Planning & Zoning Commission - 189 (02/28/2023)

Town of Waterford 
Plan of Preservation, 
Conservation and 
Development
Committee Meeting #5
February 28th, 2023

Agenda
1.
Stakeholder Meeting Summaries
2. Online survey and interactive mapping findings
3. Sneak peek at sample Plan layouts
4. Vision and Goals Discussion
5. Next Steps

Stakeholder Meeting Summaries

Sustainability and Resiliency
• Need to anticipate and plan for 
Climate Change
• Many homes in coastal areas are 
vulnerable to flooding
• Lots of impermeable pavement-
better drainage needed
• Consider green infrastructure, 
capture water and prepare for 
drought
• Consider solar, geothermal, heat 
pumps for Town buildings and 
facilities
• Town should provide information 
about green technologies, grants

Public Facilities, Infrastructure, Land 
Use and Transportation
• Funding for maintenance and additional 
staff is always a challenge
• Town facilities need upgrades, need a 
facilities maintenance plan
• Internet needed at some Town facilities like 
the beach, for electronic payments, etc.
• Much of the Town has sidewalks, these are 
maintained by Public Works, can be 
challenging to keep up
• Tree trimming on town roads can be 
challenging
• Education on recycling is needed – 25% 
rejection rate

Open Space, Environment, 
and Conservation
• No line item in the budget for open space 
maintenance and acquisition
• Conservation Commission is only advisory
• Adaptive reuse of existing properties 
preferred over development of greenfields
• Need to balance development/usage of 
the waterfront with preservation
• Discussion about shell fishing opportunities
• Healthy forests= healthy waterways and 
coastal areas, symbiotic relationships
• Land Trust could use more volunteers
• Good diversity of plant species in Waterford
• Need to educate residents on the 
importance of native plants and 
ecosystem corridors

Housing and Community Services
• Need for senior and affordable/workforce housing
• In locations where residents have access to 
goods and services, transit
• Crystal Mall as mixed/use residential opportunity
• Challenging to meet 10% affordability threshold 
when new developments are not required to have 
a specific number of affordable units
• Waterford is a desirable location, but when people 
face eviction, they are never able to be placed 
back in the community
• School enrollment has been declining, down about 
6% - 20 kids a year
• ADA improvements needed at the Library, but size 
of library space is adequate 
• Should consider job training programs in schools 
that would support local employers

Economic Development
• Business owners felt that Waterford has 
been very supportive to their business
• Town needs more social media interaction 
with businesses, a list of the businesses 
would help
• Move forward with Civic Triangle 
recommendations
• Aesthetics of businesses are important
• Mago Point – location suitable for village 
type improvements
• Need regulations for home occupations
• Childcare is a regionwide need, what
regulations are in place for daycare
occupations
• Mixed use development needed – adapt
reuse of existing properties

Cultural and Historic Resources
• Many grants available, Waterford should 
consider hiring a grant writer to tap into 
funding sources
• Considering hiring a historical consultant 
when making changes to Town owned 
properties
• Need more education/ awareness of 
Waterford’s historic resources
• Capitalize more on the different villages –
each have unique feel
• Historical Society working to get elementary 
students engaged
• Social media/website presence needed
• Some opposition to living in historic district 
– worries residents

Online Survey and Map Updates

Online Survey Highlights
• Please select the statement that best represents your 
thoughts about Waterford
• I think Waterford should have a long term plan for 
sustainable growth. Primary focus should not be keeping 
taxes as low as possible. Promoting business growth 
should not be first priority.
• Too much development has occurred in last 20 years
• Repurpose existing structures like the mall
• Improvement of facilities but with respect for the natural 
environment
• Be smart about growth! Build to enhance our Town and 
respect our Heritage

Online Survey Highlights
How would you change or improve Waterford?
• Continue the accessibility measures at Waterford properties The economic climate and buildings in town 
- Crystal Mall, etc need outside thinking for drawing more people to the area. Update buildings and 
properties!
• Need quality retail, not just commercial for the sake of filling a vacant building. Need and economic 
strategy.
• I would like to see additional access and expansion of natural gas.
• I feel that the folks that have run this town over the 17 years that I have been here have done a great job.
• Sell airport property to expand the tax base. So much potential (eg, minor league baseball stadium, outlet 
shopping center, Business such as Amazon, etc) with easy access to I95
• More sports recreation for adults (for both sexes) and for young children. Improvement of Sidewalk 
placement. Trimming of trees along roadsides.
• More quality dining options such as a steak house and new attractions to the civic triangle and mago
point areas. Less discount store and more quality/high end retail stores.
• It would be great to have a boardwalk similar to East Lyme that could run from Seaside to Harkness. Could 
lead to new businesses.
• It would be nice to create a downtown area with the civic triangle. Something that is walkable and can 
have shops and restaurants to go along with the parks. It's a mish mosh of random businesses and civil 
buildings.

Online Survey Highlights
In an ideal world, what would Waterford be like in the future??
• Growing, repurposing of empty buildings, continued safe neighborhoods and 
quality schools.
• Just the way it has been. I feel the folks that have been planning for the town 
have done a great job.
• The amount of restaurants and businesses would grow exceptionally in this area. 
Taxes would be less for people so they could afford to do more and support local 
events and businesses.
• A vibrant commercial area on route 85, entertainment options like the speedbowl
hosting concerts or flea markets, more waterford beach events, great schools, 
and a road built between old Colchester and vauxhall st. Low taxes, good 
schools, and good property values.
• Waterford would be a more racially and ethnically diverse town and would have 
more options for affordable housing (preferably at 80% median income, but also 
at 50 and 30%). Individuals should have more choices in heating and electricity, 
and the Crystal Mall should be redeveloped-- perhaps as mixed use.
• Continued mix of retail access and convenience, yet retaining the small town feel 
with parks and shoreline access.

Online Survey Highlights
What would you like to see in the Interstate 95 and Frontage 
Road area?
• Be open to expansion and roadway improvements.
• More sidewalks/ bikeways
• Nothing, unless there is a potential development of the airport.
• Medical facilities seem to be a good fit. Commercial business that need access 
to 95 without traveling through town. Reopen an on ramp on 95 north from 
Parkway South - further down and away the senior development.
• Businesses. Being next to the highway, the town roads won't get overcrowded.
• Improved traffic patterns that make it clear how to access the businesses on 
either side of the highway.
• I'd be happy to see it developed. I'd be happiest to see either something that 
brings good jobs to the area or housing.
• This is one area in town where economic development and business growth 
would be appropriate.
• I feel like this may be a good place for affordable housing, but housing that is 
actually affordable, not the 1700 dollars for 700sf that it is now.

Online Survey Highlights
What would you like to see in the Civic Triangle area?
• Additional active and passive recreational opportunities trails and educational 
pieces on the value of the Town and its resources.
• More if center of town/Main Street feel. Shops, galleries, cafes, restaurants
• More vibrant - events, especially outdoor ones (bands, dancing, parades, etc). 
"Walkability." More shops and food options, outdoor dining spaces. 
• Mixed use. Pedestrian / Bike friendly. Connection to history. Village like.
• Community garden. Flower garden. Outdoor space - not buildings.
• Larger senior center and community center More independent shops( cafe, etc. )
• A coffee shop run by the town. I’m confident with the right grant writer and 
attention Nevins cottage would be the perfect location. I would love to see it 
staffed by local high school students and those in our adult special needs 
programs.
• More walkable!

Online Survey Highlights
What would you like to see along the Route 85 corridor and 
northward?
• I would be open to additional business growth, additional alternatives to big box 
retailers.
• Indoor gyms/play spaces. Businesses that need quick/easy access to highways. I 
am not so sure about the current trend toward high density housing in that 
corridor - the access to stores is nice, but public transport, traffic, and access to 
open space and play space for families is limited.
• Mixed uses but Rte 85 needs an overhaul. There are no trees, sidewalks, and it's, 
quite frankly, a mess.
• A large open space area along Clam Lane behind Sonalyst protecting Stony 
Brook.
• Speed bowl gone. This would be a prime location for housing if it is deemed 
necessary
• Commercial and industrial development
• All housing should include affordable options. All retails should be walkable.

Online Survey Highlights
What would you like to see in the Seaside area of Waterford?
• Preserve historic buildings if they can be saved. Keep one beach for public dog water 
access.
• Luxury condos. It's a great area that can generate significant tax revenue with high end 
condos that are fitting for that area.
• More sidewalks on route 2 walking towards Harkness on Great Neck Road!
• Preservation of the buildings but used for a purpose that would improve the property. The 
historical nature and the location are too valuable to let fall apart.
• Seaside should be a resort with public access to the beach.
• Development of Seaside while maintaining some public access to the coast/property.
• Seaside should be utilized by state or sold to a developer who will fix up the buildings (as 
possible) and preserve public access to the water.
• Designated space on the beach for watersports (kiteboarding, wing riding, and 
windsurfing that need a little bit of non-beachgoer space to safely operate).
• Historical preservation for this site, acknowledge the past and history of this 
building/location while opening this area to the public for visits and educational 
perspectives.
• High end hotel with year-round restaurant. 
• A regional beach (local towns work together to create admission criteria for residents).

Online Survey Highlights
What would you like to see in the Crystal Mall area of 
Waterford?
• Be open to creative solutions for this area. Look at growing areas down south or 
in the Midwest or similar places in the northeast that have found new uses for 
large malls.
• Improvements. The parking lot has a lot of terrible pot holes. There's barely any 
shops in there as well.
• Mixed use would be ideal, though some sort of distribution center would offer 
employment opportunities.
• A return to retail space if at all possible. We now need to travel to West Hartford 
to Westfarms to enjoy the mall shopping experience. Stores continue to open 
there and fully occupied.
• Crystal Mall should be turned into a village with apartments, condos, small shops 
and a grocery store (preferably Whole Foods).
• Push for low income housing (and/or senior) here with services (medical, 
grocery) on site.
• I'd like to see a revived Mall. But if not, park space? Athletic complex?

Online Survey Highlights
What would you like to see in Boston Post Road and Mago 
Point area of Waterford?
• I would love to see the ideas/renderings that were presented in the 2016 Mago 
Point Design Guidelines, plan be brought to life. Realizing the low lying nature of 
the area makes that a lot easier said than done but something that is walkable 
and could compete or compliment the Niantic downtown just over the bridge.
• It's a gorgeous area that needs more things to do, such as more restaurants or 
fishing related businesses.
• Would love to see the Mago point area an attraction to people with restaurants 
and potentially a boardwalk. Need to give those that visit Niantic a reason to 
cross the bridge. This one should be a priority
• Tourist things. Especially in Mago Point.
• Mago point has languished for decades- I am amazed a developer has not 
come in and bought property for higher end condominiums and marina. Look to 
Niantic revitalization … it is working there
• Seafood restaurants. A "wharf-like space" with artisan shops and seaside type 
things, a boardwalk, historical things around the ocean (whaling history, etc.)

Sample Plan Layouts

Portrait Version

Portrait Version

Portrait Version

Landscape Version

Landscape Version

Landscape Version

Vision and Goals Discussion

DRAFT Vision Statement
Waterford is a beautiful coastal and riverfront community that its residents hold in high 
regard due to its stunning natural surroundings and convenient access to the neighboring 
region. As a regional shopping hub, Waterford boasts a thriving economy that strikes a 
delicate balance between commercial and residential development and preserving 
natural resources. The town is home to a diverse community, encompassing people of all 
ages, and prides itself on supporting and investing in high-quality education, arts and 
culture, and other amenities that enhance residents' lives and draw new people to the 
area.
Waterford offers a wide range of housing options that accommodate residents 
throughout all stages of their lives. It is a welcoming community that embraces both new 
residents and families that have resided in Waterford for multiple generations. Overall, 
Waterford is a vibrant and inclusive town that values its natural beauty and works hard to 
create an environment that promotes prosperity and an excellent quality of life for all.

DRAFT Housing Goal
Encourage a diversity of housing options to meet the 
needs of current and future residents while maintaining 
and enriching Waterford’s existing neighborhoods.

DRAFT Community Services Goal
Provide services to residents, property owners, business 
owners, workers, and visitors that meet evolving 
community needs.

DRAFT Public Facilities and 
Infrastructure Goal
Provide high quality facilities and infrastructure that are 
both fiscally and environmentally sustainable.

DRAFT Land Use Goal
Preserve the Town of Waterford as a balanced 
community, maintaining and promoting neighborhood 
quality and open space in conjunction with thoughtful 
growth and development.

DRAFT Transportation Goal
Improve and expand transportation options to support 
multimodal connectivity within the Town and to the 
region. 

DRAFT Economic Development Goal
Foster a vibrant economy that provides residents with 
access to goods, services, and employment 
opportunities while diversifying the Town’s property tax 
base.

DRAFT Open Space, Environmental 
Resources and Conservation Goal
Preserve and protect Waterford’s open space and 
environmental resources while expanding and 
maintaining the Town’s portfolio of conservation 
properties and open space areas.

DRAFT Sustainability and Resiliency 
Goal
Ensure that Waterford is a sustainable, thriving, and 
resilient community that benefits from and supports 
clean energy, preserves and cares for its ecosystems, 
and prepares for coastal changes.

DRAFT Cultural and Historic Resources 
Goal
Preserve, protect, and promote Waterford’s cultural and 
historic resources in perpetuity.

Project Schedule and Next Steps

Project Schedule and Next Steps
• Topic Based 
Discussions with PZ 
from March to May-
create schedule for 
these and invite the 
public to participate
• Public Workshop – April 
or May?

Questions

Thank you!