Milton planners begin laying out map for new CDP

The Milton Planning and Zoning Commission has set a course for reaching the finish line in drafting the town’s new comprehensive development plan, due to be ratified in 2028.

At the commission’s Feb. 17 meeting, Chair Richard Trask said he wanted to have a comprehensive outline of what the new CDP should be.

“We’re not writing anything yet. We’re not discussing anything in any comprehensive detail. What I’m trying to accomplish is, it’s hard to write something in an effective and comprehensive way if you don’t have a plan up front for how you’re going to write it,” he said. 

Trask said the commission needed to determine the major chapters and priorities. The commission is mandated by the state to address certain items, such as zoning and affordable housing. As this is a 10-year update of the plan, the intent is to do a substantial revision, but Trask said the commission will base it off of the 2018 version.

“We’re not trying to reinvent the whole document,” he said. “The last thing that I want to happen is we get to two years down the line, we write this document, send it to the town council, and we have to rewrite half of it. I’m looking for a road map.”

Trask said he would like to use online and mail-out polls and questionnaires for citizens, and use social media to solicit feedback on the plan. He said public participation will be important, and using social media will allow the commission to reach a lot of people with little effort.

Commissioner Don Mazzeo said, “We need to be able to tell the community what the comprehensive plan is, what it does and what it is intended for.”

One thing the commission agreed on is that it will include a history of the town, but not as much of it this time around, as well as eliminating sections in the current plan referring to core values.

Town Solicitor Seth Thompson said part of the commission’s focus should be on updating the data in the plan and determining if any of the goals have changed.

Commissioner Jeff Seemans said one thing he would like to see addressed is annexation, and tying future annexations to affordable housing. Seemans said he thinks the movement is going to go toward future growth attaching itself to towns. 

Trask laid out a strategy for the commission to continue its discussions moving forward by holding workshops once per month, separate from normal planning and zoning business, so the focus will only be on the comprehensive plan. The first meeting under this strategy is planned for 2 p.m., Friday, March 20.