HAMPDEN — On June 17, the town of Hampden hosted its first public meeting in its process of creating a new Master Plan to guide the town for the next 10-15 years.
Steering Committee Chair Patrick Coyne opened the meeting by introducing the members of the committee as well as highlighting the team from consulting firm VHB who will be assisting the town in this process. Coyne explained that the June 17 meeting was the first of two public meetings that will occur, stating that the Planning Board had already begun working with VHB on this project a few months prior.
In total, the planning process will take about one year to complete, the Steering Committee stated.
VHB Project Planner Luke Mitchell highlighted that the team was “[still] in listening and learning mode.” He reviewed the steps within the Master Plan process, stating that the document was a “framework” rather than a document that listed specific regulations. Once completed, the document would “craft a vision for the community” as well as discuss goals in order to take actions, he said.
“The Master Plan basically, it allows for a dialogue around issues like [development],” Mitchell stated, emphasizing that the document was “the community’s plan” and should be “authored collectively by the community.” He explained that the document typically included eight chapters such as land use, transportation, energy and climate as well as housing. However, Mitchell noted that the chapters could be modified based on the town’s preferences.
After identifying important issues for the town, the community would set goals and create recommendations for achieving them, Mitchell said. Within the Master Plan process, the town would then craft an implementation plan that sets timelines, who is responsible for each action and highlights priorities. This would include short, middle and long-term actions.
VHB Project Manager Julia Mintz then reviewed information about Hampden, touching on population, land use, housing, the economy, historical and cultural resources, open space, public facilities, and transportation.
During this review, she highlighted that the town’s population had fallen in recent years, similar to the county and state populations, as well as that the number of residents aged 65 and older had increased and that 40% of working residents worked outside of the town.
Following her review, the Steering Committee hosted an interactive workshop to allow residents to write down their concerns and thoughts for the Master Plan process. During this portion, residents brought up concerns such as solar field development, the cost of development projects, internet access, as well as traffic and pedestrians concerns.
The VHB team also released a community survey for residents to complete. The survey is available at arcg.is/1Hb4aH. For more information or to ask questions about the Master Plan process, contact Mintz by email at jmintz@vhb.com.
