What is a POCD? 
Town of Wilton Planning and Zoning Commission, with assistance from the planning consulting firm of Milone & MacBroom, Inc. (MMI), is preparing an update to the Town’s Plan of Conservation and Development, or POCD. The POCD is a guidance document that will provide a long-term vision for the Town and guide decision making relating to growth, development, and conservation over the next ten years. The State of Connecticut requires municipalities to update their POCD every ten years.

As a comprehensive plan, the POCD will look at a range of topics that will influence Wilton over the coming decade, including demographics, housing, land use, community facilities, infrastructure, economic development, open space, recreation, transportation, and sustainability. While it is important to understand data and trends, it is equally important to understand the priorities of the community. There are several ways for the public to get involved throughout the process, including public workshops and community surveys.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: How can I participate?
A: Please visit the Get Involved! page to see how. Also like, follow and share the Wilton 2029 Plan Facebook page for posted updates. Invite your Wilton friends, family, neighbors, colleagues and others to visit the website and follow the Facebook page to stay connected to this process.

Q: When will the telephone survey take place? 
A: The telephone survey will take place the fall of 2018. By implementing the telephone survey later in the POCD process, the Planning and Zoning Commission seeks to get targeted input and feedback on specific policy recommendations and potential action items

Q: Who is working on the Plan and how?
A: The Planning and Zoning Commission is responsible for preparing, updating and adopting the Plan at least once every ten years. In mid-2017, a special subcommittee of three Commission members, a Conservation Commission member, and a Board of Selectmen member completed a Request For Proposals process and recommended Milone and MacBroom, Inc. (MMI), as the expert consultants for the Plan update. The Commission accepted that recommendation and the town engaged MMI in June 2017.

Q: Who else is working on the Plan?
A: In short, everyone has a role in updating the Plan. While responsibility and decision making for the Plan, all meetings, and the update process rests with the Commission, the Commission recognizes that this is a town-wide effort that depends on public input for its success. Accordingly, the Commission will be holding monthly Public Workshops with public comment and exercises to discuss critical planning issues, such as housing, Wilton Center, transportation, conservation and sustainability, among other topics. Also, the Commission has invited representatives from other town boards having some land-use and/or development focus to regularly participate in the Public Workshops alongside the public and serve as a liaison for keeping their boards connected to the process. Though not a formal or appointed body, this informal “working group” includes a representative from each of the Board of Education, Board of Finance, Board of Selectmen, Conservation Commission, Economic Development Commission, Energy Commission, Historic Districts and Properties Commission, Inland Wetlands Commission, Parks and Recreation Commission, Water Commission, Water Pollution Control Authority and the Zoning Board of Appeals.

Q: What sort of information may the Commission consider in updating the Plan?
A: Connecticut General Statutes, Section 8-23, provides that the Commission may accept information from any source or solicit input from any organization or individual in updating the Plan.

Q: What are the statutory requirements for the Plan?
A: Connecticut General Statutes, Section 8-23, outlines the requirements for the Plan. These requirements are well summarized on page 3 of the current 2010 Wilton Plan of Conservation and Development.

Q: What is the overall process for updating and adopting the Plan?
A: As presently envisioned, but subject to possible change to accommodate scheduling and planning needs: The Commission and MMI will focus on planning and data collection, analysis and study, hold Public Workshops and use short online public surveying on key planning issues for the first six months of the process, or through July, 2018. MMI will use results and input from the data analysis, Public Workshops and Commission guidance to draft the first key Plan sections on visions, goals, objectives and strategies. The recommendations in these key sections will be publicly evaluated using a statistically valid phone survey in the Fall of 2018. Survey results will be used to verify and refine these key sections as needed. MMI will then begin drafting the full Plan for consideration by the Commission in the Winter of 2018-2019. The Commission will consider and revise the plan before submitting a recommended draft to the Board of Selectmen and the regional council of governments for their review and comment sometime in early 2019. Following that review, the Commission would hold a public comment period and have a public hearing on the final recommended Plan in March and/or April, 2019. Following the hearing, the Commission could make any final revisions to the Plan before formally adopting it.