WALPOLE PLANNING BOARD WORK SESSION, 4-28-09

 

Attending: 

Jeff Miller, chair

Bob Miller, vice-chair

Sheldon Sawyer, select board representative

Dave DeCoste

Donn Lounsberry

Ben Daviss, recording

 

Mel Schupack, conservation commission representative

 

Guest:  Richard Grodin, Jaffrey Planning Board

 

Agenda item 1:  Richard Grodin

Ben introduced Mr. Grodin by saying that the SWRPC had recommended the economic development of Jaffrey’s master plan as a model.  Ben had called Mr. Grodin to learn the process that Jaffrey’s planning board had used to create the plan.  Mr. Grodin had offered to visit the planning board to describe the process, lend us materials, and answer questions.

 

Mr. Grodin noted these points in describing the Jaffrey planning board’s process.

• The board used SWRPC for research.  He cautioned against relying too heavily on the SWRPC for things other than research, data, and technical assistance, as the SWRPC can tend to boilerplate documents from town to town.

• The board conducted a community survey and enlisted community groups such as the Knights of Columbus and the Jaffrey Women’s Club to go house-to-house to collect the surveys and, in some cases, to help people fill them out.  This personal follow-up raised the return rate from the 25% mail-in rate to about 45%.  Mr. Grodin believes this high rate of participation spread ownership of the resulting plan across the town and kept it from being just another planning board document.

• The board was aware of the “self-selection” process in which the people with extreme opinions are more motivated and, therefore, more likely to return the surveys and perhaps skew the results.  The board overcame this potential problem by distributing a number of surveys through a range of community groups and having members fill out the surveys at meetings.

• The board implemented a requirement that it make an annual report to the town about the degree to which to board’s work and decisions bore fidelity to the master plan.  Mr. Grodin felt this was a crucial element in ensuring the plan’s success.

 

Mr. Grodin also touched on these points:

• Jaffrey has established a downtown study committee.

• Jaffrey participates in the Main Street program.

• A new town employee has been charged with development and planning and has been assigned responsibility for a plan to revitalize the downtown area.

 

Mr. Grodin also chatted with the board on the subjects of statewide tax reform, impact fees, and the pending state statutes on shoreline protection and affordable housing.

Agenda item 2:  enterprise zones

 

Mr. Sawyer suggested that all land in town currently zoned as commercial or industrial be designated as enterprise zones.  He also suggested that the board consider suggesting that voters rezone all land along the Route 12 commercial strip between the highway and the Connecticut River from rural-agricultural to commercial-industrial.

 

Discussion continued amongst the attendees effectively brainstorming about the existing zoning districts and the existing uses.  They referred to the zoning map.  Ch. Miller thought the board would be supportive and asked the Selectboard to make their designations and present it to the planning board at the May meeting. 

 

Economic Development Plan:  Ch. Miller asked to contact SWRPC and use the $1500.00 to create a draft economic plan in order to complete the section by the end of the summer.  He cautioned that dragging out the process would hamper the town and planning.  Mr. Daviss agreed but asked to take the time to include the business community.  Ch. Miller will call SWRPC and arrange a meeting with them and Mr. Daviss to discuss what they need to begin the draft. 

            Mr. Shupack agreed with Mr. Daviss to please include the business community in the discussions and draft.

 

Ch. Miller asked if the Selectboard notified SWRPC about the two newly selected representatives Ben Daviss and Bob Miller.  Mr. Sawyer said he thought they had been notified.

 

Ch. Miller announced a meeting on Wednesday August 29th, a public hearing on Rte. 12 reconstruction up to Charlestown being held at Fall Mountain High School.

 

Meeting adjourned 8:15pm

 

cc:  file, PB, BOS

posted:  Town Hall, Lobby, Burdick’s Market