Vote YES on Article 37 -- Comprehensive Long Range Plan Update By Petition

 

PRESERVE OUR VILLAGE would like to see this amended to do the requested long-range planning for West Concord FIRST, including but not limited to Housing, Transportation and Circulation. Most of the things that have happened or that have become known recently were not on anyone's radar when the last Long Range plan was completed, and therefore are missing.

 

What's the effect of the Rotary rebuild project? The MBTA's wishes to make substantial changes along its entire line?  All the property that's changing hands in West Concord? What does Concord want here? West Concord deserves to have its Long Range Plan updated in this way.

 

The current “Task Force” or “Call to Action” suggests that they will accomplish the same goal; if so, why not make it an official Town commitment with a Town supported vote?  Perhaps the promise of updating the Long Range Plan might be rationalized away after Town Meeting?  

 

We believe that requiring the Town to officially commit to updating this plan is the only way to ensure a complete and thorough job is done, in a timely fashion and without any bait and switch potential.

 

 

 

 

PRESERVE OUR VILLAGE thinks having a Rail Trail is a wonderful idea.  But not knowing how it fits into the entire plan for a rapidly changing West Concord makes it premature to decide on right now.  And why would Concord build a Rail Trail if a commuter road for automobiles is still a possible plan? Once more planning and a fuller picture have emerged, we encourage the Town to bring a more complete 25%, ecologically sound design to Town Meeting.  We also do not believe that the Town has made good use of the $160,000 they have already used to produce just a fraction of the work their own Request for Proposals required. And now they want to ask you for $50,000 more to shore up this unfinished work. to We think this needs to be more fully explained, and a fully realistic budget set before granting them additional funds to complete the 25% design.

 

 

 

 

 

This article is so complex and difficult to understand, that we were looking forward to knowing more about it at the Planning Board pre-Town Meeting Hearing last month. Sadly, no one was available to explain it, and the Planning Board Chair said he didn't adequately understand it enough to explain it. PRESERVE OUR VILLAGE believes this is a breaking of the proper process whereby Town Meeting Warrant Articles are presented and questioned in a public hearing. And if the Planning Board Chair doesn't even understand it himself, then how can the Planning Board be bringing it to Town Meeting, especially unexplained?

 

 

 

 

 

At this time, the Planning Board said they would not be moving these Articles, which PRESERVE OUR VILLAGE thinks is right. But in case someone else moves them, we want our recommendation to be understood. We feel very strongly these should not be passed. Both of these Articles are amending Articles passed  at the 2007 Annual Town Meeting.  After only ONE year on the books, the Planning Board said at their pre-Town Meeting Hearing that "they weren't working" and that the requirement of minimum 20% affordable housing should be reduced to 10%. We believe this is a form of change that should not be decided upon until a more full picture and planning has been done and explained to the town.