Town of Hebron > Town Departments > Planning & Development
Planning & Development
The Planning and Development Department is responsible for the administration of new development and the improvement of existing facilities. The Department includes the offices of the Town Planner, the Building Official / Zoning Enforcement Officer, and the Wetlands Agent. The Department works closely with and coordinates with the Chatham Health District, the Town Engineering Consultant, the Water Pollution Control Administrator and the Fire Marshal.
The combination of planning and development offices under one Department provides for a coordination of review and approval of building and development projects in Town. Any question relating to planning, zoning, conservation, building, septic, well and sewers can be effectively answered within the Department. The Department coordinates development review with periodic staff meetings with potential developers and builders to provide for a coordinated and efficient review of their proposals.
Department Mission:
It is in intent of the Department to focus on a long term commitment to economic vitality, environmental integrity, and quality development design through the highest quality master plans, plan implementation, development regulations and development review.
Plan of Conservation and Development:
The Town of Hebron Planning and Zoning Commission approved the 2024 Town of Hebron’s Plan of Conservation and Development on May 28, 2024. State law requires that the Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD) be updated at least every ten years. The Planning and Zoning Commission worked with a consultant, Michael K. O’Leary, over several years, drafting an update to the POCD in an effort to provide a overall vision of how the Community should develop over the next 10-year planning period. Click on the button below to review Hebron’s 2024 Plan of Conservation and Development.
Click Here for Information on the Plan of Conservation and Development
Hebron Zoning Regulations and Design Guidelines:
The Hebron Planning and Zoning Commission completed a comprehensive update of the Hebron Zoning Regulations, effective April 9, 2018. In an effort to ensure consistency with the Connecticut General Statutes, help implement the goals and policies of the Plan of Conservation and Development, and to make the Regulations a more user-friendly document, amendments are adopted from time to time.
To view the Regulations, click here:
The Hebron Planning and Zoning Commission review and periodically update the Regulations in response to State legislation or changes within the community. Recent amendments to the Hebron Zoning Regulations can be viewed at the following links:
Multi-Family Residential Development in the Hebron Green District
Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure
Dormers in Amston Lake District
The Hebron Planning and Zoning Commission adopted Design Guidelines on December 10, 2013 to assist the community in achieving a cohesive vision for development of multi-family dwellings and all other non-residential projects. Please use the following link to review:
Guidelines for Community Site and Architectural Design
Planning Activities Update:
The purpose of this section of the webpage is to keep Hebron residents up to date on Planning activities that are happening in Town. We will endeavor to keep this section current with the most recent and significant planning projects. Please contact us if there are questions, or suggestions on any of these projects.
Small Town Economic Assistance Program (STEAP) Projects
Wall St Sidewalks
STEAP is the acronym for the Small Town Economic Assistance Program, administered by the State of Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development for municipalities across CT that do not have access to other State programs due to the size of their resident population. STEAP is a competitive grant program intended to facilitate capital improvement projects that enhance local economies. Historically, the program has been limited to funding requests up to $500,000, but in 2025, the threshold was increased to $1mil.
Hebron has been very proactive in pursuit of this funding opportunity, and fortunately, very successful as well. Two STEAP-funded projects; the extension of sidewalks on Wall St from RHAM to Ridge Rd and the pedestrian connection between the Douglas Library and Pendleton Drive, were recently completed. The Town is in possession of a 2023 award to make improvements to the existing parking and sidewalks around the Douglas Library and the Hebron Green.
This year (2025 STEAP Grant Round), the Town submitted two applications, totaling $1mil, to fill existing gaps in the sidewalk network on Main St and to extend the water main in the Amston Lake system up North Pond Rd so that it would be accessible to the Turshen Mill Redevelopment Project at 459 Church St. While we won’t hear the results of our application until April, and though we do expect this to be a very competitive round, we are hopeful that one or both of these important projects will be funded.
American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Projects
The American Rescue Plan Act provided $350 billion in assistance to state and local governments to speed up the country’s recovery from the economic and health effects of the COVI-19 pandemic and recession. The Town of Hebron received $2.8 million that was distributed to a variety of projects and initiatives meeting a wide range of needs. Over the next two years, 2025 and 2026, Town staff will be working with a variety of contractors to complete projects including the construction of a dog park at the Raymond Brook Preserve, the replacement of the Skate Park and the installation of lighting at the baseball field at Veteran’s Memorial Park, the construction of three (3) pickleball courts at St. Peter’s Field, and rehabilitation of the baseball fields at Burnt Hill Park, amongst others.
Plan for Housing Choices
The Town of Hebron Planning and Zoning Commission has adopted the “Hebron 2022-27 Plan for Housing Choices”. The purpose of this plan is to identify current and future housing needs in Hebron and to identify strategies that can help the community promote housing choices to better meet these needs. Addressing changing housing needs and promoting housing choices, including affordable options, are important for the Town of Hebron and its current and future residents. People’s housing needs and desires change over the course of their lives and providing for a range of housing choices helps ensure that people of all ages, income levels, and household types will be able to find housing in Hebron to meet their needs. A Working Group was established and has analyzed and evaluated current and anticipated future housing needs in Hebron. Their recommended policies and action steps were considered by the Planning and Zoning Commission, were adopted and will be shared with other boards and commissions. It is important that these strategies align with Hebron’s overall community values and the Plan of Conservation and Development. This plan will satisfy the Town’s statutory requirement (CGS Section 8-30j) to prepare an Affordable Housing Plan every five (5) years.
Community input was an important part of the overall process. Nearly 700 respondents participated in an online community survey and shared their perspective on housing needs and potential strategies. Community workshops were also held to gather input to help the Town of Hebron understand shared goals and shared concerns and plan for the future of the community. This effort was supported by Town Staff and the consulting firm Planimetrics.
Hebron 2022-27 Plan for Housing Choices adopted May 24, 2022
Branding & Marketing Study
The Town of Hebron Economic Development Commission is working with FHI Studio to develop a branding and marketing study to promote economic development in town.
12 Town Air Line State Park Trail Master Plan
The Air Line Trail State Park region consists of twelve towns from Portland to Thompson. Town of Hebron staff and numerous dedicated residents contributed to the development of a Master Plan intended to unite the twelve towns as a region and implement the goals and recommendations contained in the Plan. Please use the following link to view the Plan and more about the many opportunities to explore the region via the Air Line Trail State Park https://airlinestateparktrailregion.org/
Open Space Acquisition Grants
O’Connor Property
The Open Space Land Acquisition Committee and Town staff have been very active in submitting grant applications on behalf of the Town under the State’s Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition Grant Program, to assist with the acquisition of key open space parcels of land. These applications are guided by the Town’s Plan of Conservation and Development, and the Future Open Space Plan included in that document. In February of 2021, the Town received $199,960 to assist with the purchase of the 215 acre Ella Bernstein property, also know as the Grossman Farm, located on Old Colchester Road. The parcel of land also has frontage on the end of Birch Hill Road in the Grayville Estates Subdivision, and has over 3,000 feet of frontage on the Air Line Trail. This property in contained in one of the planned Greenways shown in the Town’s Plan of Conservation and Development as a key area for protection and acquisition.
More recently, the Town received $312,650, 65% of the purchase price of three (3) parcels, totaling 115 acres, known as the O’Connor Property, located along Chittenden Rd and Hoadly Rd. The Town of Hebron is working with the Connecticut Resource Conservation & Development to perform a natural resource inventory of the area.
Hebron Center Plan – Housing For Economic Growth
Several planning efforts and studies have focused on Hebron Center looking at opportunities to implement the Goals and Policies contained in the Town’s Plan of Conservation and Development and to look more closely at ways to create a more vibrant, economically successful, mixed-use and pedestrian friendly Town Center. A few of these are as follows.
The Town Planner, the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Board of Selectmen all collaborated and developed The Hebron Center Plan. This Plan is a focused look at Hebron Center, bringing together the findings in the Plan of Conservation and Development as well as other studies and projects affecting Hebron Center. The Plan documents past accomplishments and includes planned projects all intended to enhance this area of Town. Read more about this by clicking here. The Hebron Center Plan.
The Planning and Zoning Commission, using a grant secured under the Housing for Economic Growth program, has worked with two consultants, Dennis Goderre – a Landscape Architect from Goderre and Associates and Mark Branse, Esq. from Branse, Willis & Knapp, LLC, in looking at a wide range of planning and zoning and economic development issues surrounding Hebron Center and future growth in the Center. The consultants, along with Town staff, drafted new zoning regulations to encourage mixed-use growth and development in Hebron Center as well as other business districts and it is now adopted as part of the Regulations. The goal is to create more economic development opportunities in a way that supports a more vibrant, walkable and mixed-use Main Street. This was one of the strong opinions that came from Hebron residents through the UCONN Charrette process that was conducted in 2011. Another outcome of the Study was to create new design guidelines for the commercial areas and multi-family residential areas in Hebron. These design guidelines were adopted by the Commission. The goal is to provide for new development, but in a way that is consistent with Hebron’s New England small town character.
Hebron Center Market Study
The Town of Hebron and its Economic Development Commission hired Peter Fairweather, of Fairweather Consulting, to conduct a Market Study of Hebron’s Business District. Over a number of years, the Town of Hebron has made a commitment to reinvest in Hebron Center to create a successful, dynamic, and walkable Town center. This study is another step in that process. The work identified potential commercial uses that could be attracted to, or expanded in, Hebron. The study included an analysis of the existing market potential in Hebron and the surrounding area, and a “benchmark” of Hebron against other downtown centers to better understand the strengths and weaknesses of Hebron Center. The study has identified the types of uses for which Hebron Center has a competitive advantage and includes an action plan to attract those uses to the Center. This study is still being used to guide the activities of various Town boards and commissions in terms of planning and economic development.
Click the link for the Hebron Center Market Study to read this important report.
Hebron’s Historic Peters House
The Peters House, at the entrance to Burnt Hill Park, is slowly returning to its early magnificent appearance. All who have passed 150 East Street have noticed the restoration of the exterior of this historic house, including new paint, restored trim, new roof, re-pointed chimneys, and new and restored windows. The work to date has been funded from a variety of sources including the Town’s CIP, but mainly though State grants including the State’s STEAP (Small Town Economic Assistance Program) grants, other grants received through the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) and the Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD), as well as an award from a private foundation, the 1772 Foundation. More recent work has been happening in the interior of the house with a new heating system installed, new plumbing including a new water supply from the Burnt Hill Park water system, and new electrical service. Volunteers have been hard at work doing necessary demolition inside the house as well as working on restoring several of the rooms including installing a new code-compliant stairway to the second floor. A slow process, but progress continues to be be made.
Salmon River Watershed Partnership
The Town of Hebron along with nine other towns in the Salmon River Watershed have entered into a Partnership with the Nature Conservancy in a multi-year effort to take actions to preserve and protect the water quality of the Salmon River that all these towns share. One of the first products of the Partnership is a “Salmon River Watershed Municipal Land Use Evaluation Project“. This report reviews and makes recommendations on land use regulations and public works maintenance practices of all towns in the Watershed. The Partnership has sponsored training and workshops, as well as water quality monitoring efforts, throughout the Watershed.
Additional information about the Partnership including the results of their water quality testing in Hebron and throughout the watershed, can be found on their website and by clicking here: https://www.salmonriverct.org/
Department Staff:
The Town Planner serves as the department head and supervises the planning and development offices in the Town:
Town Planner : Matthew Bordeaux
15 Gilead Street
Hebron, CT 06248
860-228-5971, x137
You can e-mail the Town Planner here: mbordeaux@hebronct.com
Other staff members in the planning and development offices can be reached at the same address and are as follows:
Building Official & Zoning Enforcement Officer: Scott Phelps, 228-5971, x142
Town Wetland Agent: , Jim Cordier, 228-5971, x139
Fire Marshal: Christopher Bray, 228-3022
Administrative Secretaries:
Donna Godbout, 228-5971, x138
Louise Caisse, 228-5971, x141
Chatham Health District Representative: Emily Miller, 228-5971, x140
You can also contact the Chatham Health District and learn more about their organization at their website at: www.chathamhealth.org.
The following pages explain the functions of the various offices within the Department of Planning and Development, contact information, and forms and information that will assist you with your interaction with the Department.