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Home : Community Planning : Comprehensive Planning
Comprehensive Planning At the local level, BRPC provides assistance to all its member communities in preparing or updating Master or Open Space and Recreation Plans as well as aid in preparing any other comprehensive and strategic planning studies. Regionally, BRPC is working to develop a smart growth planning process, which incorporates local planning efforts in order to shape the desired future of the Berkshires. Comprehensive Master PlanningChapter 41, Section
81D of the General Laws of Massachusetts
provides the legal basis for the creation of Master Plans. The process of
creating a master plan is the responsibility of the Planning Board and includes
multiple public meetings. Under this statute, the following nine elements of a
Master Plan are identified:
The following are currently pursuing the adoption of comprehensive plans, with the assistance/support of BRPC:
Town of Adams The
following towns have adopted master plans recently or are planning to adopt
master plans in the near future: *Developed in conjunction with BRPC Open Space Planning An Open Space and Recreation Plan is a community planning document which defines a town’s goals and objectives toward protecting and preserving important natural and scenic resources, land for conservation, and adequate outdoor recreation activities. The Plan, informed by public participation, is a compilation of research and analysis related to community setting, land use, natural resources, challenges, needs and future action steps. The Executive Office of Energy & Environmental Affairs, Division of Conservation Services (DCS) provides a formal outline to each municipality on how to create and layout their Open Space and Recreation Plan. State guidelines for developing an open space and recreation plan DCS provides communities with their review and approval for five years. This approval allows the community to apply for additional grant funds offered annually by the state. Open Space and Recreation Planning Activities
Town of Adams* (2002) *Developed in conjunction with BRPC Smart Growth Program While much of the Berkshires remains in a natural and scenic state, sprawling and consumptive development patterns continue to threaten the region. Frontage lots, subdivisions and commercial strip development along major roads have blurred the boundaries between village and town centers and outlying rural areas; jeopardizing natural resources, municipal fiscal conditions, community quality of life and the Berkshire's natural landscape. In short, sprawling contemporary development patterns continue to slowly but steadily threaten the very quality of life that makes the Berkshires a desirable place to live and visit. Under the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission's Smart Growth Program, efforts are being made to promote "smart" ways of building a community, preserving the natural and built environments, encouraging business development and providing quality of life benefits to all citizens. In 1999, developed land in the Berkshires accounted for approximately 50,990 acres, or 8.4% of the region's total. Despite the region's continued loss of population from 1985 to 1999, there was a nearly 20% increase in land used for residential purposes - almost 8,000 additional acres. Approximately 84% of the developed land is used for residential purposes with nearly 84% dedicated to single family lots. In an effort to better understand the effects of these development patterns, BRPC has initiated its Smart Growth Planning Program.
Under this program, BRPC has produced planning forums, investigated zoning reforms, developed working papers, and created
Spotlight on the Berkshires in order to present successful smart growth initiatives around the Berkshires.
For more information on BRPC's Smart Growth Program contact Tom Matuszko at tmatuszko@berkshireplanning.org. More information about smart growth can be found by visiting the Smart Growth Network at www.smartgrowth.org or the Planning Commissioner's Journal at www.plannersweb.com. Home Site Map Publications Contact Job Opportunities at BRPC Directions to BRPC Municipal eCenter BRPC Archive |
