Prepared by Jim Finley, Associate Director of CCM, for the New England Smart Growth Symposium
- Connecticut Regional Institute for the 21st Century
An influential public-private partnership that has identified "Land Use, Sprawl, and the Shape of Things to Come" as their public policy focus for 2002-03.
The Institute has held two forums on these issues and has a third one set for November 13. The Institute has also commissioned a piece entitled, The Shape of Things to Come – Is Connecticut Sprawling?(2002), that has contributed to the public policy debate in our state. See attached materials.
The Institute is also contributing seed money to help establish a "1000 Friends of Connecticut" organization to promote smart growth and sustainable development in the state.
Contacts:
Michael J. Critelli, Chairperson of the Institute, and Chairman and CEO of Pitney Bowes Inc., (203) 351-6489
Oz Griebel, Vice Chair of the Institute, and President and CEO of Metro Hartford Regional Economic Alliance, (860) 525-4451
Susan Godshall, Coordinator of the Institute, and Senior Vice President of the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce, (203) 787-6735
- Connecticut Conference of Municipalities
The statewide association of towns and cities, CCM has identified smart growth/sustainable development as a public policy priority. CCM assists urban, suburban, and rural municipalities in developing consensus positions on state-local issues and advocating them before state government.
CCM’s Smart Growth Task Force, headed by First Selectman Susan Merrow of East Haddam as chairperson and First Selectman Michael Stupinski of Ellington as vice chair, has been at work for over a year developing initiatives and policy positions on this issue. The Task Force and CCM have been outspoken in underscoring the link between the property tax system and destructive sprawl – property tax reform and smart growth must go forward together, CCM argues. See attached materials.
The CCM website also provides information on smart growth issues (www.ccm-ct.org).
Contacts:
First Selectman Susan Merrow, (860) 873-5020
First Selectman Michael Stupinski, (860) 870-3100
Jim Finley, Associate Director of CCM, (203) 498-3020, jfinley@ccm-ct.org
- Connecticut Chapter of the American Planning Association
The CCAPA is a leader in identifying problems and solutions regarding land use planning issues in Connecticut. The CCAPA has long been a resource for state and local policymakers on this front, and the smart growth area is no exception.
The CCAPA Legislative Committee has formed a Smart Growth Subcommittee to help formulate policy positions and coalition-building strategies. The CCAPA website provides a number of resources on smart growth issues (www.ccapa.org). See attached materials.
Contact: Dan Tuba, Town Planner of Monroe, (203) 452-5400
- Homebuilders Association of Connecticut, Inc.
The HBA of Connecticut is the strong voice of the homebuilding, land development, and remodeling industry in the state.
Active at the state legislature, the HBA of CT is involved in the smart growth debate. See attached materials. The organization’s website contains policy statements and other information on smart growth issues (www.hbact.com).
Contact: William Ethier, Executive Vice President and CEO, (860) 232-1905
- Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford
The Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford has long been active in social justice issues at the local and state level.
Disturbed by the disparities created by Connecticut’s long-term patterns of development, the Archdiocese initiated the CenterEdge Project to educate the public, stakeholders, and policymakers about these issues, shared problems and mutual interests.
The Office of Urban Affairs (OUA) of the Archdiocese of Hartford has retained the Metropolitan Area Research Corporation (MARC), headed by Myron Orfield, to conduct a study of development and disparity issues in Connecticut. The much anticipated final report is due in December of this year and will include innovative mapping techniques to demonstrate key trends in the state. See attached materials.
OUA’s website contains information on the CenterEdge Project (www.oua-adh.org).
Contacts:
Most Rev. Peter Rosazza, D.D., (860) 541-6491
Patricia Wallace, Director of Programs, Office of Urban Affairs, (203) 777-7279
- State Legislative Branch
The state legislature has discussed smart growth related issues off and on since the 1980s. The initiator of many of these discussions and proposals has been the Planning and Development Committee, particularly its long-time chairperson, Rep. Jefferson B. Davis (D-Pomfret). Too often a lone voice in the wilderness, his colleagues are now paying more notice of smart growth and related issues.
Representative Davis is expected to play a lead role in the formation of a "1000 Friends of Connecticut" organization.
The 2001 legislative session saw the enactment of two new laws that boost intermunicipal and regional collaboration: Public Act 01-117 provides that two or more municipalities can jointly perform any function that each may perform separately, and Public Act 01-158 set up a process to identify and assist municipalities -- through regional and state collaboration -- suffering from fiscal distress. These proposals came on the heels of legislation that expressly allows two or more municipalities to share property tax revenue (CGS 7-148bb).
The 2002 General Assembly passed, and the Governor signed into law, legislation establishing a state Blue Ribbon Commission on Property Tax Burdens and Smart Growth Incentives (Special Act 02-13). This study, scheduled to be completed no later than October 2003, holds the promise of further putting smart growth into the public policy spotlight.
See attached materials.
Contacts:
Representative Jefferson B. Davis, State Legislator, (860) 240-0550
Mayor John DeStefano, Jr. of New Haven, Chairperson of the Blue Ribbon Commission, (203) 946-8200
First Selectman Howard Dean of Marlborough, Vice Chairperson of the Blue Ribbon Commission, (860) 295-6204
- State Executive Branch
The Governor played a lead role, along with the Speaker of the House, in pushing for a renewed state focus on transportation strategies and investments. Buttressed by the effort of the CT Regional Institute for the 21st Century’s work with consultant Michael Gallus, (Connecticut Strategic Economic Framework Report, 2000) the state established a new Transportation Strategy Board (TSB) headed up by Oz Griebel (see CT Regional Institute for the 21st Century, page 1 of this document).
The TSB’s Land Use and Economic Development Working Group is looking at smart growth issues and formulating recommendations (see attached materials).
The state Office of Policy and Management (OPM) is presently working on the latest update to the State Plan of Conservation and Development to guide state investment and growth strategies. Discussions are occurring within the TSB and among a wide array of other groups as to how to make the State Plan of C&D a more powerful tool to manage growth and foster sustainable development.
The Governor in 2002 decided at the last minute to shelve a smart growth initiative that had been prepared by the state Department of Environmental Protection.
Contacts:
Honorable John G. Rowland, Governor of Connecticut, (860) 566-4840
Marc Ryan, Secretary, Office of Policy and Management, (860) 418-6200
Brian Mattiello, Undersecretary, Office of Policy and Management, (860) 418-6246
David Russell, Director of Intergovernmental Relations, Office of Policy and Management, (860) 418-6385
Arthur Rocque, Commissioner of Environmental Protection, (860) 424-3001
- Capitol Region Council of Governments
CRCOG is one of the most active RPOs in Connecticut and is a leader in addressing a wide range of intermunicipal, regional and statewide issues. CRCOG has fostered a regional atmosphere of trust and collaboration that is the envy of other parts of the state.
CRCOG has focused on livable communities efforts, and other smart growth related issues. CRCOG not only contributes to the public policy debate in these areas, but provides practical tools that can be implemented at the local level. See attached materials.
Contacts:
Mayor Stephan Cassano of Manchester, CRCOG Chairman, (860) 647-3132
Richard Porth, Executive Director, (860) 522-2217
- Environmental and Other Related Groups
A wide range of environmental and related groups are contributing to the smart growth discussion.
Contacts:
CT Fund for the Environment – Don Strait, Executive Director, (203) 787-0646
Trust for Public Land – New England Regional Office, Alicia Betty, Project Manager (203) 777-7367
National Audubon Society/Connecticut – Carolyn Hughes, Deputy Director, (203) 264-5098
CT Audubon Society – Betty McLaughlin, Director of Environmental Affairs, (860) 527-6750
Working Lands Alliance (farmland preservation) – Mark Winne, Director, (860) 296-9325
- Regional Plan Association
