Residents Will Get the Chance to Sound Off On Plan for Manchester's Future Monday

Staff in the town's Planning and Economic Development Department have been working on drafting a new Plan of Conservation and Development for Manchester for several years now. Monday, residents will have a chance to offer their feedback on the plan in a public hearing scheduled for 7 p.m. in the Lincoln Center Hearing Room at 494 Main St. 

"The public hearing is on the plan as its drafted right now, and the (Planning and Zoning Commission) can then choose to make changes based on the feedback they receive Monday," said Senior Planner Gary Anderson. 

The revised plan was filed with the Town Clerk's Office on Sept. 21, 2012, and the full plan and executive summary can also be viewed online here. 

Anderson said the plan was drafted by staff in his department after "many, many community meetings," but Monday will be the public's first opportunity to offer feedback based on the overall plan. 

Anderson said that in meeting after meeting, there were several items that Manchester residents kept citing as important to the new plan, known as the Manchester 2020 plan. Those items were: 

• To protect Manchester's historical assets, such as the Cheney Historic District. 
• To preserve the existing farming and agriculture in town. 
• To maintain strong neighborhoods. 
• Focusing future development on areas of town that are already developed, such as Manchester's major traffic corridors and mixed-use centers. 
• Increasing public transportation options in town. 
• Preserving undeveloped areas of town. 

The agenda of Monday's meeting can be viewed here. 

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