PRESENTATION TO BOARD OF SELECTMEN - THURSDAY, APRIL 24, 2008, 6:30 PM >>
NEW! Final Draft Route 44/Bolton Strategic Corridor Plan (posted 03-26-07) Figures are shown separately.
Overview
The face of Route 44 in Bolton, a main road through town and a gateway to Hartford to the west and the University of Connecticut at Storrs to the east, may be changing. New sewer lines are planned, presenting the Town with opportunities for development and challenges as to how we will channel potential growth.
For nearly a year the Town of Bolton has been studying Route 44 with assistance from the Capitol Region Council of Governments (CRCOG). The study looked at existing land uses and the road system with an eye towards how to guide future growth. In recent years people have often said that past development hasn’t always produced the kind of community people want and has resulted in less open space, greater dependency on automobiles, more traffic congestion and loss of community character.
The study was guided by Town residents and officials through a Study Oversight Committee. The committee invited the Bolton community to participate in developing a vision for Route 44 through surveys and a community workshop. Together everyone examined how “smart growth” principles can be used and explored what kind of place people want Route 44 to be. A draft report with preliminary recommendations was shared with the Town at a Community Meeting on March 13. To see a copy of this report as well as all of the study maps and other products, please go to the documents page. Feel free to send your thoughts or questions about these draft materials via the website’s Contact Us page. Comments and questions will be taken until April 30th, 2008.
What is smart growth?
It’s an approach to planning and implementation of community growth using these principles:
- Preserve valued community and natural resources while growing the economy
- Place development where there is or will be infrastructure (water, sewer, roads, and schools) and optimize infrastructure use before expanding
- Encourage and prioritize re-use of previously developed sites or new development in targeted growth areas
- Take steps to preserve and safeguard land identified for preservation
- Pursue a compact, mixed-use pattern of development for key areas that preserves or creates walkable neighborhoods and village character
- Provide a range of type and style of housing so that households from young adults to seniors can choose to live in town
- Promote a transportation system that encourages travel by a variety of means (walking, bicycling, and transit in addition to the automobile)
- Work with the community to learn about these principles and how they are implemented and to then prepare a vision of where and how it wants to grow