The Community Development Department is responsible for developing and maintaining a Regional Plan of Conservation and Development.  The Plan seeks to encourage a regional development pattern that provides a necessary balance between the man-made and natural environment, while minimizing adverse effects on environmentally sensitive areas. While the Regional Plan is strictly advisory to our municipalities, it is used as the basis for review of zoning and subdivision proposals affecting land along town boundaries, and other applications for state funds that are referred to CRCOG for review and comment.

Although the Regional Plan is most often used to guide the activities of the Council and is an advisory document, we encourage local governments to support it and work toward its implementation.  In addition, 2005 state legislation (PA 05-205) amended statutes pertaining to local, regional and state plans of conservation and development in several ways. One of the changes is to require that regional planning agencies comment on the consistency municipal plans of conservation and development have with (1) the regional plan of development, (2) the state plan of conservation and development, and (3) the plans of conservation and development of other municipalities in the area of operation of the regional planning agency.  Another change is that local plans of conservation and development must  "note any inconsistencies" with the "growth management principle" of "integration of planning across all levels of government to address issues on a local, regional and state-wide basis".

CRCOG's Policy Board approved the current Connecticut Capitol Region Plan of Conservation and Development at their May 28, 2003 meeting. This plan presents some of the challenges and choices facing our region as we move into the new millennium. It provides an overview of the issues that influence our regional development pattern and presents goals and policies to guide our future conservation and development. The 2005 state legislation noted above also requires that the current plan be updated by 2008 to reflect the new requirements for Plans of Conservation and Development.

2003 Capitol Region Plan of Conservation and Development