A town planner said the master plan is "a method of turning the community’s values into actions."
One of the multiple ice sculptures that were on display on Main Street in Greenfield for the 2013 Winter Carnival. By REBECCA RIDEOUT
GREENFIELD – A final presentation to release the results of Greenfield’s year-long Sustainable Master Plan will be held at the Greenfield Community College’s Sloan Theater Jan. 21 at 6:30 p.m.
A municipal master plan “serves as the town’s primary policy statement on future development,” according to the plan’s website, www.greenfieldmasterplan.com.
Town members’ goals and concerns were addressed during the course of the study. Conversations on issues ranging from natural and cultural resources to the town’s housing stock and economic opportunities were held throughout 2013 to help formulate a new direction for town planners. The town’s last master plan was updated in 2001.
According to Eric Twarog, Greenfield’s director of Planning and Development, the goal of the master plan was to involve citizens in a town-wide discussion about the future of Greenfield. “One of the things we wanted to do was to engage the community more and get groups who aren’t usually involved with stuff like this to come to public meetings and discussions,” said Twarog.
The planning process is a “method of turning the community’s values into actions,” he said.
Community outreach and public participation made up the first part of the four-part plan overseen by the consulting group Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc (VHB). The first community event, held on March 9 at the Four Rivers Charter Public School, attracted more than 100 participants. The second gathering on Sept. 26 on the town square welcomed 150 community members, who “voted” for issues important to them in their hometown at booths set up in the center of town.
The second phase of the plan included data collection and analysis by the consultants, and was finalized and submitted on Dec. 31.
The Jan. 21 presentation will fulfill the third phase, in which a final draft plan is presented to the public. Putting the plan into action makes up phase four, during which a committee will be established by the town to implement each major goal laid out in the final plan.
The goal sought by the town planners is to create a sustainable plan that is designed to “meet the needs of current and future generations in Greenfield without compromising the systems on which they depend,” according to the website. Greenfield is one of only a few communities that have embarked on developing a Sustainable Master Plan, making the town a leader in this type of municipal planning.
The program was made possible by grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) which also funded the Sustainable Communities Regional Planning for Franklin County, and the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development.
The final presentation will allow the public to review the final findings of the study. Once approved, the implementation plan for the town, set out by VHB, includes specific strategies and zoning suggestions.
The plan has a 10 to 15 year lifespan, says Twarog. This term is shorter than master plans pre-2000. “Things rapidly change in cities more than they did in the past, so this is as far out as the study is able to go.”