Simsbury charter review panel hears split views on combining planning and zoning commissions

Members of the Charter Revision Commission debated whether to consolidate Simsbury’s separate Planning Commission and Zoning Commission into a single planning-and-zoning body, with supporters saying a combined board could streamline developer review and reduce repeated hearings and opponents warning that planning would take a back seat to zoning’s workload.

The discussion opened with an extensive presentation from a planning commissioner who outlined the commissions’ statutory roles and the Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD). “The focus of the Planning Commission is to draft, amend and adopt the Plan of Conservation and Development. That is really our biggest charge,” the planning commissioner said, arguing that a combined body would remove the need for referrals and could reduce staff time and duplicate meetings. The commissioner also noted the heavy work of the POCD…