No ‘official proposal’ for paved parking

LAKEVILLE — The hubbub over the future of Lakeville stems from a forum sponsored by the Salisbury Planning and Zoning Commission (PZC) at the town Grove Saturday, March 18, 2023.

At that event, Lake­ville residents heard and discussed several ideas for revitalizing the Lakeville village area. The presenters were from Colliers Engineering and Design of Madison.

The idea was to give residents an overview of the Colliers planning study, commissioned by the PZC, and to receive feedback.

One proposal was to change “Community Field” into “Community Park” and create a designated parking area on the current Community Field, behind the Patco gas station, with room for 30 to 40 vehicles.

It is worth noting that people park on Community Field now, on the grass.

The PZC issued this statement, available on the town website under Planning and Zoning Commission/Lakeville Village Planning Study:

A social media post by the Lakeville Conservancy followed by a subsequent newspaper advertisement have come to the attention of the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Land Use Office. Both the social media post and Lakeville Journal advertisement incorrectly assert that the PZC is “moving forward to officially propose” paving substantial portions of municipally owned parks and green spaces in the center of Lakeville.

The PZC has not made any “official proposal” to alter municipal facilities. The PZC, in its statutory planning capacity, have retained planning consultants to provide outside perspectives, identifying and providing strategies to address long-term community needs. These studies are part of the PZC’s statutorily mandated 10-year update to the Town’s Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD).

The Lakeville Village Planning Study, conducted by Colliers Engineering in 2023, contains concepts and recommendations. These may or may not be ultimately implemented by the town. However, these concepts and recommendations will be considered by the PZC for inclusion in the POCD. Once the PZC has adopted its draft POCD, a public hearing(s) will be held prior to its official adoption.

Inclusion of a concept or recommendation in the POCD does not constitute an “official proposal” for development. It is not the role of the PZC to implement development projects. Rather, the PZC, through its POCD, provides an advisory framework to address long-term community needs consistent with the Growth Management Principals of the State of Connecticut’s Conservation & Development Plan.