Character of Community

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Communities need ways to strengthen their economies, provide better quality of life, and build on local assets. Challenges include rapid growth, sprawl and other suburban-style development pressures.

 

Strategies to help attain goals and manage growth include:

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• Planning where development should or should not go to help businesses thrive on walkable main streets where families can live close to their daily destinations.

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• Policies that protect the landscape and help preserve open space, protect air and water quality, provide places for recreation, and create attractions that bring investments into the local economy.

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• Policies that support walking, biking, and public transit help reduce air pollution from vehicles, reduces the amount of parking needed, and saves people money.

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Results of survey responders:

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80% want new commercial buildings along the Main Road and Route 48 to have wooded buffers near the streets, followed by parking, and setting the building as far back as possible.

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86.5% think that repurposing of empty buildings must be made a collaboration between the Town and local developers and encouraged by the Town.

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The character of the community could be enhanced by the improvements of existing properties and would be facilitated by incentives (grant funding?) to property owners.