Ashford planning commission closes hearing on 20262036 plan, moves draft forward with minor edits
June 08, 2026 | Ashford, Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut
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The Ashford Planning & Zoning Commission on June 8 closed the public hearing on the town's final draft 20262036 Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD) and voted unanimously to move the document forward with a set of non-substantive edits.
Chair Jeff opened the hearing and asked Zoning Enforcement Officer Mike Damato to summarize the document. Mike said the POCD is an advisory 10-year blueprint towns in Connecticut must adopt and update to remain eligible for certain discretionary state grants and other funding. He told the commission the subcommittee's outreach included an in-person session with more than 100 participants and roughly 200 survey responses, with more than 100 handwritten comments incorporated into an appendix the commission will add.
The commission and members of the public praised the subcommittee's work. Commissioner Janet Bellamy, Commissioner Mark Noble and ex-Commissioner Luther Brock were thanked alongside volunteers Christine Aibo and Nora Galvin for their role in drafting and compiling the plan. Public commenters including Selectwoman Catherine Silvermith and Ruth Cutler endorsed the draft while requesting clarifications to maps and easement ownership records.
Commenters raised specific map and easement concerns: Ruth Cutler asked that properties subject to conservation easements or development-rights purchases (for example, holdings by the Connecticut Farmland Trust and some state-held easements) be clearly shown on the maps, and urged the commission to note when a parcel has multiple deeded interests. Michael Damato told the hearing the commission can add such clarifications in the appendix and that planning staff will work with the assessor and town clerk to reconcile deeds and map layers.
Commissioners proposed several non-substantive edits: swap the town office building photo onto the front page, add a photo of the Ashford Academy, correct an incorrect Board of Education membership count (the commission agreed the local board is seven members, not 12 as printed), and amend language to add the senior center director as an identified civic contact and to clarify distribution of the Ashford Citizen. The Selectmen's office also requested adding local civic groups (the Hungarian social club and places of worship) to a list of volunteer organizations; staff will incorporate that edit.
After discussing a short list of layout and clarification edits, the commission took individual assent votes and then motioned, seconded and carried a formal vote to accept the draft with the edits and to close the hearing. Chair Jeff and commissioners said the subcommittee will incorporate the final changes and present the completed document to the commission for an effective date of July 14, 2026.
The hearing closed by unanimous voice vote; the commission did not make substantive policy changes to the draft at the June 8 meeting and directed staff and the subcommittee to finalize the appendix and formatting for the July distribution.
Chair Jeff opened the hearing and asked Zoning Enforcement Officer Mike Damato to summarize the document. Mike said the POCD is an advisory 10-year blueprint towns in Connecticut must adopt and update to remain eligible for certain discretionary state grants and other funding. He told the commission the subcommittee's outreach included an in-person session with more than 100 participants and roughly 200 survey responses, with more than 100 handwritten comments incorporated into an appendix the commission will add.
The commission and members of the public praised the subcommittee's work. Commissioner Janet Bellamy, Commissioner Mark Noble and ex-Commissioner Luther Brock were thanked alongside volunteers Christine Aibo and Nora Galvin for their role in drafting and compiling the plan. Public commenters including Selectwoman Catherine Silvermith and Ruth Cutler endorsed the draft while requesting clarifications to maps and easement ownership records.
Commenters raised specific map and easement concerns: Ruth Cutler asked that properties subject to conservation easements or development-rights purchases (for example, holdings by the Connecticut Farmland Trust and some state-held easements) be clearly shown on the maps, and urged the commission to note when a parcel has multiple deeded interests. Michael Damato told the hearing the commission can add such clarifications in the appendix and that planning staff will work with the assessor and town clerk to reconcile deeds and map layers.
Commissioners proposed several non-substantive edits: swap the town office building photo onto the front page, add a photo of the Ashford Academy, correct an incorrect Board of Education membership count (the commission agreed the local board is seven members, not 12 as printed), and amend language to add the senior center director as an identified civic contact and to clarify distribution of the Ashford Citizen. The Selectmen's office also requested adding local civic groups (the Hungarian social club and places of worship) to a list of volunteer organizations; staff will incorporate that edit.
After discussing a short list of layout and clarification edits, the commission took individual assent votes and then motioned, seconded and carried a formal vote to accept the draft with the edits and to close the hearing. Chair Jeff and commissioners said the subcommittee will incorporate the final changes and present the completed document to the commission for an effective date of July 14, 2026.
The hearing closed by unanimous voice vote; the commission did not make substantive policy changes to the draft at the June 8 meeting and directed staff and the subcommittee to finalize the appendix and formatting for the July distribution.
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