What is the vision we have for the town of Harvard? How should we broaden revenue sources while balancing quality of life issues such as traffic volume and public safety? How much commercial development along Ayer Road is acceptable to residents to offset escalating tax rates? How can we better protect our natural resources? Can we help seniors afford to stay in town and thereby reduce overall school costs and student enrollment?
Now is the time to be a part of the process that will shape answers to these important questions.
Every decade, we have the opportunity to come together as a community to participate in a public planning process that lays out our goals and strategic vision for the town’s future. This state-mandated endeavor culminates in the production of a comprehensive “Master Plan.”
Significant progress has been made in achieving the goals that were outlined by townspeople in 2002. To keep town center vibrant, the 2002 plan recommended a wastewater system that is now moving forward; the Ayer Road bylaw created the commercial district, which has led to increased tax revenues; Scenic Road bylaws have helped Harvard retain its rural character; and the Cluster Bylaw has enabled the town to protect open space while permitting new residential development.
The Master Plan has proven to be a sound investment for the town and a vital planning tool that gives town officials, board members, and citizens an important framework to prioritize infrastructure, economic development, and natural resource protection projects. There are many goals that still need to be achieved, revised, or envisioned including: Devens disposition, watershed protection, and commercial expansion on Ayer Road. To achieve these and other goals, the town needs to engage professionals to fully understand the impact of proposed bylaws and infrastructure projects on revenues, traffic, schools, housing, natural resources, population growth etc.
At Annual Town Meeting, voters will be asked to fund a new Master Plan that will lay out the critical roadmap for Harvard for 10 years and beyond. As Yogi Berra once said, “If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll wind up someplace else,” and no words could be truer in zoning and planning. I urge voters to join me in supporting the Master Plan.
Kara Minar, Planning Board chair
Still River Road
