Print
Share page with AddThis

05/10/2022 Planning Commission Minutes

Meeting date: 
Tuesday, May 10, 2022

PLANNING COMMISSION – MEETING MINUTES

 

Tuesday, May 10, 2022, at 7:00 P.M.

Main Meeting Room at Simsbury Town Hall

 

I. CALL TO ORDER – Chair Leavitt-Smith called the meeting to order at 7:03 P.M.

 

II. ROLL CALL

 

Present: Town Planner, George McGregor; Chair, Erin Leavitt-Smith; Holly Beum, Don Colantonio, and Julie Eaton.

 

Absent: Secretary, William Rice; Joseph Campolieta, and Craig MacCormac.

 

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

 

All present stood for the Pledge.

 

III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – April 26, 2022, REGULAR MEETING

 

Chair Leavitt-Smith stated that Line 41 reads “inquired” and should be “inquired of.”

 

MOTION: Commissioner Eaton made a motion to approve the April 26, 2022, minutes as amended. Commissioner Beum seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.

 

IV. NEW BUSINESS

 

            a. POCD UPDATE DISCUSSION

 

  • Mr. McGregor stated that Glen Chalder would be glad to serve as a consultant and would attend the June 28th meeting.
  • Mr. McGregor stated that the word “character” is used substantially throughout the document, and there is a focus on a “sense of place”, and that there needs to be more specificity on what those are defined as, how they encapsulate what is meaningful for our town, and how they relate to fostering inclusivity and diversity.
  • Mr. McGregor inquired of the Commission if there were items in need of revision to address affordability for affordable housing.
  • Commissioner Eaton commented that she believed that the plan should be folded into the existing POCD but there should be an expansion on developing additional types of housing options.
  • Mr. McGregor stated that there was a 2020 authorization needing clarifying.
  • Commissioner Eaton offered that it was for the second paragraph on page 80 concerning putting the burden on the developers to do the net impact analysis to really assess what the impact on educational needs, police and fire department needs, and the net fiscal impact, would be when a new development is proposed.
  • Mr. McGregor inquired of the Commission about clarifying an item under regionalization
  • Commissioner Eaton stated it focused on how the Commission utilizes the plan to identify opportunities in neighboring towns for community facilities.
  • Mr. McGregor stated that in the state of CT the law says that land must be recommended for preservation as open space in the town POCD by the town’s Planning Commission. He explained that means mapping in specific parcels of land that are appropriate as open spaces and therefore worthy of a reduced assessment. He identified that this requires two components: the Planning Commission addressing the open space parcels in the POCD, and the criteria that the Assessor will follow to apply for reduced assessment.
  • Commissioner Eaton voiced a need to focus on overarching guidelines for conservation, specifically Dark Skies and Pollinator Pathways because there is a lot of current town activity.

 

V. CORRESPONDENCE

 

No correspondence. 

 

VI. ADJOURNMENT

 

MOTION: Commissioner Beum made a motion to adjourn. Commissioner Eaton seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.

 

Chair Leavitt-Smith adjourned the meeting at 8:15 P.M.

 

Respectfully Submitted,

 

Amanda Blaze

Commission Clerk