CCM’s Smart Growth Task Force developed, and the CCM membership adopted, a policy statement entitled Ten Principles for Smart Growth in Connecticut to help guide state and local policymakers. These comprehensive principles are designed to foster coordinated local, regional and state actions.

1. Well-Planned New Growth and Sensible Land Use Policies: Identify and preserve open space, watersheds, environmental habitats and agricultural land, while accommodating new growth in compact forms, in a manner that: de-emphasizes automobile dependency; integrates the new growth into existing communities; creates a diversity of affordable housing near employment centers; and provides job opportunities for people of all ages and income levels.
2. Maximize Existing Infrastructure: Accommodate additional growth by first focusing on the use and reuse of existing urbanized lands supplied with infrastructure with an emphasis on reinvesting in the maintenance and rehabilitation of existing infrastructure. Give priority attention to cleaning up brownfields and attacking blight.
3. Support Vibrant Municipal Centers and Public Transportation: Give preference to the redevelopment and reuse of municipal centers and existing transportation corridors by supporting and encouraging: mixed use development; housing opportunities for all income levels; safe, reliable and efficient multi-modal transportation systems; and retaining existing businesses and promoting new business opportunities that produce quality local jobs.
4. Coordinated Planning for Regional Impacts: Coordinate planning between municipalities and the State so that there are agreed upon regional strategies and policies for dealing with the regional impacts of growth on transportation, housing, schools, air, water, wastewater, solid waste, natural resources, agricultural lands and open space. Reinvigorate the State Plan of Conservation and Development, and ensure that local and regional plans and the state plan are complementary and reinforcing.
5. Support High Quality Local Public Education and School Facilities: Develop and maintain high quality public education and neighborhood-accessible school facilities as a critical determinant in: making communities attractive to families; maintaining a desirable and livable community; promoting lifelong learning opportunities; enhancing economic development; and providing a work force qualified to meet the full range of job skills required in the new economy.
6. Build Strong Communities: Support and embrace the development of strong families and socially and ethnically diverse communities by: working to provide a balance of jobs and housing within the community; avoiding the displacement of existing residents; reducing commuting times; promoting community involvement; enhancing public safety; and providing and supporting educational, mentoring and recreational opportunities.
7. Emphasize Joint Use of Facilities: Emphasize the joint use of compatible public facilities operated by municipalities, schools, and state agencies, and take advantage of opportunities to form partnerships with private businesses and non-profit agencies to maximize the community benefit of existing public and private facilities.
8. Support Entrepreneurial/Creative Efforts: Support local and regional economic development efforts and endeavors to create new products, services, and businesses that will expand the wealth and job opportunities for people of all social and economic levels. Utilize Public Act 00-85 that allows two or more municipalities to share real and personal property tax revenues resulting from joint economic development and other cooperative efforts.
9. Encourage Full Community Participation: Foster an open and inclusive community dialogue and promote alliances and partnerships to meet community needs.
10. Reduce the Burden of the Property Tax: Adopt state-local tax policies, and state funding policies, that promote rather than detract from all of the above principles. Encourage towns and cities to "grow smart". Reduce the municipal imperative to grow grand lists in order to raise property tax revenues in order to fund local public services. The present forced over reliance on the property tax is harmful to Connecticut’s quality of life. It drives short-sighted land use decisions, and encourages destructive and costly sprawl.

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If you have any questions or need additional information on this issue, please call Jim Finley or Gian-Carl Casa of CCM at (203) 498-3000.