First Selectman's Report
June 8, 2009
Mary A. Glassman
Below please find several updates regarding activities in the area of Planning and Land Use.
Charrette: Code Studio will be conducting the Town Center charrette process from September 11-16. We will be meeting with the BOS charrette subcommittee on Wed (6/10) to discuss and firm up many details pertaining to this process.
We will be broadcasting as many of the charrette meetings as possible via SCTV and the town web site.
The consultant, Code Studio will be making a pre-charrette visit to Town in August to explain the charrette process to the public. Exact dates and times to be confirmed shortly.
The cost of the charrette is set at $97,300.
Incentive Housing Zone study: Concord Square Planning and Development is proceeding with a detailed study of the selected sites for the IHZ. The selection matrix is currently posted on the Town web site for public information.
The IHZ study is being conducted with a $49,900 grant from OPM. It is anticipated this study will be integrated into the charrette process. The consultant has expressed a sincere willingness to do this in order to make the IHZ regulation product more seamless as we propose this new zoning regulation for integration into the revised zoning regulations.
The Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation grant: This grant for $25,000 will allow the charrette to take into account the significance of the existing historical structures in the Town Center. It will also allow us to use the charrette mechanism to make these historic structures an integral part of Simsbury’s future as a destination location for tourism and spin off economic development activities.
NOTE: Another grant for $30,000 has also been received that will allow for the compilation and coordination of several of the past efforts which have produced good but disjointed or “un electronically mergable” studies and documents. This grant will allow us to (1) finish, (2) format and (3) merge all this past work.; a significant undertaking.
Also related: Work on the Planned Area Development Zoning Regulation (PAD) is continuing. The PAD subcommittee of the Zoning Commission is meeting almost weekly in an effort to produce a sound mixed use zoning regulation that the Town can also integrate into the revised zoning regulations.
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