Land Use Department

12 APPENDIX B: SURVEY-BASED GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

In March 1996, the Planning and Zoning Commission sent a public opinion survey to all Bethel households. Nearly nine percent responded, which is a strong response. The following list of goals and objectives is derived from the Public Opinion Survey on Town Issues. Given the clear preferences shown and uniformity of concerns, the survey probably represents to a very large degree the preferences and concerns of the majority of Bethel. A cluster of issues arises from the survey responses. These have been recast as goals and objectives regarding land use development. As written below, these goals and objectives reflect the survey responses, not necessarily the Planning and Zoning Commission's view of land use issues.

The survey demonstrated that there is one overarching goal that Bethelites feel should guide future land use decisions: The sum of public and private land use decisions must sustain the small town atmosphere of charm, neighborliness and safety. Specific components of this quality which must be maintained and enhanced are:

• The mix of economically diverse people
• The downtown shopping district
• The education park
• The sense of Bethel as a calm oasis proximate to more bustling places, where a wider range of activities, facilities and jobs is found.

Housing

1. Preserve the current pattern of moderate housing density.
   
   
2. Preserve the unspoiled quality f Bethel's vista's, especialy of hillsides and the crowns of hill which should not have visible development.
   
   
3. Encourage a range of houseing types and purchase prices.
   
   
4. Encourage an architectural style and site planning of new housing that conforms to a New England small town character.

Community Facilities and Open Space

1. Maintain community facilities (especially the parks) at a consistent high quality, which may include expansion given changes in the size and composition of the population.
   
   
2. Dedicate a larger amount of land as permanent open space, both for the use of Bethelites and for the preservation of the town's remaining open and airy rural quality.
   
   
3. Study the need for new municipal recreation: a public pool, more open space, and a teen and/or family recreation center.

Utilities

1. Expand the water and sewer service districts into larger residential areas to relieve failing septic systems where appropriate.
   
   
2. Protect the water supply through improved land use regulation in areas over the aquifer.

Transportation and Circulation

1. Alleviate parking, sidewalk, crosswalk,, and traffic problems in the downtown, especially on Greenwood Avenue as part of an overall revitalization plan.
   
   
2. Identify road and traffic "hot spots" and devise cost-effective remedies to improve capacity, condition, and safety.

Economic Development

1. Promote Route 6 for low-scale commercial and office development, while maintaining a New England design sense to the roadway, landscaping, and buildings.
   
   
2. Proceed with the revitalization of Bethel's downtown with an urban design plan. A comprehensive plan should address circulation and parking issues, architectural design review, and the creation of historic district.