Gateway Commission Zoning & Municipal Support Specialist (Part-time/Contract)

The Connecticut River Gateway Commission (“Gateway Commission”) seeks qualified professional support to carry out its statutory and advisory responsibilities related to land use, development review, and resource protection within the designated Gateway Conservation Zone of the Lower Connecticut River Valley. This role provides technical, zoning, and meeting support to the Commission and serves as a liaison between the Commission and member municipalities. 

The position is part-time (up to 70) hours per month and may be filled by an individual consultant or an organization with demonstrated zoning and municipal land use capacity. 

The Gateway Commission’s mission is to protect the visual, environmental, and cultural resources of the Lower Connecticut River Valley Gateway Conservation Zone. The Commission’s work includes reviewing property development proposals within the Gateway Conservation Zone and providing coordinated, consistent guidance to member municipalities, consistent with adopted Gateway Standards and applicable state law.  

The Gateway Commission is a regional body established by Connecticut statute in 1973 to conduct advisory reviews of land use proposals referred by member municipalities within the Gateway Conservation Zone. The Commission develops standard regulations that municipalities adopt into their municipal zoning regulations. The Commission acts in an advisory capacity, issuing findings and recommendations intended to inform local land use decision‑making, while respecting municipal land use authority and locally adopted regulations. The Gateway Commission has no enforcement authority and relies on the eight participating municipalities to enforce regulations. However, the Commission has standing to appeal decisions made by zoning boards of appeal and to oppose zoning regulation changes that negatively impact the Gateway Conservation Zone. 

Ideal candidates will have the following core competencies and skills: 

• Strong working knowledge of Connecticut municipal zoning, land use, and planning regulation 

• Experience with zoning enforcement and land use administration 

• Direct experience staffing or participating in municipal boards, commissions, or public meetings 

• Ability to interpret site plans, zoning applications, and development narratives in relation to adopted standards 

• Familiarity with intermunicipal and regional land use coordination 

• Clear written and verbal communication skills suitable for public records and formal decision‑making bodies 

• Ability to manage referral timelines, agendas, minutes, and correspondence 

• Strong organizational skills and attention to statutory and procedural detail 

• Professional judgment and neutrality in advisory review contexts