The Planning and Zoning Commission heard public input for a final time on the draft update of the town's Plan of Conservation and Development on Tuesday night.

About 15 residents came to listen or to offer last-minute suggestions for the document that guides the town's planning philosophies for the next decade.

Going forward, consultant planner Heidi Samokar told attendees, P&Z will consider the latest comments, adopt the plan and then officially designate when it replaces the one currently in effect.

Most residents that spoke came to advocate for specific issues.

Conservation Commission Chairman Ben Oko told the commission that the plan should be more explicit (in Chapter 6) in mentioning ways to protect natural resources, including exploring the idea of a tree ordinance or regulation to dictate how many can be leveled.

In the open space section (Chapter 7), Oko suggested adding language encouraging landowners abutting open space parcels to preserve their own land like the town does open space to create buffers.

Bernard Dzielinski said the POCD should include an awareness of a rising popularity of farming in the state, possibly by recommending that the town form an agricultural commission.

Emma Lou Benedict, chairman of the Commission on the Disabled, reiterated a need to plan for accessibility in advance, which is more user-friendly and less expensive than retrofitting buildings for aging populations.

Coco Barron said future affordable housing developments should be better planned for resident convenience.

Jan Rifkinson said that the plan should address ways to ensure there is funding available to implement its suggestions in the upcoming decade. A plan without a pragmatic grounding will just collect dust, he said.

"It'll sit. And it shouldn't sit, for any number of reasons," Rifkinson said.