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 October 21, 2009 meeting.

2009 Capitol Region Plan of Conservation and Development

The Following Chapters comprise the 2009 Regional Plan of Conservation and Development.  For an Executive Summary of Plan contents, please see chapters 1, 2 and 12.