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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - MPC - 02/23/2017 February 23, 2017 FINAL Master Plan Committee Meeting COHASSET MASTER PLAN COMMITTEE DATE: Thursday, February 23, 2017 TIME: 7:00 PM PLACE: Willcutt Commons 91 Sohier Street, Cohasset, MA 02025 Board Members Present: Clark Brewer, Chairman J. Patrick Kennedy, Vice Chairman Kevin McCarthy Paul Schubert Lynne Schwandt Peter Hobson Katie Dugan Eric Seuss Charlie Higginson Board Member Not Present: Charles Samuelson John Donohue Recording Secretary Present: Chrissie Dahlstrom, Administrative Assistant Town Manager: Chris Senior 7:00 PM — Mr. Brewer called the meeting to order. 7:02 PM — Board Business The Board of Selectmen is meeting on March 21, 2017, the same night the MPC was scheduled to meet. To ensure the BOS from the MPC can attend both meetings, the MPC will move the next meeting date to Monday, March 20, 2017 at 7PM at Willcutt Commons. The Board introduced themselves and what brought them to become members of the MPC and residents of Cohasset. The majority of the reasons were: • Make Cohasset a better place • Great town to raise a family • Concerned about the infrastructure • Would like to assist in the town plan • Concern about conservation • Would like to keep an eye on zoning concerns • Interest in a greener community • Interest in maintaining open space in Cohasset • Town hall renovations • Harbor study • Affordable housing • Pressure of viability on a small town • Long term sustainability • Welcoming community • Business along 3A • Interest in strategic planning 1 February 23, 2017 FINAL Master Plan Committee Meeting 7:30 PM — Review Vision for Master Plan Committee Documents: Cohasset Master Plan Committee Procedures; Charter— Cohasset Master Plan Committee All were in agreement of the Cohasset Master Plan Procedures. The MPC will bring in other departments as needed. The charter involves all boards, committees and residents so that all are on the same page. Having a representative from each board will bring new ideas to the overall Master Plan for Cohasset. With all the members of the MPC using the OneDrive will keep the communications flowing. The One Drive will also become a home base for the subcommittees that will develop within this group. 7:35 PM —Approve Meeting Minutes from January 19, 2017 MOTION BY CHAIRMAN BREWER: Approve the Meeting Minutes for January 19, 2017 SECONDED: Mr. Kennedy VOTE: 9— 0 MOTION CARRIES 7:40 PM — Consultant vs. Town Planner Implementing a consultant or a Cohasset Planner would begin in Phase 2. Mr. Senior confirmed there is funding for a Planner in next year's budget. There was discussion on sharing a town planner with another town, no other town was mentioned. Mr. Brewer suggested the Committee can do the ground work and then make a decision. The Committee agreed attending other Board/Committee meetings would be helpful so goals can be achieved together with projects like the traffic and businesses along Route 3A or a new town hall. The 2004 Master Plan wasn't approved last time and discussion ensued on building momentum with shorter planning cycles and quicker implementation to see rapid development. With the Open Space recently worked on, that section of the Master Plan would only need to be refreshed and quickly finished. The Harbor Plan is 1 - 1.5 years away from being completed. Ideally June 2018 to December 2018 the Master Plan Committee will be ready to make deliverables. 7:50 PM - One Drive Structure There are two Committee members that are not able to log onto One Drive. Ms. Dahlstrom will work as a liaison between them and the tech department to correct any trouble. The One Drive will have folders clearly labeled as to what's inside them for easy access. 2 February 23, 2017 FINAL Master Plan Committee Meeting 8:00 PM - Review Other Town Master Plans Swampscott Ms. Schwandt reviewed the Town of Swampscott, located on the north shore coast. The Planning Board members are the "stewards" of the plan. They hired MAPC to help with their plan. They compiled an 8 page questionnaire titled "A Vision for 2025" as a guide to set goals. Unlike Cohasset, Swampscott does not have a lot of land to develop and are not concerned about growth. The focus for improvement was around the train station and adding mixed use in a transit oriented district and to improve downtown with mixed use and walkable centers. There is an affordability issue with no downsizing options for its aging population They plan to identify opportunities to repurpose properties into age appropriate and disability accessible housing. 88% of Swampscott's tax base is residential and they have a plan to leverage its coastal setting, transit access and strong commercial areas to drive economic growth. An investment in tourism and providing more programs to attract tourists is planned. The residents would like a rail trail that connects to neighboring towns, shopping areas and beaches as well as a green corridor. They want to increase funding for transportation improvements and improve transit amenities to encourage ridership. Swampscott's Master Plan Committee has set goals to protect and maintain the historical and cultural properties and to support and fund historical preservation efforts as well as promote visitors and tourists. A separate "2013 Open Space Plan" vision is to maintain and connect open and recreational spaces with neighboring towns. They are raising funds for the green corridor. In an effort to take care of town facilities that have already been improved and adequate, they are maintaining them properly and are investigating shared services with other towns, even looking into selling underutilized town buildings. To help with energy savings they installed LED lights, turn a/c down in the summer and use one school building for all summer activities. Harwich Mr. Schubert reviewed the Town of Harwich, the largest town on lower and outer Cape with an extensive shoreline on Nantucket Sound. The year round population is approximately 12,677 with a seasonal increase to 37,000. There are lots of retirees with the average age at 49. Harwich is 20 square miles land area with 10.9 miles of tidal shoreline including 4 working harbors for the commercial fisherman, rental and leisure boats. The household income is $53,507, 20% below average. 25% of this blue collar community is not working and 15% of the population is living below the poverty line. Harwich adopted a Masterplan in 2011 after a 2 year planning process. The vision statement and 5 year plan for action and implementation of goals were planned through the BOS and the Planning Board. They broke their Master Plan vision into the following Chapters: • Population - the school age population has dropped and they have regionalized with Chatham 3 February 23, 2017 FINAL Master Plan Committee Meeting • Town Services - they have a new elder affairs building • Town assets cultural, recreational and natural - this includes a land and type of land (use, type and owner), from their town open space and recreation plan, and keeping the public watershed from contamination • Intergovernmental relations a short chapter on communication at the State level • Growth management locations -The town has 4 villages, each with unique characteristics, East Harwich, Harwich Port, Harwich Center and Route 28 and Commercial/Industrial Districts this is designated as Outside Villages • Growth management encompassing affordable housing, transportation of inclusive bike trails sidewalks and shuttle buses and waste water • Communication/Technology of the town infrastructure Goals for implementation were fashioned around first top priories then short and longer term actions that were inclusive of long term ongoing process plans. Chatham Ms. Dugan reviewed Chatham's Master Plan. The report she read didn't reference a consultant or how long the plan took to make and implement. The residents of Chatham are happy with their town and don't want to see by-law changes or live beyond their ecological means for fear the character of their town will be lost. The Chapter Organization was designed as an introduction with the history and current status, then goals with some chapters including sub-goals depending on the complexity of the topic and finally Policies and Actions with a set of recommendations for each goal. It wasn't clear how they obtained public input. Chapters included: • Community Vision Statement- that describes the population • Land Use - includes goals for the entire community and then broke the town into 6 neighborhood centers with goals/action for each center • Community, Facility & Services - Includes goals for all town lands (parks, recreation, town landings, water access, cemeteries) and buildings including public water, wastewater treatment facilities, solid waste management and storm water facilities • Natural Resources - goals related to air/water resources, vegetation/wildlife habitat, and conservation land management • Open Space & Recreation - upgrading of parks, town beaches, access to ponds and salt water areas and public information • Historic Preservation & Community Character-the residents of Chatham encourage (re)development in keeping with the town's traditional character and scenic qualities and promote the fishing industry • Economics - dominant sector in services, retail, fishing, construction, banking and real estate and are seeking to maintain the towns economic viability including attractiveness to retirees and send-home owners • Human Services - support for future public safety, education and sanitation and focusing on elder services, physically challenged, and affordable housing 4 February 23, 2017 FINAL Master Plan Committee Meeting Ms. Dugan pointed out Hingham's 1968 Master Plan was refreshed at the end of the 1990's and took 5 years to complete. The plan included the Greenbush Line and rebuilding the Derby Street Shoppes and the Hingham Shipyard properties. In 2014 they updated their plan. Hingham is an example of a community business model and keeps a focus on water and energy management. Marshfield Mr. Hobson researched the Town of Marshfield's Master Plan which was adopted in August 2015 and has a 10 year horizon plan. The town voters approved the planning process at the 2012 Town Meeting. The plan is an update to a previous plan. The Planning Board worked with a separate committee to complete the Master Plan with assistance from Consultant, VHB - Ralph Wilmer. Their greatest concerns were maintaining and preserving the rivers, marshes, beaches, historic sites and structures, archeologically sensitive areas, agricultural areas, rural roads, villages and open space. Public input was gathered through outreach meetings with key town committees and organizations, online and mail surveys and a public forum. Despite the different types of outreach the public participation was low. Their 9 Primary Chapters: • Land Use and Community Design • Housing • Economic Development • Natural, open space and historic resources • Public services and facilitates • Transportation and mobility • Climate change adaptation • Harbor rivers and waterways • Implementation and implementation matrix The chapters are organized by and introduction, goals, existing conditions and recommendations. Orleans Mr. McCarthy researched the Master Plan for the Town of Orleans. They adopted their plan in 1999 and amended it in 2001 and 2006. The plan was drafted by a board that was appointed by the Selectman. The appointed Committee hired Whitman &Tailor to consult with the drafting of the plan as well as a Director of Planning during this process. Before the 1999 plan there were several forums and workshops with the public as well as Chapters sent to relevant boards and committees for review. There was also a public opinion survey with a 40% response rate. In 2001 the Cape Cod Commission reviewed the plan and amended to make it consistent with the "Regional Policy Plan". The plan has a 20 year horizon. In addition to a Vision Statement there are 9 Primary Chapters: • Land Use and Growth Management • Natural Resources • Economic Development • Community Facilities and Service • Health and Human Services • Transportation 5 February 23, 2017 FINAL Master Plan Committee Meeting • Affordable Housing • Open Space and Recreation • Historic Preservation and Community Character Each chapter consists of overview, goals, policies, inventory, analysis, implementation and a glossary of terms. Mr. McCarthy found getting the ground work done before hiring a consultant was a good idea and the community outreach was important. Mr. Samuelson (not present) submitted a report for the Town of Dartmouth. Dartmouth has a population of 34,000 with 27 square miles of water. They adopted a master plan in 2007 after 3 years of planning. Town committees and boards contributed to the master plan as well as residents totally over 100 contributors. The plan consisted of 8 chapters: • Introduction • Land use • Housing • Economic Development • Open Space & Recreation, • Services & Facilities • Transportation and Circulation • Implementation of program The plan's vision included preserving the rural character of the town, the natural beauty, quality of municipal services, local industries, civic involvement, access to goods and services, water resources, historical roots and diversity of experiences. Princeton Mr. Samuelson also compiled a report for the Town of Princeton. The population in Princeton is 3,413 with an area of 35.8 square miles. They adopted a master plan in 2007 after two years of planning. A ten person Steering Committee consulted with Community Opportunities Group, Inc., Larry Koff&Associates and Howard/Stein-Hudson Associates, Inc. As well as town residents and officials from subcommittees. The plan consisted of 9 chapters: • Introduction • Land use • Open Space & Natural Resources • Historic Preservation • Housing • Economic Development • Transportation • Community Facilities & Services • Implementation Mr. Brewer told the group Hudson used survey Monkey for public opinion and the data comes back better than ours. They have raw data that can be sorted in many different ways. 6 February 23, 2017 FINAL Master Plan Committee Meeting Mr. Brewer suggested the Committee should first review the 2004 study and create a vision statement. The committee needs to review what came out of Phase 1 and look how Cohasset could change in the long term. In 2013 a study was done on Route 3A with the intersection of Beechwood Street and CJC Highway being the worst intersection. Room for cars, bikes and sidewalks would be a consideration as part of the Master Plan. There is a transportation improvement plan. The Committee can contact the State Representative to advocate improving the Route 3A corridor. There was discussion of a "road diet" where the white lines on the sides of the road come closer to the center of the road to slow traffic down. There would be more room for pedestrians if there were a sidewalk. For safety sake there is a need for sidewalks from Avalon to the schools. There was mixed feelings for a bike path. There was also discussion of adding a center turn lane. With a middle turning lane, the road can be graded to improve traffic flow. If Cohasset could design the road with 2 turning lanes and the required speed limit of 35 mph with police enforcement, Route 3A could become a safer place to travel. The State conducted a $5,000,000 study and 25% of this transportation improvement plan is 25% conceptional. The State pays 100% of the state highway plan and they also need to sign off any plan. To test the change for improvement a simple an inexpensive idea is to repaint the lines, making them narrower, along Rt 3A. Mr. Senior suggested a subcommittee take on the research for transportation planning along Route 3A. Discussion ensued on breaking the town into sections like Chatham did. It was decided to make a decision after the public outreach was completed to see if the issues are town wide or specific to each neighborhood. The town growth has exceeded the 2004 plan with Toll Brothers, Avalon and Cook Estates. Prior to next meeting: Share the grant application for transportation Share Route 3A corridor Study done in 2013 Get Eric Seuss a town email and access to One Drive Topics for the next meeting: Review 2004 Master Plan SET THE NEXT MEETING DATES Next three meeting dates at W illcutt Commons at 7:00 PM: Tuesday, April 18, 2017 Tuesday, May 23, 2017 Tuesday, June 20, 2017 9:20 PM —Adjourn the meeting MOTION BY Mr. Brewer: Adjourn the meeting SECONDED: Ms. Dugan VOTE: 9 - 0 MOTION CARRIES 7 February 23, 2017 FINAL Master Plan Committee Meeting 8