New London — City Planner Harry Smith, who has provided oversight of development in New London for 11 years, is leaving next month to become the town planner for Branford. Smith's last day working for the New London Office of Development and Planning will be June 4, he said.

"This is a chance for a new opportunity," Smith said Tuesday. "There are differences and similarities between the towns, both are coastal communities with approximately the same population, but New London is a very urban community while Branford is a more suburban community."

Of the myriad projects he worked on during his 11 years in New London, Smith said he was especially proud of authoring an update to the city's plan of conservation and development, and working on bringing the U.S. Coast Guard Museum to downtown New London.

He said he is also proud of bringing more than $1 million in grant funding into the city for various projects, most recently the plan to reconstruct the municipal parking lots downtown.

Smith said he has one regret about accepting the Branford planner job: leaving the relationships he forged over more than a decade in New London.

"There are many, many fine people working for the city who work day in and day out to put forth their best efforts to overcome the many difficulties New London faces," he said. "They have nothing but my highest respect."

Smith said he plans to have a little time off before taking over in Branford sometime in mid-June.

c.young@theday.com

Twitter: @ColinAYoung