In 2023, the Town of East Hartford retained BFJ Planning to update its 2014 Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD), which BFJ also prepared. While many of the prior goals and objectives remain relevant, the update included a master plan of the Founders Plaza office complex along the Connecticut River, where a significant mixed-use redevelopment project is underway with an anticipated completion in 2035. The POCD also focuses on the historical Town Center area along Main Street and identifies strategies to revitalize this key business area and better connect it with development activity along the Silver Lane corridor, lower Main Street, and the riverfront. The POCD also included zoning recommendations to streamline housing development, incorporate essential services within residential areas, and broaden permitted commercial uses.

The approximately 18-month POCD update process was closely coordinated with Town staff and the Planning and Zoning Commission and included robust stakeholder engagement, an interactive online Ideas Wall, two public workshops to gain consensus on Plan vision and goals, review draft chapters, and gather input on and test ideas for the new content of the POCD. The East Hartford Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously adopted the 2025-2035 POCD in January 2025. Following the plan’s adoption, the Town has taken concrete steps to fulfill its recommendations. The POCD zoning recommendations set the stage for compliance with Connecticut’s PA 25-1 legislation on middle housing. The development of conceptual designs for Main Street laid the groundwork for ongoing Complete Streets infrastructure improvements currently being planned by the Town and CTDOT. Furthermore, the Town has received $15 million in state funding to facilitate the demolition of 99 Founders Plaza and the adaptive reuse conversion of 111 Founders Plaza into a 250-unit residential complex.