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Planning and Zoning
40 Old Farms Road Willington, CT 06279
November 1, 2016 7:30 PM
7:00 – 9:00
Willington Public Library
Meeting Minutes
PUBLIC MEETING for the Plan of Conservation and Development
~Mr. Glenn Chalder representing Planimetrics gave each resident an envelope with 50 planning points. On the front table, there were 11 ballot boxes with different categories listed on them. He asked the attendees to put the appropriate number of points in each of the ballot boxes that is the most important to them. The points were then tallied for each category and Mr. Chalder began the presentation with the Planning Points Summary; he began with the ballot boxes that had the most points. As he went through each category, Mr. Chalder asked the residents to shout out why they chose the category and what in the category is most important to them. The results are listed below:
Community Character
- Pride in the town
- Town Character
- Focus on Willington Character
- Discourage big box stores and restaurants
- Preserve zoning regulations
Community Facilities
- Infrastructure to support the facilities
- Aging building
- Schools (declining enrollment and buildings in need of maintenance)
- New Town Hall
- Need for a strong school system
- Increased technology funding
- Continued support of the library
- Outdoor areas
- Municipal services
- Emergency services and shelters
- Transfer Station
- Resident State Trooper
Open Space
- Taxpayers do not support funding for open space
- Encourage land owners to retain land (farm, open space, forest)
- Concerns about protecting open space
- Designated open space, manages open space, perceived open space
- Managing and preserving open space
Natural Resources
- Protect farm soils
- Halls pond is underutilized
- Aquifer protection
- Concerns about the truck stops proximity to Roaring Brook and the Willimantic River
- Fracking waster
- Dark skies
Business Development
- Support tax base
- Abandoned buildings
- Jobs
- Convenience to goods and services
- Concerns on signs and issues
- Streamline the application process
- Allow for areas to be residential/commercial so small businesses can open
- Encourage the town to be smarter about businesses and where they are located
- Importance of the highway to economic development
- Focus on populating existing facilities before breaking new ground
- Restore buildings that exist
- Village District Zoning
Housing Diversity
- Explore housing with retail on the bottom and housing on top such as Mansfield
- Concerns on housing college students and the zoning policing and regulations
- Different classifications (smaller square footage, freestanding condos, cluster housing)
- Public utilities
- Accessibility to homes (i.e. wheelchair ramps)
As the meeting came to an end, the remaining boxes that were not discussed were Special Resources, Community Structures, Residential Development, Traffic and Circulation and Walking, Biking and Buses.
A brief discussion was held on the following topics:
- Concerns on traffic flow of the businesses off of I-84
- Safety for bicycles and a bike route
- Staying informed and maintaining what we have in town
Meeting adjourned at 9:00.
Respectfully Submitted,
Michele Manas
Recording Clerk
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