Smart Growth Seminar Looks At

Conservation Subdivisions And Low Impact Development

A seminar on Smart Growth is scheduled for Saturday, May 14, at the Newtown Municipal Center council chambers from 10 am to noon. Emphasis will be on conservation subdivisions and low impact development.

Speakers will include MaryAnn Nussom-Haverstock, environmental analyst, Planning and Standards Division at the state Department of Environmental Protection; Martin Connor, city planner for the City of Torrington; and Jay Keillor, president of Land Engineering Associates in Monroe.

Speakers will explore creative ways to accommodate growth while preserving natural resources and minimizing impacts on natural systems. Conservation subdivisions differ from traditional subdivisions in that they preserve much more acreage for natural open space areas. Houses are built on smaller lots and often are designed so that they have adjacent common or park areas.

Low impact development (LID) has to do with managing storm water runoff in a manner that mimics natural systems as opposed to highly engineered designs. The emphasis is to manage runoff close to its source using land conservation as well as various innovative technologies.

The seminar is being sponsored by the Newtown Conservation Commission. Refreshments will be available.

For further information, contact Conservation Commission Chair Mary Gaudet-Wilson at mhgwilson@sbcglobal.net.