Some history of publicly owned property in Woodbridge

The Town of Woodbridge has a rich history of acquiring land on behalf of its residents. Such property has been allocated to various uses over the years, such as parks, recreational playing fields, trails, and for municipal use where schools and other town buildings have been constructed. A history of these acquisitions, prior ownership, and use decisions was compiled in the 1982 document, “CUPOP Survey of Publicly Owned Property” (view PDF).

1982 CUPOP SURVEY TABLE OF CONTENTS

Commission on the Use of Publicly Owned Property (CUPOP)

Established in Town ordinance in June 1974 by act of the Woodbridge Board of Selectmen, the Publicly Owned Property Commission is responsible for making recommendations on the proper usage of all publicly owned property in the Town of Woodbridge.

The Commission consists of six members appointed by the BOS and two ex officio members, one selected by the Town Plan and Zoning Commission and one selected by the Conservation Commission from their respective memberships. A member of the Board of Selectmen also attends meetings as a liaison.

The Commission’s duties include the classification of all publicly owned property or property affected with a public interest in the following categories:

1. Land and buildings dedicated to open space or other use under the terms of grants-in-aid conditions;
2. Land and buildings, the uses of which are now under the direction of existing commissions or other agencies of the Town;
3. Land and buildings, the uses of which are not under the direction of existing commissions or other agencies of the Town;
4. Land and buildings to which the Town has the option to purchase and/or right of first refusal.

An additional duty of the Commission is to study the uses of all such land and buildings from time to time and to study and recommend to the Board of Selectmen the:

• acquisition, (by purchase or otherwise);
• uses;
• changes in uses, or;
• direction of such uses by appropriate commissions or agencies now existing or to be created.

The Commission’s powers include a requirement that all Town agencies and commissions administering, using, or affecting such land and buildings shall report to the Commission upon request.