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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - MPC - 06/28/2017 (2) Master Plan Committee June 28, 2017 Meeting Minutes APPROVED MINUTES MASTER PLAN COMMITTEE MEETING DATE: Wednesday, June 28, 2017 TIME: 7:00 PM LOCATION: Wificutt Center, Pratt Room IN ATTENDANCE: Clark Brewer, Chair Patrick Kennedy, Vice Chair Peter Hobson Katie Dugan Lynn Schwandt Dr. Paul Schubert John Donohue Kevin McCarthy Charles Higginson Chris Senior, Town Manager(7:45 PM) Amy Glasmeier, Resident Whitney Halloran, Resident Angela Geso, MPC Administrator ABSENT: Eric Seuss Charles Samuelson Meeting called to order at 7:04 by Chair Brewer Dates set for next meetings: July 18; Aug 1 a; Sept 19; Oct 17-All Tuesday dates All meetings waif be in the Point Room at Willcutt Commons CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION: Member Dugan is reaching out to Marshfield regarding a Chapter 8 study concerning sea levels, coastal flooding and other topics pertinent to Cohasset. She questioned why the report wasn't clone by the town planner and if this is specialized enough to warrant a separate consultant, Member Schwandt brought up the issue of evacuation with floods as she experienced difficulty at the causeway during a storm. Amy Glasmeier said some data has been collected on a state level regarding such issues_ Chair Brewer wants to be proactive and to put out an RFP modeled on the Marshfield study. CONSULTANT DISCUSSION: The town is in the process of hiring a full-time Town Planner. Chair Brewer said there are also funds available for a third party consultant to work with the Master Plan Committee as the new Planner will be tied ;up with other projects. Member Dugan offered to head a subcommittee to research hiring a consultant and will have a draft ready for the next meeting, Patrick Kennedy and Lynn Schwandt also asked to be on the committee. CONSULTANT SEARCH: The sub-committee will draft an outline of the job description and scope of work and draw up a list of candidates for the RFP. Chris Senior wants to involve Procurement Officer Susan Bruce once core requirements have been established to ensure legal requirements are met. Ms. Bruce would also assist with reviewing applications and vetting the candidates. Member Donohue suggested to first agree on a goal and then formulate the RFP but to ensure it is properly crafted or we could have problems. Chair Brewer says the goal is to get a consultant by the end of summer taking into consideration publication deadlines. He offered to have his cousin, who is retired from the NY State Planning Department, provide Master Plan Committee June 28, 2017 Meeting Minutes guidance based on his experience at no expense to the committee, Chris Senior said it was fine to do so, DEVELOP WORK PLAN: The Master Plan Committee is going to develop a work plan and review the present vision statement. Issues such as retail vs. commercial development, adding more residential/mixed-use properties in the Village District or coming up with new suggestions for maintaining quality of life while generating revenue. Amy Glasmeier said that going forward health care will be a major employer and maybe that avenue should be pursued. After due discussion, the Work Plan will involve drafting the RFP, comprising a list of potential consultants and finalizing our focus chapters and vision statement. Member Kennedy said we need an active plan for finalizing the focus chapters and since we are in good shape with the RFP, we should focus more on chapters proposed for Master Plan. Member Donohue offered to head up the chapter organization. Chair Brewer feels the vision statement should be somewhat universal (10-20 year usage) and should focus on what's important to the residents and business owners and go from there. Member Dugan said the Open Space Committee will be finished with their report and should touch base with them. Member Kennedy offered to be liaison to mapping resources in Cohasset(ie: DPW Engineer Brian Joyce, GIS consultant, IT department). He would like to have someone "tech savvy"to work with the MPC, either a committee member or appointee from outside. Chair Brewer suggested to set up the mapping committee with current available resources. 3A CORRIDOR REPORT: Chris Senior said there is money set aside for development. Chair Brewer would like to get a consultant to work with MASS DOT on redesigning the north district(Hingham line to Stop& Shop) as far as sidewalk completion and considering a third lane for center turning. Chris Senior said the state will do "off Project'sidewalks especially in the area of the commuter rail to make access easier for residents. The Committee would like to get a conceptual plan done indicating the scope of possible updates. Member Dugan would like to have a conceptual plan in place before going to the state and targets October as a target date. However, Chris Senior pointed out that Brian Joyce is tied up with other projects right now and suggested getting our state representative et. al. Involved with the project. He also said a town can change speed limits on town streets without involving the state but 3A is considered a state road. Member Dugan is concerned with potential traffic problems when the new self-storage facility opens. Chair Brewer said the Planning Board will be following the traffic patterns there going forward and will keep us informed. REVIEW CORRESPONDENCE, Resident Whitney Halloran of Rustic Drive was present to discuss a letter to the MPC concerned with maintaining the aesthetics and personality of the town. He feels that even though some residents are opposed to sidewalks it's a matter of safety. Halloran feels the village district is being over- developed but the committee said their aim is to attract and retain business without compromising open space. MINUTES APPROVED BY MASTER PLAN COMMITTEE--. (DATE) SIGNED BY MASTER PLAN COMMITTEE CHAIR: