Last year at Harvard’s Annual Town Meeting, the town funded the Planning Board for Phase I of the 2012 Master Plan; Article 28 on this year’s warrant asks the town to appropriate funds for Phase II.
Phase I developed the vision and goals for the Master Plan. Phase II will begin action-planning.
The Master Plan Steering Committee (MPSC) was appointed by the Planning Board in July 2011, and in October 2011, the MPSC hired independent consultants Brown Walker Planners and Wolf Landscape Architecture (BWP), a project team with the professional skills required to develop the vision and goals for Harvard for the next 10 years.
The MPSC comprises representatives from multiple town boards: the Board of Selectmen, Planning Board, Conservation Commission, Agriculture Commission, Council on Aging, and the Economic Development Committee, which reports to both the Planning Board and the Board of Selectmen. Over recent months, we’ve begun working directly with the Devens Economic Analysis Team.
The master plan process outlined and managed by BWP provided the public—Harvard’s residents—with a platform for civic conversation on topics about which the town will have to make key decisions over the next decade: Devens, the commercial district, housing, town center, and conservation. The results of that work, the “Town of Harvard Master Plan Phase I: Vision and Goals,” can be found on Harvard’s town website and on the MPSC website at www.harvardmasterplan.org.
During Phase I of the Master Plan, the consultants, with the help of the MPSC, interviewed town officials and other stakeholders, held focus groups, convened two well-attended public forums, and designed a survey completed by 684 residents. In total, more than 700 Harvard residents participated in Phase I.
The key finding from these open public venues was that the community wants to set a direction for Harvard with respect to Devens. It also has significant concerns about economic development, the lack of a diversity of housing options, preservation of our open space and natural resources, preservation of Harvard’s small-town character in both appearance and governance, and the need to promote a vibrant, pedestrian-friendly Town Center.
Understanding Devens
Devens is critical to most land-use (and other) decisions the town will make over the next 10 years. Any scenario for Devens’ future, whether it calls for Harvard to resume local jurisdiction of part or none of Devens, will have significant impact on our schools, our economic development options, our housing options, and our government. Whether or not Harvard has ready access to Devens’ aquifer or to sewer, water, and other infrastructure must be considered in planning Harvard’s future.
It is clear from community input that Harvard residents expressed a preference for making a decision on Devens within the next two years. In responses to the town-wide survey, the community told us clearly (88.9 percent of respondents) that “to plan effectively, the town should decide on a direction with respect to disposition of Devens.” More than 60 percent of respondents said to begin planning for Devens immediately.
Taking the next steps
Phase II will begin with the selection of a professional project team to manage completion of the 2012 Master Plan. We will begin by building on work already completed by the Devens Economic Analysis Team on Devens. But while DEAT has looked at financial aspects of Devens, Phase II of the Master Plan will integrate that work with the cultural, political, educational and environmental impact on Harvard of resuming governance of part or none of Devens.
We will then disseminate that information widely and ask the town how it wishes to proceed. We fully expect to collect, analyze, and distribute information not previously available to town residents so that they can make an informed decision on the direction to take with respect to Devens.
Phase II will emphasize public outreach and education. Goals for Phase II include, but are not limited to:
- Understanding the impact of Devens on Harvard’s municipal budget, schools, economic development options, housing, town culture, and government.
- Diversifying Harvard’s economy and tax base with an appropriate mix of residential and commercial development
- Increasing the diversity of housing types in Harvard to meet the needs of a greater variety of households while ensuring that new housing is harmonious with the character of the community.
- Emphasizing Town Center’s role as the central community gathering place while providing safe, convenient, and attractive circulation choices for pedestrians that reduce parking demands.
- Conserving natural, historic, and cultural resources to improve and sustain Harvard’s rural and historic character and assure the health of its natural resources.
Please help us complete the 2012 Master Plan by supporting funding under Article 28 at Town Meeting.
Westcott Road resident Joe Hutchinson is chairman of the Master Plan Steering Committee.
