HomeMy WebLinkAboutExcerpts from Master Plan Consitency with MP con't - Miscellaneous - 3 GREAT POND ROAD 11/10/2020
Excerpts Form Master Plan (continued)
Vision: NA’s vision for the future includes a continued celebration of natural and built features such as
Lake Cochichewick and Stevens Pone; Weir and Half-Mile hills; the Parson Barnard House and Stevens
Estate; Barker and Smolak farms; and the Old Town Center and Davis and Furber Mills. It also recognizes
that in order to provide the highest quality of life for all residents, NA must maintain its fiscal health,
public facilities and infrastructure, and protect and sustain its inherent environment. Finally, the vision
is contingent upon maintaining that adaptability that has defined and sustained NA for nearly 375 years.
NA is committed to the implementation of this comprehensive MP and this vison. Through this
commitment, the future will realize a NA that:
Delivers a variety of accessible and affordable housing types that reinforce and foster
neighborhoods, help revitalize commercial areas, build on the character of NA through reuse
and repurposing of structures, and equitably serve residents of all ages, abilities and incomes.
Exemplifies the principles of sustainability to preserve, protect and enhance its ecological assets
and historical heritage in ways that meet the present needs of its residents without
compromising the well-being of its future generations.
Public Forum #1 Some of the most frequently mentioned themes, ideas, and topics from the first public
forum included:
Participants want to maintain the affordability of housing in town, but also want to maintain
town character by not overextending housing development. There was also concern about the
escalating price points for both owner and renter housing, and how that impacts the ability to
live and remain in NA.
Major concerns included limited school capacity, the possibility of a marijuana facility, traffic
congestion increasing with more housing density, and the potential of losing natural resources
as the town develops.
Public Forum #2 from the second public forum indicated general agreement on the following:
Participants are conflicted in regard to increasing housing stock in town. While there is a need
for more affordable options and senior housing, some community members do not want to see
any more large-scale developments in town due to congestion and school crowding.
Historic, Cultural, and Natural Resources
Preservation of these historic and natural resources, both built and natural, is a longstanding focus of
NA’s planning efforts. Home to both a well-established historic district (Old Center Historic District in
which the property is located) and one of the first neighborhood conservation districts in the state, NA
has a track record of fining creative solutions to its preservation goals which also meet the needs of the
community.
Despite the success of these programs, NA also faces the development pressures seen throughout the
region and continues to look for new solutions to protect their natural and historic resources.
Historic preservation is a common element in NA planning initiatives. In 1986, the town established the
Old Center Historic District Bylaw, adopting its first and only local historic district. The town’s prior
master plan studies and open space and recreation plans recognized the importance of historic assets
and identified general recommendations and goals related to their preservation.