In order to have a broad understanding of how comprehensive planning is performed and implemented in Connecticut, the relationship between the Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD) and zoning must be examined. In the state of Connecticut, each town is required to create a comprehensive plan every ten years. The town is then to adopt zoning regulations that enable land uses that conform to the vision laid forth in the comprehensive plan. To be effective, the POCD must be supported by good zoning regulations, and these regulations are not appropriate if they do not directly relate to the POCD.
Per General Statute 8-23, each of Connecticut’s 169 towns is required to create a Plan of Conservation and Development. This plan is to be comprehensive in that it lays out guidelines for development and growth management, as well as to preserve and protect existing natural or cultural resources. The plan charts a course for how the town intends to grow for the following decade however it must not be so restrictive as to allow for changing conditions. The comprehensive plan is generated and approved by the local planning committee with input from the public and in coordination with related regional and state agencies.
Once the POCD has been enacted, zoning rules must be changed or modified as necessary to promote the desired outcomes of the plan. Any goals laid out by the POCD should be supported by zoning that enables them to be met. For instance, a community that desires more mixed use development must zone land with this designation so that is possible for this activity to occur. The comprehensive plan and zoning regulations go hand in hand and must be coordinated for a community to best realize its goals.
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