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The Planning Commission hosted a planning workshop on September 13 to kick-off the town plan update project. With around 30 people in attendance, we explored how New Haven can best accommodate residential growth and economic development over the next decade.
Four break-out groups were provided with an
air photo map of the town and 150 straight pins, each
representing one new home, and 15 tacks, each representing a new business. These numbers represent the amount of growth New Haven has experienced over the past 10 years. The groups were asked to place their pins and tacks in
the map indicating preferred locations for development. The
resulting maps can be viewed below:     There was a general consensus among the groups that most of the business development should occur along Route 7. All groups placed some residential pins in and around the village center. There was less consensus about residential development patterns in outlying areas. Some felt that development along existing town roads was the most suitable, while others proposed clusters of new homes.
At the same time, there was general agreement that some segments of the corridor should remain open, especially the most scenic sections. There was discussion of how this could be accomplished in a manner that respected the owners' property rights and investment in their land. The visual character of development (existing and future) along Route 7 was a shared concern. As one participant stated, "People's impression of Route 7 is their impression of the whole town."
Download the detailed summary of the workshop and the resulting Route 7 map from the link on the left side of this page. More photos of the morning's activies can be viewed below:     
Volunteer to Help Revise the Town Plan
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| Last Updated ( Tuesday, 23 September 2008 ) |
The New Haven Planning Commission encourages you to get involved in our project to update the Town Plan. The plan describes the type of town we want New Haven to become and establishes the land use policies that will be implemented through the town’s zoning and subdivision regulations.
At the workshop, participants also examined current and future land use patterns along the Route 7 corridor. More of a consensus emerged from this discussion. Most participants agreed with one person's statement that the existing zoning could be described as a "crazy quilt" and were in support of "rationalizing" the districts to better reflect property lines, current land use. There was a consensus that making the existing commercial/industrial districts deeper to allow for new or expanded businesses was preferable to further extending those districts linearly along the highway.
We are also soliciting volunteers interested in serving on a Town Plan Work Group. The last major update of the town plan in the late-1990s was completed with the assistance of a dedicated group of volunteer citizens. That process was a success and resulted in a plan that reflected the interests of townspeople. With your assistance, we will again be able to harness the knowledge of local issues and conditions that will result in a great plan for the town. Volunteers should attend the organization meeting at 7 p.m. on October 9, at the Congregational Church. For more information, send an