New study will look at ways naval base and surrounding communities can work together
The Day
By: Kimberly Drelich
February 17, 2025
A new plan under development will recommend ways the Naval Submarine Base and surrounding communities can work together, in areas from transportation to housing, to support both the base's military mission and personnel and its neighboring communities.
A public workshop for people to learn about the plan and share comments will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Thrive 55+ Active Living Cente Br at 102 Newtown Road.
The SUBASE New London Compatible Use Plan is an update to the 2017 SUBASE New London Joint Land Use Study that recommended solutions for the base and neighboring communities to collaborate and support each other.
Since then, the COVID-19 pandemic and housing market has brought changes, so it was time for an update that builds upon the previous study, said Helen Zincavage, director of regional planning for the Southeastern Connecticut Council of Governments.
The new plan will consider a larger area around the base: as far north as Norwich, as far west as East Lyme and as far east as Stonington, she said. It will also expand the topics covered, with consultants digging more into the utility system as well as covering topics such as spousal employment for military families.
The expansion of the marine defense industry, which is closely tied to the base, is part of the conversation surrounding the housing needs of the region, Zincavage said.
A goal of the plan is to identify projects that provide a "win-win" for both the military installation and the surrounding community, such as transportation projects. Another goal is to identify any potential conflicts — for example, communities need new housing but it's important not to build it in sensitive areas near the base — so they can be avoided.
The study will cover infrastructure, land use and compatible development, including housing, zoning and economic development, and collaborative implementation and cost sharing.
The planning process, which will continue through the year, so far has identified challenges, such as transportation, a need for more of a diversity of grocery stores, barriers to health care for military families, housing affordability and energy affordability, Zincavage said.
The consultants and planners are trying to take as many avenues as possible to engage with people about how they view the relationship between the base and the surrounding communities and what are areas where they mutually support one another and what are some areas where there is still work to do, Zincavage said.
The U.S. Department of Defense's Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation is providing about $220,000 for the project, as well $350,000 for a companion project, Groton's study on "missing middle" housing.
The Southeastern Connecticut Council of Governments is administering the grant, and IMEG, a planning consulting firm, is completing the regional study.
The workshop will include a short presentation on the project and initial findings, three different breakout sessions that people can rotate through and an opportunity to share the comments from the sessions.
More information, along with a link to an online survey, is available at https://www.subasenewlondoncup.com/get-involved
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