “Social Pinpoint board,” which uses a virtual, interactive map to gather localized and easily visualizable data from citizen engagement.

According to BFJ, the Social Pinpoint board will allow residents “to interact with a map to identify specific locations and provide comments, suggestions, or concerns related to proposed developments and infrastructure improvements.”

Madden went on to discuss the long-term demographic changes at play in Newtown, before ceding the floor to the Newtown Community Center, which applied for a Site Development Plan permitting the use of the property for a “playscape.”

Community Center Director Matthew Ariniello and Chair of the Community Center Commission Kinga Walsh represented the application to place the proposed playscape adjacent to the Community Center, between the center and the Newtown Youth Academy.

Ariniello explained that, “We are proposing a 3500 square foot playscape for our childcare programming at the Center … What this will do is not only increase the amenity on the campus, but also benefit the community as a whole. It allows us to expand our programming. The Community Center is revenue neutral. We do not require taxpayer funding at this time. This will help us continue to grow our revenue.”

He also mentioned that the playscape was only the first phase of a larger construction project, which will hopefully go on to include the construction of a shade structure as well.

The commission unanimously voted to approve the Community Center’s application.

Denise Murillo and Ardian Llomi then spoke on behalf of PurePoint Energy, LLC, who applied for a Special Exception at 56 Pole Bridge Road for a new solar installation to be placed above the roof of a “carport,” or enclosed parking location.

Murillo introduced her proposal as part of the federal Rural Energy for America Program, which provides funding for the development of sustainable energy production centers that meet specific criteria related to agro-business and rural economies.

“In this instance, it’s for the wine operations at Aquila’s Vineyard here at 56 Pole Bridge Road,” she explained.

After she walked the commission through the environmental criteria satisfied by her proposal at length, the commission once again voted unanimously to approve the application.

Finally, the commission approved their own calendar of regular meetings, and adjourned.

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