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Fairfield commissioners hear residents’ concerns about trails, call for clearer maps and more outreach
Summary
At a Dec. 4 Planning & Zoning meeting, residents questioned a general‑plan open house map that showed proposed trails crossing private property; commissioners agreed maps should be labelled 'concept only' and planned more targeted outreach and mailings to landowners.
Commissioners for the Town of Fairfield spent much of their Dec. 4 Planning & Zoning meeting addressing public concerns about the draft general plan’s presentation of proposed trails and other conceptual elements.
Residents told the commission that an open‑house map suggested a trail crossing private land near the cemetery, prompting worries about future access and enforcement. One resident said the map looked like it “goes up through my piece of ground that’s right there west of the cemetery,” and asked how trail routes are chosen. Commissioners and staff repeatedly answered that the map is a concept meant to follow roads or property boundaries and is not a construction plan.
The conversation picked up two consistent points: first, commissioners want any online map or public display to clearly state that alignments are conceptual; and second, they plan additional outreach to secure representative input from landowners and residents. Commissioner (unnamed on the record) said the town will “send out a letter to all the landowners and residents and let them fill out some more questions and maybe put some more detail in there” to get more precise feedback.
Commissioners also discussed how open‑house feedback could be skewed when non‑residents or visitors participate; one commissioner observed that some attendees “were not residents nor landowners” and that the town should refine outreach so landowners’ views are better captured. The commission agreed to hold additional open houses and mail a questionnaire to property owners to clarify preferences about trail types and locations.
The panel emphasized that future trails would generally be built with development or along existing roadways and that the general plan’s role is to provide a framework that developers and the town use during subdivision review. Commissioners asked the plan contractor to mark proposed trails clearly as “concept only” on public maps and to provide alternative trail options that follow road easements or property boundaries.
The commission ended the topic with operational steps: clearer labeling on public materials, at least one more open house, and a targeted letter to residents and landowners with specific questions about trails, sidewalks and character areas.
The commission then moved on to regular business, including votes on ordinances and scheduling for upcoming public hearings.
