GOALS and POLICIES STATEMENT:

R E G I ON A L   P L A N   2 0 0 5

Regional planning in lower Fairfield County is more than 40 years old, having begun in 1962.  There are eight (8) member towns in “S.W.R.P.A” (South Western Regional Planning Agency).  They are, beginning at the New York border:  Greenwich, Stamford, Darien, New Canaan, Norwalk, Wilton, Westport and Weston.

Originally, Greenwich, New Canaan and Wilton only “observed” this planning experiment.  When Weston, one of the original members, signed on to voluntary regionalism, they had no Town Plan of their own.  Weston had no high school, was considered  “rural” and functioned as Westport’s “country cousin.”

South Western Connecticut has always been a tale of two cities.  Stamford has made strides and is a metropolis of global importance.  Norwalk has claimed its place as a municipality with waterfront charm and history, modernized and sparkling with new office complexes and renovated factories now residences.

In the years since its founding, SWRPA took on responsibility for providing staffing to the Metropolitan Planning Organization.  This regional transportation grants pass-through agency is a separate organization composed of Mayor’s and First Selectmen, with representation from transit districts in the area.  The “Metropolitan Planning Organization” or “MPO” takes the lead disbursing Federal funds that come to this end of the state.

As the needs of the region as a whole change, and as Federal dollars direct SWRPA’s efforts, the work of the agency shifts emphasis.  Through the years there have been constants, however.

Improving the quality of life for a diverse population has always been SWRPA’s goal.  Finding regional solutions to regional problems, seeking intertown cooperation and sharing the costs of regional services are concepts that may be ready for popular acceptance.

The next Regional Plan rewrite is beginning!
 

Metropatterns
 

“Toward the Region of the Future” was the name of the first regional plan in 1974.  Decades went by.  Two updates, 1983 and 1995, brought us to the brink of the 21st century.

Open land vanished.  Generally, development “followed the pipe.”  What is “infrastructure?”  It includes roads, drainage, cell towers, power, sewer and water lines.  If zoning permits, almost anything is possible.  Residential sprawl gobbled up open tracts.

And what of our cities?  Stamford and Norwalk are two towns with hospitals, regional attractions, and institutions of higher education.  This combination of activities, together in one political subdivision, makes a truly urban experience.  Greenwich has its own hospital.  Westport is the outdoor shopping capital of South Western Connecticut.  Darien, New Canaan and Wilton are smaller planets in the constellation and not quite “cities.”  Weston is the smallest and most “rural” of all the SWRPA towns.

Much of Connecticut considers the South Western Region selfish.  We have so much.  Highest personal income and highest education levels equal soaring land costs.  Demand for housing near the Metro North railroad is one reason why prices are so high.  Basic theories of economics play out.  Supply never meets up with demand so housing prices spiral upwards.  What to do?

“Connecticut is a small state,” says Myron Orfield, consultant to the Archdiocese of Hartford.  It has roughly the population of Brooklyn and Staten Island.  The Archdiocese recently commissioned a study of the pattern of social separation and sprawl.  “Connecticut Metropatterns” is its name, and it is on the Internet:

http://www.metroresearch.org/maps/region_maps/4.8_Connecticut.pdf

There are many things recommended from the consultant’s perch.  Removing half of the cost of K-12 education from the local property tax is one idea.  “Connecticut Metropatterns” pushes “smarter planning.”  What does this mean?  Some of Orfield’s suggestions already exist in the South Western Region.  Other places in Connecticut may not be as far along.

Thanks to its long-range approach, SWRPA already has “G.I.S.” (geographic information systems) and is able to perform build-out analyses and growth simulations.  SWRPA cooperates with its member towns to provide such assistance when requested.

“Metropatterns” defines “smart growth.”  Smart growth is smarter planning.  If you are smart, growth goes where the supporting infrastructure and public facilities already exist.  Orfield also promotes reinvestment in cities and urbanized towns “as a springboard to revitalization and livability.”

GOALS AND POLICIES PLAN STATEMENT:

CENTRALITY--a Plan concept coming into it own:  strengthen existing core cities, making them exciting, vibrant places to live and work.

Continuation of “centrality” is the  theme for our new Plan, with the understanding that the South Western Region relates even more than ever to the rest of Connecticut and adjacent communities (in N.Y.).

The economic base and the Region’s continued quality of life are linked by the tentacles of an overtaxed, under-developed transportation system.  This Plan emphasizes the need for more public transit as traffic on highways come to a standstill.

Innovative ideas increasing the supply of affordable housing within the South Western Region are welcome.  Locating jobs and housing--and providing affordable/alternative residential opportunities--together along a seamless linkage in our Region and in the major transportation corridors must happen.  This is a point for emphasis in this new Plan.
 

BASIC GOALS OF THE 2005 PLAN

Integrated land use solutions, sustainability within patterns infrastructure (i.e. sewer, water, road system, power, public safety and security) and being economically competitive with neighboring Regions are the basic goals of this new Plan.

In no particular order, policies to implement the over-arching goals are:

• Plan for an aging and increasingly diverse population;  start from the ground up - with neighborhood revitalization.

• Sustainable economic development requires effective use of resources;  invest in mass transportation and livable cities.

• Intensity of development is linked to infrastructure; save open space while providing for Regional use of same.

• Long range transportation planning is “driver” of sustainability and thus vital to balanced growth.

• Work to preserve individual identity of communities in the SWRPA area;  respect historical structure, scenic views, and encourage good urban design (which helps provide a sense of place).
 

POLICIES FOR IMPLEMENTATION

What role do higher levels of government play in implementation of SWRPA’s plans?  Leveraging public and private resources is one key to success.  Effective use of resources is a must.

Only if the SWRPA communities agree to move forward together can regional plans succeed.  Broad goals are one thing, but formulating policies towards achieving them expose differences.  What do  the goals stated above actually mean?  The underlying issue of equity - economic and racial - is very much in play.  As the State of Connecticut faces budget deficits here in the early part of the 21st century, the region’s future is clouded.

Diverse Population
South Western Connecticut is more diverse than it used to be.  The global economy is now very much the paradigm for recent Stamford development.  In this, the “information age,” SWRPA is the Census repository for our Region.  All matters of data are available at the Agency’s WEBSITE: http://www.swrpa.org.
 

Neighborhood Revitalization

The SWRPA towns are a collection of small and even smaller cities and towns.  Each community has within it neighborhoods with character worth preserving.  In a global economy, with international strife at our doorstep, it is even more important to be able to identify with a place to call home.  One example of a small project that takes a first step comes from the Merritt Parkway Alliance and RPA (a private planning organization in the New York Metropolitan Area).

Regional Open Space Plan

Is there a regional open space plan?  Where does recreation facility planning on a regional scale fit in?  A restatement of the 1995 Regional Plan goals:  “intensity of development is linked to infrastructure;  saving open space while providing for regional use of same is important.”  If the cities of Stamford and Norwalk form the “heart” of our Region, then the “lungs” are provided by expanses of undisturbed open space north of the Merritt Parkway in several towns.

Long-range Infrastructure Plan
Is there a coordinated “long-range plan” for infrastructure?  Are we being aggressive enough in pursuing regional solutions to infrastructure matters?  In the 1995 SWRPA Regional Plan, action on “plan policies,” which were achieved ahead of schedule, are:
• complete sewer plant upgrades
• establish downtown campus for University of Connecticut in Stamford
• improvements to Norwalk Community-Technical College campus.

Journey-to-work

The South Western Regional Planning Agency “2020” study functions as the unofficial “road map” for Connecticut on matters of traffic and transportation improvements.  A link to this study can be found (on SWRPA’s WEBsite) HERE.

Water supply

Coming out of the recent drought, South Western Connecticut municipalities all faced placing restrictions on the use of groundwater supplies.  Conservation of the natural environment includes wise use of limited natural resources.  SWRPA recognizes that the eight towns must work together in the effort.

With recent consolidations of private water companies, the region stands ready to truly be able to plan for the future in a coordinated way.  Link here to Aquarion.

Power Supply

Will the lights go on when we flick the switch?  South Western Connecticut, the economic engine of Connecticut, has need for electricity to run its “factories” in the the offices and downtowns of the region. Knowledge is power, and in the case of SWRPA’s towns, power supply makes the knowledge-based economy go round.  A map of Connecticut provided by Connecticut Light & Power illustrates this (see below).

Sewage Treatment/Sewer Avoidance

The Regional Plan for Conservation and Development 1995 is up for renewal.  Which parts of the Region are to be conserved?  Which are ripe for development?  “Land capability” is the operative term providing the answers.  One major generator of urbanization and “improvement” in land capability is a sewer line.

Sewers feed into treatment plants.  Long Island Sound is a treasure that must be protected for all.  The quality of water in Long Island Sound determines the health of not only the creatures who live there, but the economy of water-related industry.  It is in the interest of the entire Region that sources of pollution, both direct and indirect, disappear.

“Smart growth” initiatives address this matter.  In the SWRPA region, what does this mean? One sure explanation is favoring improvements to existing road systems, rather than construction of new superhighways.  Limiting sprawl of infrastructure improvements into the hinterlands is another.  And taking strong actions collectively to support regional assets found in the cities is an idea whose time has come.

But it is getting more difficult to finance environmental protection absent a Federal funding presence.  Conservation of resources, fiscal and natural, is the smart way to go.  In the end, thinking regionally about problems that cross political boundaries may be the only way to retain  local identity and control of our future.