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The Planning Department and the Town Planning and Zoning Commission is in the process of updating the Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD).

The POCD outlines visions, goals, and strategies to guide conservation and development in Windsor over the next ten years and beyond. Topics include residential development, historic resources, economic development, transportation, natural resources, open space, agricultural resources, community facilities, enhancing the villages, utilities, and the Day Hill Corporate Area.

Several draft chapters are available for your review on the Planning Department website.

We want your input! How can we continue to make Windsor a desirable community to live, work, and play?

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How should Windsor meet the needs of its changing demographics and attract younger residents (e.g. provide housing opportunities for all age groups or provide regulations and incentives to upgrade existing housing to attract younger residents or allow older residents to stay in their homes).

Once you're through leaving your input, click here to choose a new topic.

9 Responses

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Carol Powers almost 9 years ago

(1( The CT job market is not exactly booming. Has research been done on how many young people want to settle in Windsor? How many affordable units are needed for young people with education loans? (2) What percentage of older residents live in homes that are now too large for them? They may not wish to leave their community. In Washington, CT, new housing was built for older people who want to downsize. This is not "affordable housing. " This is well-designed and maintained smaller housing to keep residents in their community. (3) One of the many attractive features of Windsor is the great variety of home styles. Older homes could be divided into apartments or townhouses for younger working people, keeping the character of the house but updating.

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mark dressler almost 9 years ago

In order to attract younger residents - need a vibrant downtown which includes housing, restaurants, entertainment venues and frequent easy transportation to Hartford and other major places of employment.

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Susan Haspeslagh almost 9 years ago

I think Windsor has a lot to offer but we have several short comings too. I agree with Carol. Current zoning restrictions such as square foot and lot size requirements make it difficult to build affordable new homes in Windsor. As Mark says, younger people want entertainment venues. We have a couple but we need more, preferably not chains. However, I believe one of the biggest drawbacks to Windsor right now is that our schools are so poorly rated. Young people looking to the future don't see Windsor as a place to start a family. It doesn't help that Windsor is located in Connecticut and the cost of living, lack of employment opportunities and of late the weather in this state is driving our young people to states with a better economic atmosphere.

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Paul Cipriano almost 9 years ago

Part of the problem is people want good schools, vibrant communities, good public transportation, and good jobs. To get those things requires investment both public and private . And it won't be cheap but will pay off in the long run, Investing locally will spur economic growth but all must share the expense and the benefits not just the wealthy. Taxes are necessary for the good of the entire community-we are all in this together.

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Dave Mourad almost 9 years ago

Neighborhoods that are walkable and bikeable (sidewalks and greenways) and contain amenities to supplement opportunity to explore lifestyle choices such as dining and entertainment establishments, shopping - especially for groceries, work spaces, recreation and a library go a long way towards attracting a diverse array of residents, young and old alike. The desire for many younger residents is to reduce dependence on a personal automobile - yes gasoline prices have recently moderated albeit temporarily, but the cost of insurance and maintenance is sure to be a concern for those who have university loans to pay. Coupled with quality mass transit options such as soon to be implemented commuter rail line and services like Uber or Zipcar, Windsor, particularly at the Center, is poised to evolve into a place that can succeed and achieve a sense of vibrancy that will attract new residents. It is significant to note that the TOD (Transit Oriented Development) plan if implemented will benefit everyone at any age and so it’s imperative that it guide future development moving forward. However, if there is a sincere desire to attract younger residents to Windsor, ultimately it will be the individual establishments responding to the infrastructure improvements and influx of appropriate housing that will cause an alignment towards a younger demographic and market.

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Janette Coffin almost 9 years ago

One thing that you see over & over is towns or cities trying to force what has to be an organic development. Hartford has made some really terrible mistakes in that regard. Windsor is in really good shape to grow into a unique and vibrant destination town. City Hall should be prepared to support new & independent businesses that will pop up when more people take advantage of the rentals that are in the pipeline. And capitalize on (and improve) the charm and walkability of downtown. But it should not try to force anything, or try to get ahead of what happens naturally. All vibrant downtowns have similar attractions: interesting food, boutique shopping, art & music. Usually independently owned & operated, so the money stays & circulates in the local economy. Even if they’re cheap & funky at the awkward beginnings, those attractions should be encouraged & supported. They won’t be cheap & funky forever, as word gets out that things are happening in Windsor and more money & feet head our way. So if anything, Windsor should beware of and prepare for gentrification 10-15 years from now. And protect its long term and less well wheeled residents from getting taxed or priced out. As to the changing of zoning regulations, I think a “wait & see” stance would be best. The coming rentals are going to change things considerably on their own.

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Joseph Orabona almost 9 years ago

My wife and I are in our late 20s and bought a house here about 2 years ago. We both really enjoy Windsor. However, while we're not committed to it, we both have it in the back of our minds that once we have kids and they're ready to go to school, we'll probably move.

Speaking as both a resident and an accountant driving down broad st and along Poquonock and seeing all these empty store fronts is painful. Something needs to be done to revitalize the businesses in that area. There are lots of (great) food options, but not much in the way of entertainment. There are of course events happening all throughout the summer, but not much in the way of places to go.

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Carolyn Hoffman almost 9 years ago

If you want to attract young people to our community, improve the schools. This is the #1 consideration for young families looking to purchase a home. It also is a significant factor in home values, so if you want your home to appreciate, support school improvement.

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Eric Barz, Town Planner admin almost 9 years ago

Carolyn is right. As the schools go, so goes the town. Speaking personally as a resident of Windsor and not as the Town Planner, I think improvement of the schools begins with the parents. While there are certainly exceptions, I believe that you can get an excellent education out of almost any school if you apply yourself. Personally, I graduated in a class of over 700 seniors in a diverse countywide school district that had little differentiation among schools due to arduous cross-city busing (i.e. virtually no choice for a better school at any level), and on graduation day, I realized that I only knew 100-200 students due to my advanced curriculum; with the majority of my classmates moving with me from one core class to another. There are tracks for college bound kids on one end of the spectrum and the struggle to get kids to the finish line on the other end. Without engaged parents, many kids might not gravitate towards a college track on their own.

Putting my "Town Planner hat" back on, we also have a mismatch between our employers and our labor force living in town, resulting in what I call a "labor transfusion" each day, as the majority of our employed residents go to work in Hartford and elsewhere while a completely different labor force comes into Windsor to work each day. Windsor's schools probably factor into that.

With the Windsor Center Transit-Oriented Development Plan and the Great Pond Traditional Neighborhood Design Development, it is our hope to attract a mix of residents to both live and work in town. I would like to believe that if we can attract enough young, engaged residents, such as Joseph above, to invest in Windsor, they can start families, put their kids into our elementary schools, and evaluate their options when it comes time to move up to Sage Park and then again when moving up to the High School. If there are enough new, engaged young families by the time those progressively harder decisions have to be made, they can take matters into their own hands and be the force for change by encouraging their own children to succeed; thus raising the test scores, and shrinking the achievement gap.

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