Planning & Zoning Commission

I. Statutory Powers and Duties

Per the Town Charter, Planning and Zoning Commission consists of seven (7) regular members and three (3) alternate members, each of whom shall be elected for a term of six (6) years, and shall exercise the powers and duties prescribed in Chapters 124 and 126 of the Connecticut General Statutes. In summary, these include:

• To prepare, adopt or amend the Plan of Conservation and Development -- last completed in 2020.
• To establish, change or repeal the zoning and subdivision regulations, and zoning district map.
• To hear, consider and decide upon applications for approval of subdivision or resubdivision plans, site plans, and special permits.
• To provide the way the zoning regulations are enforced and to take appropriate actions to enforce them.
• To review and make recommendations on proposed municipal improvements related to streets, bridges, schools, parks, acquisition and divesting of land, etc.
• To prepare and file surveys, maps or plans of proposed streets.
• To approve or disapprove municipal applications to DEEP for grants-in-aid of programs established to preserve open space lands.

II. Master Planning

The Town of Lebanon established a Planning and Zoning Commission (PZC) in 1961. Federal and State enabling legislation is based on a municipality first PLANNING through the creation of a Master or Comprehensive Plan, and then ZONE according to said Plan. In Connecticut, the Master Plan is called the Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD). State Statute requires that a POCD be completed every ten (10) years by the Planning Commission. The 2020 Plan of Conservation and Development is available online, at Jonathan Trumbull Library, and for sale in the Town Clerk's Office.

III. Zoning and Subdivision Regulations

Besides the 2020 Plan of Conservation and Development, the PZC relies on Lebanon’s Zoning and Subdivision Regulations and Zoning Map – all of which are available online and in the Town Clerk's Office. The Zoning Regulations deal with allowing specific uses of land in each zoning district, density and parking regulations, signage, landscaping requirements, design guidelines, and application types, procedures, and requirements. The Subdivision Regulations apply to splitting a lot into 2 or more parcels.

IV. Meetings

The PZC holds a regular meeting on the third Monday of each month and special meetings when deemed necessary. Meetings are held in Town Hall at 7:00 p.m. and are open to the public. Check the calendar for specific meeting dates and times.

V. Other

Lebanon is New England’s leader in farmland preservation with 6,000 acres of permanently preserved farmland. 1 out of every 8 acres of preserved farmland in Connecticut is located in town. A 2019 resident survey conducted by Siena College gauged resident attitudes toward farming and farmland preservation. The survey found that most residents believe farmland and open space preservation should be the main focus of town planning efforts in the 2020s. The Planning and Zoning Commission and other town boards and commissions support the continued preservation of agriculture.

Lebanon Town Planner Philip Chester was awarded Outstanding Small Town and Rural Planner by the Small Town and Rural Planning Division of the American Planning Association in 2011. The Town of Lebanon was awarded Community of the Year by the Connecticut Chapter of the American Planning Association in 2015. “in recognition of its on-going efforts to preserve its agricultural-based economy and town character”. The town is an excellent example of a New England community that continues to value its historical and agricultural roots.