What is a Plan of Conservation and Development?

A Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD) is an advisory document which provides the blueprint for the future of a municipality, prescribes its goals and guides its future action for the next ten years and beyond. The POCD does not specifically mandate what any Town Commission, Department, or organization is required to do, but instead, provides goals, objectives, policies, and strategies to allow the Town and its various entities to implement a coordinated long-term vision and address multiple aspects of town wide planning including economic development, natural resource protection, transportation, infrastructure, housing development, sustainability, and resiliency. The execution of the POCD is carried out by the towns staff, its boards and commissions, community groups, and private development.