Tuesday, August 5, 2008 4:34 PM EDT
Proposed Comprehensive Plan
 More than 70 people attend public workshop to discuss draft of town's comprehensive plan. |
Click here to read proposed Comprehensive Plan
When it comes to guiding the future of conservation and development in town, more than 70 people were interested enough to show up and weigh in.
Attendees at Tuesday’s public workshop, hosted by the Comprehensive Plan Citizens Advisory Committee, ranged from residents to Town Councilors to committee members.
They gathered in the Westerly Middle School auditorium to hear and discuss a proposed draft of goals, objectives and policies for the town’s comprehensive plan.
The plan serves as a blueprint for future land use, development and conservation. And while the state requires towns to update their comprehensive plans every five years, Westerly’s current document has been largely unchanged for 17 years.
The 14-member citizens committee, formed in early 2006 to update the plan, sought input Tuesday from the public to confirm that they have “hit the mark” with 10 proposed, broad goals.
“We want to know everything you have to say about this,” consultant and Project Manager Eve Holberg, of Buffalo, N.Y.- based consultant Peter J. Smith and Company, told attendees.
The goals target topics including the use of natural resources, economic development, improving infrastructure, and regional solutions to housing, and are based on a town inventory, public response and observations made in the community.
The group then proposed between three and six objectives for implementing each goal.
Holberg asked workshop attendees to affirm the committee was on the right track with each goal and to write down suggested ways to achieve the measure.
For example, public responses indicated a need for a range of housing and to control sprawl. Opportunities exist, according to public response, to rehabilitate existing housing downtown and in mixed-use areas. Fifty-six percent of survey respondents agreed the town needs more affordable housing, including single and multi-family residences.
The committee then set a goal to encourage a broad range of housing options for all income levels and ages.
The plan lists among objectives eliminating substandard and unsafe housing, encouraging housing that meets the needs of “underserved” middle- and lower income and special needs households and individuals, and continued support for organizations that address the short-term needs of the homeless.
On a separate track, the public said they are concerned with the volume of traffic in town and for the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists. They also called for additional parking and big-picture transportation management. More than 50 percent of survey respondents agreed that traffic is significant on Route 1, Airport Road and Granite and Franklin streets. And 56 percent agreed that the town should increase funding for sidewalks.
The committee set a broad goal to promote transportation strategies that ensure the safe and efficient flow of traffic within Westerly to enhance the quality of life. Members listed among objectives the need to provide safe alternatives that reduce motor vehicle dependency and continuing a program of roadway drainage and sidewalk replacement and maintenance.
“They are two of the things I think that this community struggles with the most,” Holberg said of housing and transportation. She added that the public response also overwhelmingly called to preserve the character of Westerly.
Asked at the end of the session if the committee hit the mark, attendees wavered between affirmation and a need for more time. A handful raised hands indicating they thought the group had missed priorities.
Resident David Patten, a Democratic candidate for School Committee, described the draft document as great, but said he suspected some of the goals conflicted — like economic development and retaining the town’s character.
Watch Hill resident Bob Brockmann called for the plan to protect the distinct qualities of Westerly’s many neighborhoods. As chairman of the Watch Hill Vision 2012 plan, he said a copy of that document in reference to the future of Watch Hill was turned over to the comprehensive plan group.
“I don’t see it manifested clearly in this document you’ve gone through tonight,” he said.
Resident Lisa Nelson questioned why no goals addressed educational outcomes. She added that the School Committee looks to the document as well.
And resident Michael Sanders asked when the public would learn where the plan was specifically proposing to locate new development.
“That’s what people are interested to know, the smaller details,” he said.
Holberg said the committee would likely go back to the drawing board to incorporate this latest round of responses and ensure they have a community consensus before moving on to creating the future land use plan.
She added that the committee hopes to wrap up its work this fall and send its comprehensive plan proposal to the Planning Board and Town Council. Both bodies would hold public hearings prior to approving the document, which would then be sent to the Statewide Planning office for approval.
“There will be more public input, absolutely,” Holberg said. “We’re not done with you yet.”
When it comes to guiding the future of conservation and development in town, more than 70 people were interested enough to show up and weigh in.
Attendees at Tuesday’s public workshop, hosted by the Comprehensive Plan Citizens Advisory Committee, ranged from residents to Town Councilors to committee members.
They gathered in the Westerly Middle School auditorium to hear and discuss a proposed draft of goals, objectives and policies for the town’s comprehensive plan.
The plan serves as a blueprint for future land use, development and conservation. And while the state requires towns to update their comprehensive plans every five years, Westerly’s current document has been largely unchanged for 17 years.
The 14-member citizens committee, formed in early 2006 to update the plan, sought input Tuesday from the public to confirm that they have “hit the mark” with 10 proposed, broad goals.
“We want to know everything you have to say about this,” consultant and Project Manager Eve Holberg, of Buffalo, N.Y.- based consultant Peter J. Smith and Company, told attendees.
The goals target topics including the use of natural resources, economic development, improving infrastructure, and regional solutions to housing, and are based on a town inventory, public response and observations made in the community.
The group then proposed between three and six objectives for implementing each goal.
Holberg asked workshop attendees to affirm the committee was on the right track with each goal and to write down suggested ways to achieve the measure.
For example, public responses indicated a need for a range of housing and to control sprawl. Opportunities exist, according to public response, to rehabilitate existing housing downtown and in mixed-use areas. Fifty-six percent of survey respondents agreed the town needs more affordable housing, including single and multi-family residences.
The committee then set a goal to encourage a broad range of housing options for all income levels and ages.
The plan lists among objectives eliminating substandard and unsafe housing, encouraging housing that meets the needs of “underserved” middle- and lower income and special needs households and individuals, and continued support for organizations that address the short-term needs of the homeless.
On a separate track, the public said they are concerned with the volume of traffic in town and for the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists. They also called for additional parking and big-picture transportation management. More than 50 percent of survey respondents agreed that traffic is significant on Route 1, Airport Road and Granite and Franklin streets. And 56 percent agreed that the town should increase funding for sidewalks.
The committee set a broad goal to promote transportation strategies that ensure the safe and efficient flow of traffic within Westerly to enhance the quality of life. Members listed among objectives the need to provide safe alternatives that reduce motor vehicle dependency and continuing a program of roadway drainage and sidewalk replacement and maintenance.
“They are two of the things I think that this community struggles with the most,” Holberg said of housing and transportation. She added that the public response also overwhelmingly called to preserve the character of Westerly.
Asked at the end of the session if the committee hit the mark, attendees wavered between affirmation and a need for more time. A handful raised hands indicating they thought the group had missed priorities.
Resident David Patten, a Democratic candidate for School Committee, described the draft document as great, but said he suspected some of the goals conflicted — like economic development and retaining the town’s character.
Watch Hill resident Bob Brockmann called for the plan to protect the distinct qualities of Westerly’s many neighborhoods. As chairman of the Watch Hill Vision 2012 plan, he said a copy of that document in reference to the future of Watch Hill was turned over to the comprehensive plan group.
“I don’t see it manifested clearly in this document you’ve gone through tonight,” he said.
Resident Lisa Nelson questioned why no goals addressed educational outcomes. She added that the School Committee looks to the document as well.
And resident Michael Sanders asked when the public would learn where the plan was specifically proposing to locate new development.
“That’s what people are interested to know, the smaller details,” he said.
Holberg said the committee would likely go back to the drawing board to incorporate this latest round of responses and ensure they have a community consensus before moving on to creating the future land use plan.
She added that the committee hopes to wrap up its work this fall and send its comprehensive plan proposal to the Planning Board and Town Council. Both bodies would hold public hearings prior to approving the document, which would then be sent to the Statewide Planning office for approval.
“There will be more public input, absolutely,” Holberg said. “We’re not done with you yet.”
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