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CHAPTER 11 – FUTURE LAND USE PLAN
The Future Land Use Plan presented in this chapter (see Figure 11-1) is intended to bring together into a single, graphical representation the various components of the Plan of Conservation and Development. It illustrates in a generalized manner the most desirable form, type and location of future development within the City of Bristol, based on a series of categories of land use. The Plan reflects the goals and policies articulated throughout this document, as well as the following considerations:
- Existing physical and environmental features (e.g., topography, watercourses)
- Demographic changes in the population
- The existing patterns of land use and zoning
- The need to provide a variety of housing options
- The existing and future transportation network
- Existing and future infrastructure
- Opportunities for economic development
- The desire for downtown revitalization
- Opportunities for conservation
It is important to note that the Future Land Use Plan differs from the Existing Land Use Map (described in Chapter 3) in at least three significant ways. First, as its name implies, the Future Land Use Plan represents a series of recommendations for future land uses rather than merely a depiction of the nature and extent of existing land uses. Second, the categories on the Future Land Use Plan are much broader and more generalized; implicit in these categories are land uses that are considered in principal to be compatible with the category itself, e.g., churches and schools in the Residential land use categories. Third, in some areas of the city, the recommendations of the Future Land Use Plan are intended to alter rather than maintain the existing land use pattern, e.g., an old industrial area in the downtown might be designated for future use as a commercial area. (Conversely, the established land use pattern in an area might well be deemed desirable and appropriate into the foreseeable future; as such, the Future Land Use Plan recommends– and thus encourages and reinforces – its continuation.)
The Future Land Use Plan is also distinct from the city's current Zoning Map. While it is intended to provide the planning framework for future zoning changes, the Future Land Use Plan delineates broad categories of land use and not site-specific zoning districts. In many cases, the recommended future land use category and the existing zoning classification will already be consistent with one another, e.g., an area designated for medium-density residential development may currently be zoned R-10 – Single-Family Residential. In other cases, the recommended future land use of an area will be different from its existing zoning classification, e.g., an area currently zoned R-10 is deemed most appropriate (and thus designated) for future industrial development. When and whether such properties should be rezoned to reflect the recommendations of the Future Land Use Plan is the purview of the city's Zoning Commission, which is authorized by the Connecticut General Statutes to adopt and amend the city's Zoning Map and Zoning Regulations. As with the Plan of Conservation and Development itself, the Future Land Use Plan is intended to serve as a policy guide for Bristol's land use boards and other government officials and agencies whose decisions might affect the course of future land use activity in the city.
A description of each of the land use categories utilized on the Future Land Use Plan follows:
Residential – Conservation (one dwelling unit or less per acre)
- Primary use: single-family residences
- Lowest recommended density
- Intended to provide significant protection to and preservation of environmentally sensitive lands
- Public infrastructure elements such as water, sewers and sidewalks are discouraged
- Most compatible zoning district: R-40 zone (or newly created low-density zone)
Residential – Low Density (one-to-two dwelling units per acre)
- Primary use: single-family residences
- Alternative development techniques to preserve open space (e.g., clustering) are encouraged
- Public water service and public sewer service should be required
- Most compatible zoning district: R-25 zone
Residential – Medium Density (three-to-four dwelling units per acre)
- Primary use: single-family residences
- Public water service, public sewer service and sidewalks are required
- Most compatible zoning districts: R-10 and R-15 zones
Residential - High Density (five or more dwelling units per acre)
- Primary uses: two-family, three-family and multi-family dwellings
- In-fill residential development in the city's most urban neighborhoods
Retail/Service
- Primary uses: retail and service establishments, professional and business offices, financial institutions, restaurants, entertainment facilities
- Type, form and intensity of development are a function of location, i.e., residential neighborhoods, retail corridors (e.g., Route 6) or downtown Bristol
Heavy Commercial
- Primary uses: construction services, manufacturing, motor vehicle repair and services, warehousing and storage, wholesaling and distribution facilities, transportation and utility services
Industrial
- Primary uses: manufacturing, research and development activities, corporate offices, broadcasting facilities, business support services
- Operations involving "high-technology" equipment and processes should be encouraged
Conservation
- Primary uses: public and private parks and recreation areas, public and private open spaces, conservation areas, watershed lands, cemeteries
Goals, Policies and Recommendations
Goal:
Maintain a long-range planning program to anticipate and accommodate the city's needs for the next 10 years and beyond.
Policies:
1. Acknowledge continued growth as inevitable and desirable but expect that such growth will be properly controlled and can be adequately accommodated by various city facilities and services. The purpose of the Plan is to manage and guide, rather than arrest, future growth.
2. Recognize that Bristol is part of a larger urbanized region and that planning for its future must take into account the impact, beneficial or otherwise, of this inevitable relationship.
3. Strive to ensure that all actions by city agencies and departments reflect the goals and policies of the Plan. All pertinent city codes, regulations, and ordinances that affect development should be reviewed periodically, strengthened or updated where necessary, and enforced to support the goals and policies of the Plan.
4. Recognize the need for and encourage consistency between zoning and the Plan.
5. Promote greater citizen awareness of and participation in local planning efforts through meetings, publications, and other appropriate mechanisms.
6. Encourage an ongoing education program for members of the city's land use boards.
7. Preserve the integrity of existing residential neighborhoods. Protect such neighborhoods from commercial encroachment. Discourage zoning actions that would allow mixed uses in established residential areas except at the borders and fringes where major streets are located.
8. Encourage the clustering of new residential units in appropriate locations in order to create or preserve valuable open space. Encourage the diversification of the local housing stock in appropriate locations.
9. Permit established residential neighborhoods to maintain the same pattern of development as in the past, even though this might result in small lots or multi-family units.
10. Consider different forms of residential development within the general densities allowed by zoning, and evaluate each proposal on its own merits.
11. Permit multi-family development of appropriate density and design to be located in the downtown, along major commercial highway corridors, in business districts, and in other suitable locations, but not within established, stable single-family neighborhoods.
12. Prior to the future development of all types of land uses, consider the feasibility of their being served well, efficiently, and at reasonable cost with public facilities. Recognize that providing such facilities may be the responsibility of the developer.
13. Protect industrial land from residential and commercial encroachment.
14. Protect the quality of potable public surface water and groundwater supplies through the control of the use and development of land and activities that pose a risk to watersheds and aquifers.
15. Recognize Bristol's sand and gravel deposits as a valuable and necessary resource, but carefully regulate their extraction.
Recommendations:
General
1. Require that parcels for multi-family residential development be of suitable size and configuration to accommodate good site layout and design. Encourage such developments to include garages or covered parking, hidden parking, and recreational facilities.
2. To achieve greater compatibility among different categories of uses allowed in the business and industrial zones, consider the use of design districts that permit different lot sizes, floor-area ratios and setbacks for such uses, rather than having one set of standards applicable to all.
3. For older commercial properties, permit slightly intensified development beyond the maximum allowable floor area and/or lot coverage in return for improvements to the site's landscaping, signage, access, parking, lighting and/or design. Use of such a provision would be at the option of the property owner but would require Site Plan approval by the appropriate land use board.
Route 229 corridor
1. Limit development along each side of Route 229 between Battisto Road and the Bristol-Southington line to high-quality, low-traffic-generating uses, primarily of an industrial/office nature rather than a retail/commercial nature. Limit future retail/commercial development along this portion of the corridor to those properties that are currently zoned for business.
2. Maintain the predominantly single-family residential character along the east side of Route 229 between Lake Avenue and the parcel of land north of Superior Electric.
3. Maintain the mixed-use character of Route 229 between Broad Street and Pine Street.
4. Maintain the predominantly residential character of Route 229 between Broad Street and Route 6.
5. Rezone the Masonic Temple parcel on the west side of Lake Avenue to allow low-density multi-family residential development.
6. Rezone the primarily vacant area along the east side of Lake Avenue between Cross Street and the existing multi-family residential development to the south to allow low-density multi-family residential development. Such development would serve as a buffer/transition between the adjacent industrial development to the east and the single-family residential development to the west.
7. Maintain the existing single-family residential zoning on the west side of Lake Avenue between Glenn Street and Lake Compounce Park, reflective of the insufficient parcel depth – due to the proximity of the base of South Mountain – needed to accommodate multi-family residential development
Route 6 Corridor
1. Limit future retail/commercial development along the Route 6 corridor to those properties that are currently zoned for business and that front on Route 6.
2. Maintain the predominantly single-family residential character along Route 6 between Britton Road and Stafford Avenue and between Lewis Street/Oakland Street and Mercier Avenue.
3. Limit future retail/commercial development along the Route 6 corridor between West Street and the Bristol-Plymouth line to neighborhood-oriented facilities on properties that are currently zoned for business.
Route 72 Corridor
1. Consider the use of a design district as one means of implementing a Forestville Village Center plan.
2. Establish an attractive gateway into the city along existing Route 72 at the Bristol-Plainville line.
3. Require, encourage and/or provide that new development along existing Route 72 be coupled with the provision of tree belts, attractive sidewalks, landscaping and greenspace.
4. Study the potential impacts of the realignment of Route 72 on future land use along the Pine Street corridor and in Forestville.
Figure 11-1. Future Land Use Plan
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