No regional plan exists for the 21 towns in northwest Connecticut that are served by the Northwest Hills Council of Governments (NHCOG). The council was formed in January 2014 by the consolidation of two earlier regional planning organizations and has now turned for the first time to the task of formulating its Regional Plan of Conservation and Development. By state statute, it is required to do so every 10 years.

The plan’s primary purpose is to provide data on current trends in the region, identify common goals and suggest initiatives that towns may want to pursue.

The effort began in March 2016 with the collection of demographic and economic data on the region, including “the aging of the population, declining school enrollment, employment shifts, housing and land use trends,” according to NHCOG’s website.

The next phase, which is currently underway, seeks to solicit input from residents and town officials on such subjects as transportation, recreational facilities, high speed internet, land preservation and affordable housing.

“We’re trying to get a sense of people’s priorities,” says Jocelyn Ayer, NHCOG’s community and economic development director, who will hold a session in Norfolk on November 9 to give a brief overview of the plan, invite discussion and conduct a survey. Ayer will provide clicker polling cards so that attendees can follow audience responses in real time.

For those unable to attend the meeting but who hold strong views on off-road bike trails, cell phone infrastructure or small business development, Ayer recommends a visit to the NHCOG website where they can take the online survey, easily accessible from the site’s home page.

Ayer expects to continue receiving public comment at town meetings and public hearings through the summer of 2017 while the development plan is being written. The final version is scheduled for presentation in the fall of 2017.