To the Editor:
Fairfield has spent more than seven years drafting its Plan of Conservation and Development. That’s more than twice the time most Connecticut towns complete their plans. The consequences of this delay are no longer theoretical. We are already seeing the cost through lost local control, in rising legal risk, and in uncoordinated development that reflects neither our values nor our vision.
What is the POCD?
The POCD is Fairfield’s state-mandated, ten-year roadmap for shaping land use, housing, infrastructure, and economic investment. Required by Connecticut General Statutes §8-23, it sets local goals for growth, conservation, mobility, sustainability, and resilience. It influences everything from zoning amendments to infrastructure funding. Far from being symbolic, it is the legal and policy framework we use to coordinate change, qualify for grants, and defend decisions about where housing, open space, and commercial redevelopment should occur.
Without an adopted POCD, we cannot credibly steer investment or growth to the right places, such as downtown, near transit, or along existing commercial corridors. Without an updated POCD we lack a unified basis to justify the zoning regulations we rely on when faced with aggressive 8-30g applications.
“More Time” Is Just Delay by Another Name
We have a draft POCD that has been endlessly reviewed, rehashed, and redlined. And yet, we are told we need “more time”. But more time will not make the decisions easier. It will not change the fact that growth is coming or that 8-30g applications are already here. Delaying the POCD is not about caution anymore. It is about avoiding responsibility.
Connecticut’s 8-30g law grants developers broad rights to override local zoning if a town fails to meet a 10% affordable housing threshold. Towns that have an up-to-date POCD, an adopted affordable housing plan, and modern zoning are in a stronger position to negotiate or guide those proposals. Right now, Fairfield lacks all three.
We saw the consequences of this void in the recent approval of a five-story, 90-unit apartment development at 4480 Black Rock Turnpike. It is not the right project for that site but without a plan and supporting regulations to offer an alternative, we had no legal grounds to deny it. That’s not planning. That’s forfeiture.
In April 2025, Fairfield was granted a four-year moratorium on 8-30g applications after documenting 462 affordable housing unit equivalents, just surpassing the 2% threshold required for a Certificate of Affordable Housing Project Completion. This pause offers a critical window to adopt the POCD, modernize our zoning code, and proactively plan for the types of housing we want to see, such as duplexes, triplexes, and other “middle housing” that fits our neighborhoods and infrastructure.
Adopting the POCD Is Just the Start
But adopting the POCD is only the first step. Implementing its vision will require comprehensive zoning updates, and that process will include opportunities for public input and debate. Residents will help shape the rules that bring the plan to life. But zoning reform takes time. And our moratorium is temporary. If we squander this opportunity, we risk sliding back into the same reactive position we’ve been in for years, defending outdated zoning against court-approved developments we never intended.
We cannot keep pretending that delay is harmless. We cannot claim to want local control while refusing to adopt the very plan that would help restore it.
Fairfield deserves better. The POCD is ready. We need the will to adopt it, and the courage to lead.
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Jeff Randolph is a member of Fairfield’s Planning and Zoning Commission. This op-ed represents his personal views and not the views of the commission