The Department of City Planning is one of 8 divisions under the auspices of OPED. It provides a centralized planning function and a sense of direction to the City of Bridgeport for all physical development activities. It develops and maintains the city's Master Plan, a guide for implementing the Zoning Regulations.
Specifically, City Planning is responsible for the preparation and/or analysis of studies and surveys that emphasize the feasibility, marketability and environmental significance of proposed projects and plans; the creation of neighborhood redevelopment plans; and the establishment and maintenance of a Geographic Information System (GIS). City Planning also provides ongoing consulting services to citizens, developers, builders, other city departments and other governmental agencies.
The information and data systems within the department, combined with research and analytical capabilities of staff, are the backbone of the City's Economic Development efforts. City Planning functions include:
* Plan preparation, project planning, coordination and review; * Land use development management; * Budgeting; * Program planning; and * Policy analysis and advance planning.
A wide variety of special projects are regularly assigned to City Planning due to its recognized capabilities and versitility.
Planning provides services to most every other City department, upon request. As the City continues to grow, City Planning will continue to offer its guidance and support.
Land Use Policies Update The firm BFJ Planning was hired on December 1, 2006. Their work includes updating the Master Plan of Development, Zoning Regulations and Map, and the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategies. They will also create new planning documents around the topics of Transportation and Infrastructure, Environment and Open Space, and Culture and Community Facilities. This work is an outgrowth of the ULI study completed in 2005, which highly recommended updating the land use policies. This effort is expected to take 12-18 months to create all of the plans and get them approved. Overseeing this effort will be a Steering Committee comprised of 24 residents and stakeholders. Public meetings will be scheduled to gather input from the community. The first of these is scheduled for Thursday, February 1, 2007. It will be held at the new Cesar Batalla School at Howard and State Streets at 7 p.m. Please see attached fliers for more information. Flier in EnglishFlier in Spanish
