Canton’s revised 10-Year Plan of Conservation and Development took
effect Oct. 1, 2003. This “master plan” is the result of two years of work by
the Plan Update Committee and the many residents who provided their input. The plan’s recommendations have not yet been
put into action, through incorporation into the zoning and subdivision
regulations, but that is expected to change beginning this year.
By August 2005, the town expects to have selected a planning firm to
help update the zoning regulations, and the town planner is expected to soon
begin revising the subdivision regulations.
The
10-Year Plan is an important document because it defines what kind of place
Canton wants to be and suggests how to get there. It is a blueprint for
development that the state requires towns to update every 10 years, although it
can be updated as frequently as the Planning Commission wishes (and
commissioners have stated their intent to revisit the Plan often.) The Plan is
available at the Land Use office in Town Hall, or on the town website, www.townofcantonct.org.
C.A.R.E.
views the new Plan as overall very strong, particularly in its advocacy of
preservation of open space. Unlike the previous Plan, the new one identifies
which commission or agency is responsible for implementing the Plan’s
recommendations – a critical step because the Plan will be meaningless if its
suggestions are not put into action.
There
are some areas where, in C.A.R.E.’s opinion, the Plan falls short. For instance, it could offer a wider array
of solutions to better manage the rate of residential growth, and could take a
more proactive approach to protecting residents’ quality of life along some of
the town’s busiest roads such as Maple Avenue and Washburn Road.
Much of the Plan’s content was based upon responses to a town-wide survey mailed to each household in Canton. A statistically high percentage of residents responded. Some of their responses can be seen here:
Population chart for Canton 1960-2020
What should be the target population of Canton?
What are the three things you like most about Canton?
What are the three things you dislike most about Canton?
What are the important objectives in Canton?
Should Canton have more dedicated open space land?