HomeMy WebLinkAboutMaster Plan Council 12/10/1987TOWN OF MANSFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS
50 West Street, Mansfield, MA 02048
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MASTER PLAN ADVISORY COUNCILS
MINUTES OF MEETING TQWN C� s`
Date of Meeting: December 10 1987
Members Present': William Madan Stephen Calvin''
Carl Nelson': Allen Willis
Stuart Sweet Paul Folkman
Richard Gordon Lawrence Harrington
Kelli Baker Michel LaCasse
Carlene Dezotell
The meeting was called to order at '7:30 PM. A motion to
approve the minutes of the November 19 meeting was made by
Mr. Willis and :seconded by Mr.Madan. This motion was
passed by,a unanimousvote.
Correspondence
A letter dated November 24, 1987, from SRPEDD to
Mr. Michel LaCasse regarding the Survey that was sent
to them for review. `
A letter 'dated December 1, 1987, from Mr.Samuel N. Seskin,
Director,' University of Massachusetts at 'Amherst to
Mr.Michel LaCasse regarding the Survey that was sent to
him for review.;'
A letter to Mr. Thomas E. Dwyer, Town Manager, from u
Dr. Robert R.N.'Ross detailing his remarks regarding the
Survey. (A copy of this letter is attached.)
A memo dated December '2, 1987, to all Council Members from
Kelli Baker regarding the next meeting of the Council.`
A letter 'dated December 2, 1987, to Mr. Allen Willis from I
Kelli Baker regarding ;a presentation of informational,
concepts of the Mansfield Life Care Associates.
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A letter dated November 6, 1987, from Massachusetts Housing
Partnership extending an invitation to a one -day program
being offered on December 14.
A memo dated November 30, 1987, from Eileen Ouellette
regarding the Annual Town Report for 1987.
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MASTER PLAN ADVISORY COUNCIL 2
MINUTES OF MEETING
DECEMBER 10, 1987
Correspondence (Con't.)
A letter dated November 18, 1987, addressed to the Board of
Selectmen from Patricia'J. Hume, President, Council on Aging,
regarding a'volunteer to be on the Master Plan Advisory
Council.
A letter dated December 1,'1987, addressed to Mr. Lawrence
Harrington, ,Chairman, Board of Selectmen, from Kelli`Baker,,
regarding the appointment of Mr. Arthur Remillard to the Council.
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A memo dated November 19, 1987, from Carol Ferris, Secretary,'
to all Master Plan Advisory Council Members, enclosing the
minutes of the November 19 1987, meeting.
Presentation by Connery Associates
Mr. Robert Gatineau began his presentation by presenting the
Existing Land Use Map and ;by briefly bringing all Council I'
Members; up-to-date,regarding where Connery Associates now
stands in preparing the Master Plan.
Several, potential problems were briefly', discussed by
Mr. Gatineau regarding the impact of the potential development
of Mansfield:
# Ground Water - At the buildout year, the ground water
limits of the Town would be stretched.
Serious polution problems that could occur in the areas
of the wells
The danger of over -running of the capacity of the •"
Treatment Plant t
x The need for a new school because of aver -capacity?
'Increase in traffic throughout the town
h Loss of diversity of housing supply with primarily
30,000 square foot lots
x Loss of community character and open space.
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_MASTER PLAN ADVISORY COUNCIL 3
MINUTES OF MEETING
DECEMBER 10, 1987
Presentation by Connery Associates (Con't.)
The following suggested basic goals for the future development
of Mansfield were then briefly discussed:
Preserve the small-town character and open space
Retain some central role for downtown Mansfield
# Maintain a diversified and affordable housing stock
h Protect and preserve existing older neighborhoods
h Protect and preserve the existing groundwater supply
Minimize the 'need for public expenditure
Mr. Catineau then discussed several important aspects that
Connery 'Associates assumes,based' on experience in Eastern
Massachusetts•
Unsewered development less than a one acre lot will
cause serious problems.
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It is going to•be difficult to prevent polution of
ground water at densities`. less than acre lots, even
if sewered.
Any improvement or expansion of the interchange of
Routes 495 and 140 will be very difficult to do.
Serious limitations of any additional development in
water 'resource areas.
The Trends Adjusted Option and the Trends Modified Option
were then explained ,by Mr. Catineau. He stated that the basic
idea of the Trends Adjusted Option continues to move toward the
idea of suburbanization. It also reinforces the idea in the
policy of eventually-sewering the entire town.' Also, the Trends
Adjusted Option fine 'tunes zoning in order to 'preserve open
space, reduces the traffic increase in certain areas, stays
within the limits of the water supply, ;and protects the major
water 'yield 'areas.
Mr. Catineau explained that the basic idea of the Trends Modified
Option is to retain the basic town and country atmosphere and
move away from the idea of suburbanization and focus any future
growth in those areas that can be easily sewered just east and
west of Route 495.
MASTER PLAN ,ADVISORY COUNCIL 4
MINUTES OF MEETING
DECEMBER 10, 1987
Presentation by Connery Associates (Con't.)
Several differences in the two options were pointed out by '
Mr-. Catineau. He explained that he is presenting ideas in
the two ;option maps and that any of the features of each of
these maps are interchangeable.
Mr,. Catineau' reviewed the goals that were previously noted
and explained the differences as they reflect the two options
that he presented.
Questions from Council Members regarding'Connery's Presentation
Some question from Council Members included:
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On Page 1 of the Summary of Impacts Report, are the
figures that represent the number of dwelling units
added the maximum number -- or,in other words, the
worst possible case? Mr. Catineau stated that the
amount ;of dwelling units represent the highest density.
Has Connery Associates estimated any financial impact
on Mansfield? Mr. 'Catineau stated that this has not
yet been done;; however, he would be providing some
information on ,financial impact.'
What process did Connery Associates use to determine
that larger lots protect the ground water better than
smaller lots? Mr'. Catineau explained that the larger
lots mean less density overall and less opportunity to
pollute water resources.
What was Connery's rationale in coming up with an option
that eliminates severing the outlying areas of the town?
Mr. Catineau explained that his rational was two -fold:
1. If you go with a much larger lot
than previously thought about, you
can go without sewer.
2. Why pay the cost of',sewering if you
don't have 'to?
What would the lot frontage be for a three -acre lot?
Mr.Catineau stated .that 'the lot frontage for a three -
acre -lot ;would be 200 feet.
Has Connery Associates considered the ramifications of
that 200 feet that the Town would have to maintain in
as far as sanding, etc.? Mr. Catineau stated that he
felt it really didn't matter if 'three -acre lots were
built or if 30,000 square foot lots were built, the
space would be the same.
MASTER PLAN ADVISORY .COUNCIL 5
MINUTES OF MEETING
DECEMBER 10, 1987
Questions from Council Members (Con't.),
Would ;Connery Associates advocate cluster with sewer?
Mr. Catineau stated that he would advocate this.
^` 'Could Planned UnitDevelopment and Cluster Development
be 'explained? Mr. Gatineau explained that Planned
Unit Development can have mixed uses: residential
with some commercial, or residential with some
"industrial.' Cluster Development is basically
residential.S
It was then decided that Connery Associates would leave with
the Council all the information that was presented for their
review and consideration at their next scheduled meeting.
Old Business
The status of editing and photocopying of the Trends Extended
Report was discussed. It was suggested that copies be left on
the counter at Town Hall for accessibility to people when
t standing in line to receive their estimated tax bill. Mr.'Folkman
stated he would look into the possibility of having the report
photo -copied at Southejastern Voc.' Tech.
The status of responses to Mr. LaCasse's letter regarding the
evaluation of the survey was discussed.) Two responses have
been received.
New Business
Mr. LaCasse was asked his reaction to the responses received
regarding the survey. A brief discussion followed.
Roundtable Discussion
A discussion concerning the appointment of Mr.' Arthur Remillard
to the Council was held. Several different viewpoints were
expressed. It was stated that the decision to appoint
Mr..Remillard is strictly up to the Board of Selectmen -- the
Council will accept whatever decision the Board of Selectmen
makes, 'Kelli Baker asked Mr. Harrington to express the concerns
of the 'Council to the Board of Selectmen at their next meeting.
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<MASTER PLAN ADVISORY COUNCIL 6
MINUTES OF MEETING
DECEMBER 10, 1987
Roundtable (Con't.)
It was asked if the statement that the Council is not going ;to
take part in making any statements about zoning changes unless
it has to do with the Master Plan is a correct assumption.
A'discussion followed and it was decided to continue discussion
on this subject after several additional meetings to see where
the Council stands.
The subject of inviting speakers and experts to present
information on different subjects to the Council was
discussed. It :was stated that the Council should be up-to-
date on as much information :as possible in order to make
educated decisions about the Master Plan.
A'motion was made by Mr. Gordon to set the next meeting date
for January 7.'. This motion was seconded ;by Mr. Sweet and
passed by a unanimous vote.''
A motion to adjourn the meeting at 10:45PM was made by
Mr. Harrington, seconded by Mr. Willis, and passed
unanimously.
Respectfully submitted,
Carol Ferris, Secretary
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cc:: M.LaCasse, Planning Director
Planning Board/Board of Selectmen
Joan Cutillo, Acting Town Manager
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TO: Thomas E. Drayer, Town Manager
FROM: Dr. Robert R.N. Foss
29 Hodge_ Street
Mansfield, MA U2L`483
339-5639
ii4 0650
The following was sent to the Mansfield I-la=_ter Plan Advisory Council
as part of a questionnairewhich was distributed to town residents.
Evidently, many of those questionnaires were lost.. Since I took
some time to Fut together a set of remarks which I feel would be
useful in thinking about improving the ;quality of life in Mansfield,
I am reissuing the letter to you 'in the hope that you will; give it
appropriate attention.
I might say, initially, that if there were any single piece of advice
I would offer to substantially improve the appearance of Mansfield,
it would be to institute a serious and 'thorough program of 'TREE
PLANTING. I was appalled., after the hurricane two or three years
ago, when federal funds were available for tree planting, that
Mansfield did absolutely nothing to take advantage of that opportunity
to do tree plantings.and improve :its green areas, particularly within
the town center.
Pty"`letter to the Advisary`.C:ouneil;,'follows:
Rather than try fit 'my remark=_ on the margins of your questionnaire,
I will include them on this separate sheet. Please feel free to
contact'me, if you wish, for any ,'further elaboration.
While at Graduate School at Harvard, I had some experience in the
area or :..planning for: the revitalization.: of _mall town downtown areas.
I also was a member of the Mansfield Planning Board for a brief
period several ryears. ,ago. lI left because I did not feel that
case_ were being adjudicated in a rational way, and because the
Board really was not dealing with any overall planning issues..
_ I would like to remain a long-term resident of Mansfield-. however.,
I have many concerns about how development in the town is being
;planned.
One of .the beat .indicators of the health of 'a .small Mown -(.in the sen.e
that is typical of New England) is the _tate of the.origin.al, care
downtown area. These.area- represent a'locus 'of "community" and
mirror how the town thinks of itself. In the case of Mansfield,
the ,relative disrepair of.. the downtown area signifies a town :that
has chosen to foster development (both industrial and residential)
on the periphery at the expense of its vital organ_. to use a
biological analogy), In fact, small towns can reasonably be thought
of by analogy with the human body (cf the archi tect Paolo Soler i's.
bio -technic "Hera City").
Rather than 'give you.a philosophy for development, let me simply
make a set of recommendations. If you are interested, I could
supply the theoretical background at a later time.
k The downtown area need_ considerable attention to traffic flow.
It is a mistake to think that one -Way streets improve things,
becau_.e often they cause routings which create bottlenecks in
otherplaces. For a _(Ball town, tido-way streets are probably
best, because they establish reasonable expectations for drivers
about how to get from A to B. ':One-way. streets create short
spaces for higher .speed 'traffic, which must be slowed when the
streets. ;join on the basis of the older roadways. This is.
dangerous.
• The downtown area (needs 'enormous. attention to aesthetics, both
natural and commercial. The net,,, street lights were a step in that
direction, but right now lrepresent lust an attempt to "paint on"
a facade. If a comrnittrnent is to be 'made to that style, it should
be carried out consistently throughout the downtown area.
Greenbelt areas within the downtown are critic -al to preserving
an atmosphere of comfort and grace. This means serious tree
plantings. This means taking advantage of some green areas which
exist but which are disrupted by commercial development. I was
appalled by the fact that no one in the town took 'advantage of
the lend -interest loans made available by the federal government
to replant trees after the last hurricane. Mansfield was once
graced by many large arra healthy trees. Serious tree plantings
- can do a lot to ease the transition until the downtown
revitalization is complete.
The pond opposite the town hall is a good example of a poterrtial
inner-toidn green area that is improperly utilized.' It could be
a lovely park,and:green area. But the existence of a commercial
auto dealer ,(Old .Colony) adjacent to it makes this impossible,
In general, there is too 'much cramming of development into too
little _,pace within the care of: the town. The proposed
condominium development off Court Street is 'a good example of
this. Court Street 'cannot handle additional traffic- neither
can Old Colony.Hay.
The downtown area needs to attract solid, 'unique businesses_:
professional offices, quality retail establishments, `. quality
restaurants., As long as these are kept on a small scale, traffic
problems should not .increase (eq, fast food. establishment=- do
increase traffic flow; good restaurants do not).
There should be some requlation5 about store -front signs and
adv ertisirig rdithin the doa.0n tor,. Currently, the state of store
front insignia is. abysmal. 'bIhile ab=-olute homogeneity i_. not
necessary, there should be =.orae range of permitted styles for
store front signs 'which creates an overall harmony o-dithin the
downtown area.
The existence of a large building (George's.. Cleaners) intotal
disrepair in the :exact center of town is ine.;cusable.
The problem of parking is never solved by creating large parking
lots_.. Rather, the problem is handled ;by encouraging businesses
with lord parking requirement=_.. ,` Hoadever, better large parking
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facilities are needed for the train station,, since commuter.
traffic: has greatly increased.'
One of the most serious disruptions to the ."human scale" of : @
Mansfield is the 'amount `lof large truck traffic through parts of
tov,n This situation has been created by improper routings and
for truck traffice, and by permitting truck' terminal --
-restrictions
too close to the center of town. Serpi-trailer trucks should not
be allowed in the downtown area, and certainly should not have
to attempt to negotiate the intersection of Rt 106 and North
Main 'street.
Additional Mote: The amount of large truck traffic through Mansfield,
resulting from truck terminals,'is now what I would regard as
intolerable.
The Airport is an exprnplE of a facility unique to Mansfield, and
should be encouraged.
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Rather than create new multi -unit housing of nondescript or
poor architecture within the inner town, advantageshould be
taken of existing industrial structures for conversion to
housing for the elderly or lord 'income'. The =architecture of the
Grain -ill is successful and together with several other
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structures,', creates some homogeneity of style. The new multi -unit
houses-. near the Music In=_.trument store are horrendous.
Additional Mote: The old RC Church should NOT be razed?
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Walking/bicyling through town; utilizing planned green areas
path=
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are ;needed.
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With a tax base from the variou_. industrial parks., I do not
understand why .the progress in revl tali zing.: the downtownarea
has _been .so.'slow.
A 'youth Center, to give .oung Fenp_e an appropriate Place to
c ngre-,ate, is needed; this would take some pressure off downtown
han you t _..
$:.All
pond and marsh areas need much attention and regulation, '...
for both health and ae'=-thetic reasons.
h Existing farming area_. within Nansfield should be encouraged.
h: The town need= a good, public swimming pool (both indoor and
outdoor).
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Many streets need proper sidewalks, and =surface repair.
These remarks only touch on the areas of concern for Mansfield's
downtown.
Since any area of expertise is Human Engineering (currently I am
a Consulting Engineer at DIGITAL), I am prepared to offer any
of my services which you would feel useful.
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