NAUGATUCK — The Planning Commission on Thursday recommended increasing the amount of land that could be zoned as arterial corridors under a proposed update to the borough’s Plan of Conservation and Development.
Development in such zones would be mixed between commercial, industrial, office and multifamily residential, according to the proposed plan that will guide land-use decisions over the next decade.
The commission recommended the corridors include Route 68 to the Prospect line, New Haven Road to the Bethany line and Rubber Avenue to the Southwood apartment complex.
The recommendation followed a presentation on the updated proposal by Carol Gould, senior project manager for Fitzgerald & Halliday, the Hartford-based firm the borough contracted to complete the updated plan.
The commission held a hearing Thursday on the new plan, but members were disappointed when no residents showed up to comment.
“The plan of development is a very important document, because it’s constantly referred to, but it’s one that nobody takes any interest in,” commissioner E. Harry Jancis said.
The hearing was continued to July 1 at 6:15 p.m.
The proposed plan can be found on the borough’s website, www.naugatuck-ct.gov.
The new plan contains a proposed future zoning map that calls for high-density development in the borough’s downtown and progressively lower density in surrounding areas, preserving the rural character of the fringes of the borough.
Some residents have already weighed in through an online survey that was also distributed on paper during some borough events. The results showed residents wanted better access to the Naugatuck River, a more vibrant downtown, commercial development along Route 8, a busy train station, walkable streets and affordable housing for the elderly and young adults.
The new plan will go into effect after approval by the Planning Commission and the Board of Mayor and Burgesses. Town Planner Keith Rosenfeld said he is hoping both boards approve a plan by the November elections, when their memberships could change.
