10 Plans Seymour Has For The Next Decade

PHOTO: Jodie Mozdzer GilThink the Seymour train station leaves much to be desired? So do town leaders. 

Fixing up — or moving — the train station is one of dozens of long-term goals outlined in a draft Plan of Conservation and Development for Seymour, a guideline for how the town sees itself developing and conserving land over the next decade.

Below are 10 highlights from the 67-page draft, which was developed by the Planning and Zoning Commission. 

Members of the public interested in finding out more can attend the Board of Selectmen meeting on Aug. 2, where officials from the Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments will present a summary.

The Planning and Zoning Commission will also schedule a public hearing on the draft sometime in August. 

In general, the plan gives a guide for town decision-making over the next decade. It’s a broad policy statement and it works with other, more specific plans, such as those developed for the Greenway trail, the downtown area and transportation in the area. 

The most recent Plan of Conservation and Development was approved in 2002. 

The new draft acknowledges some of the strategies might take longer than others, and require stages over time to complete. Still, the plan gives a sense of where leaders want Seymour to head over the next decade. 

1. Improve or move the train station

As part of a larger, long-term goal to develop property behind the Stop & Shop and hopefully one day connect to Route 42 in Beacon Falls, Seymour is eyeing property on Franklin and Rimmon Streets for a new Metro North train station for the Waterbury line. 

While the Seymour station functions adequately, passenger amenities are minimal,” the draft states. Passengers can’t buy tickets at the station, and there is limited parking. There’s no room to expand the station because it’s confined in a small lot between the rails and Main Street. 

The plan outlines goals to eventually move the station north, where there would be room to build more commuter parking and a larger station. 

That move is a long way down the road, and involves lots of other steps and funding before it would come to fruition. So, in the meantime, the POCD calls for sprucing up and better maintaining the current train station.

2. Connect Route 67 to Beacon Falls
PHOTO: Seymour POCD
Seymour, Beacon Falls and regional planning leaders have been talking about building a connector road along the west side of the Naugatuck River for a while. The regional council of governments has studied the plan, and applied for federal funding to start work on the road. The town’s POCD stresses the need to continue working on that plan to make way for a potential development on the property behind Stop & Shop. 

The idea is that if the train station is moved, and a mixed-use development is built, more professionals might be likely to live close to the station, commute on the train and frequent businesses in the area. 

3. Connect the trail
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And, part of the big plans along the river include adding portions of a riverwalk trail to connect into a 44-mile greenway from Torrington to Derby. (See the Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments 2015 document on the plan here.) Seymour is planning to construct a short section of trail along the Naugatuck River to connect to the Tingue Dam Fishway Park in the near future. As town officials talk about the Route 67 connector road, an extension of that trail is part of the plans. 

4. Bury wires
One way to enhance the downtown would be to bury power lines underground, the plan states. One goal of the plan is to study whether that can be done. 

5. Highlight history
Seymour’s history can be an asset in keeping its community character,” and the plan outlines steps to preserve historic buildings as a result. Some steps toward that goal include creating a Village District” to establish design guidelines for historic buildings downtown, and to complete an inventory of historic resources in town. The last inventory was completed in 1978. 

The town also wants to involve more students, possibly by creating an oral history project around local history. And, the plan suggests education programs for homeowners on how to restore historic homes. 

6. Re-brand the industrial park as a technical campus”
It just sounds cooler, but also it might attract new types of business to town, including environmentally sensitive and advanced manufacturing” companies. 

Right now the industrial park tenants include RAF Electronic Hardware, Thule, and Basement Systems, which is expanding its facilities. 

7. Consider polluted runoff as part of development approvals
When water runs over the land (whether from rain, car washing or watering lawns) and picks up contaminants, polluted runoff is created,” the plan states. The goal, then, is to think about ways to control developments in a way that reduces this runoff. That can happen through more open space preservation, or through site designs with less impervious pavement material. 

8. Rethink zoning rules
Different types of developments might be built if the town rethinks its zoning rules. 

For example, thinking about residential developments in terms of overall density instead of minimum lot size might result in a subdivision with smaller lots and more protected open space. 

Meanwhile, clear guidelines for transit oriented development” should be put in place to allow for unique development along the railroad tracks, the plan suggests. Part of that plan would involve allowing a greater mix of residential, retail and entertainment uses in the downtown area. 

The plan suggests using form-based zoning,” which would define the space, and not the use. Define what can be built, but leave broad discretion to the developer as to what uses can fill the space,” the plan states. It also suggests overlay districts to modify zoning rules in certain areas, and floating zones, where the exact regulations are not defined until an application has been received and reviewed publicly. 

9. Make way for bikes

Currently, there are no designated on-road bicycle routes in Seymour,” the plan states. But road improvement work should consider the needs of bicyclists in the future.

The plan says bicyclists might be able to take advantage of planned trails in the downtown area, including a planned trail between Bank Street and the fish by-pass, and another short trail planned for River Street and Broad Street. 

10. Don’t underestimate a nice view
Hilltops are important natural resources in the community because they provide scenic views and contribute to the community’s character,” the draft plan states. 

Part of the plan is to identify and work to protect significant hilltops” so that they stay scenic. 

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