The next opportunity for the New Canaan general public and stakeholders to offer input for the Town’s Plan of Conservation and Development is Dec. 14, 6 p.m., at Town Hall. Topics will be Housing and the Downtown.
The meeting will be the third Community Dialogue Event conducted this fall as part of the Town’s process of gathering input from the public about the next 10-year plan for the Town. A townwide survey that was conducted during September.
Results of the survey have been posted. Highlights are below. For the full report, click here for POCD Update and scroll down to Community Survey Results.
• Survey participants are largely content with New Canaan, rating the overall quality of life an 8.5 out of 10.
• Reliable cell phone service, traffic congestion, road maintenance, and speeding are the top four quality of life concerns for survey participants across the Town.
• Participants are mostly satisfied with the variety of housing options, though opinions on the amount of small, single-family homes and affordable housing options are mixed.
• Over 50% of participants agree that the Downtown is visually attractive and well lit.
• Walking in Downtown is generally well regarded, though only 16% of participants feel that they are safe from traffic while biking in Downtown.
• All Town facilities were classified as excellent, except for roads and sidewalks (adequate) and senior services (don’t know).
• Over 90% of participants had an experience in the last 10 years related to loss of power, internet or phone connection due to storms, and the majority of participants do not feel that the Town is doing enough to protect against the loss of those services from storms.
• The top priority for the Town over the next ten years, according to survey participants, is the continued support and improvement of the education system.
The state requires all municipalities to update their Plan of Conservation and Development every 10 years. The planning document is intended to guide growth and development as well as identify strategies to protect important resources and attributes. The plan sets the table for many initiatives the town may undertake.
-end-
