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| Click here for the Blandford Master Plan |
Welcome to the Blandford Resilient Master Plan
This website has been created to share details about and engage residents and stakeholders in the process of developing the Blandford Resilient Master Plan.
What is a Resilient Master Plan?
A Resilient Master Plan is a Community Master Plan that takes into account the fact that our climate is changing and as a result our community will experience an increasing number of severe and unpredictable weather events that could, if not planned for, affect our ability to achieve our community vision. A community Master Plan is a blueprint for the future. It is a comprehensive document that describes a long-term vision and how to achieve it. The Blandford Resilient Master Plan will guide our community's development decisions and actions for the next ten to twenty years. It is not a zoning regulatory document, but will guide zoning changes, capital improvements budgeting and decision making.
Master Planning in Massachusetts is governed by Mass General Law 81D, and requires communities that choose to develop a Master Plan to include these 9 chapters:
1. Goals |
6. Natural Resources, Open Space and Recreation |
2. Land use |
7. Transportation (Circulation) |
3. Housing |
8. Services and Facilities |
4. Economic Development |
9. Implementation |
5. Cultural and Historic Resources |
It is vitally important that all residents and stakeholders in Blandford participate in this Resilient Master Plan Process. We need you all to take the survey, attend the visioning sessions, participate in focus groups, attend the implementation and express yourself!
Together we will answer broad questions: How do we want our town to grow? What are our most important resources and assets? How do we protect them? How do we create a better community for our future generations? Join us!
We are actively recruiting Chapter Captains right now! Chapter captains are volunteers who may or may not serve on the Master Plan committee. We are looking for people who care about the chapter topic and who want to be a local contact with whom the PVPC staff specialists working on the chapter can talk regularly to make sure the work is Blandford-specific. Work time commitment is estimated to be 5 hours per month from January to April. Draft chapters will be complete by the end of April and from May to June, an additional 2-3 hours each month to refine the recommendations for inclusion in the final resilient Master Plan. Chapter captains are also expected to attend both the community visioning and community implementation workshop as well as related meetings/focus groups/interviews as possible.
Total time commitment over 6 months = approximately 30 hours
Additional detail on each chapter requirement
Massachusetts General Law Master Plan Section 81D specifies what is required in a Master Plan
(1) Goals and policies statement which identifies the goals and policies of the municipality for its future growth and development. Each community shall conduct an interactive public process, to determine community values, goals and to identify patterns of development that will be consistent with these goals.
(2) Land use plan element which identifies present land use and designates the proposed distribution, location and inter-relationship of public and private land uses. This element shall relate the proposed standards of population density and building intensity to the capacity of land available or planned facilities and services. A land use plan map illustrating the land use policies of the municipality shall be included.
(3) Housing element which identifies and analyzes existing and forecasted housing needs and objectives including programs for the preservation, improvement and development of housing. This element shall identify policies and strategies to provide a balance of local housing opportunities for all citizens.
(4) Economic development element which identifies policies and strategies for the expansion or stabilization of the local economic base and the promotion of employment opportunities.
(5) Natural and cultural resources (Historic preservation) element which provides an inventory of the significant natural, cultural and historic resource areas of the municipality, and policies and strategies for the protection and management of such areas.
(6) Open space and recreation element which provides an inventory of recreational and resources and open space areas of the municipality, and policies and strategies for the management and protection of such resources and areas.
(7) Services and facilities element which identifies and analyzes existing and forecasted needs for facilities and services used by the public.
(8) Circulation (transportation) element which provides an inventory of existing and proposed circulation and transportation systems.
(9) Implementation program element which defines and schedules the specific municipal actions necessary to achieve the objectives of each element of the master or study plan. Scheduled expansion or replacement of public facilities or circulation system components and the anticipated costs and revenues associated with accomplishment of such activities shall be detailed in this element. This element shall specify the process by which the municipality's regulatory structures shall be amended so as to be consistent with the master plan.
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Master Plan Contacts Kenneth Comia, AICP Senior Planner at kcomia@pvpc.org Pioneer Valley Planning Commission
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