SAUGUS — The Town of Saugus is preparing to take the next big step in its efforts to come up with a master plan.
Residents and town officials are invited next Thursday, June 17, at 5 p.m. for a virtual presentation that includes the town’s consultant on the master plan, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC).
The MAPC is helping the town put together the “Housing, Open Space, and Climate Resiliency and Clean Energy” forum, which will be held in a Zoom format. These are the three main elements of the master plan.
The forum will include presentations on all three elements, followed by breakout sessions for discussion and input.
Town Manager Scott Crabtree is happy that this process is progressing.
“In general, I’m the type who likes to have a bigger picture and an overview, and to study things so that you have a roadmap and a guide in place to help identify what the needs of the community are,” Crabtree said. “I think a master plan certainly helps evaluate and assess many different aspects of the community.
“Once you’re able to put that in place, with all the stakeholders, it gives you a guide to be able to start looking at different things and issues within the community for long-term planning,” he said.
The previous master plan in Saugus was completed in 1988 and updating the plan is a major priority for the Board of Selectmen, Crabtree said. The townwide plan could include goals and policies for what stakeholders want to see happen with land use, housing, economic development, natural/cultural resources, open space, recreation and transportation, he said.
Town Meeting members approved the allocation of $150,000 to update the plan after Crabtree drafted the article for the special Town Meeting warrant. Crabtree stressed the importance of the town pursuing smart growth in order to sustain a full-service community.
The plan also aims to balance the impact of development while considering strategies to manage future growth in development, protect environmental resources, set priorities for developing/maintaining infrastructure, create a framework for future policy decisions and provide guidance to land owners and developers as well as permitting authorities.
The upcoming forum will continue the process of updating the Master Plan, with other forms of public participation to follow. Crabtree said it’s critical to get feedback from different stakeholders in crafting the townwide plan, which will include whatever the Planning Board and community wants to see in it.
The town urges residents to state their views about housing, open space and climate resiliency, and to provide input and ideas on clean energy for Saugus. This latest forum will provide ample opportunity to give input and learn about the project, Crabtree said.
“I wouldn’t say there’s one particular issue (over any other),” he said. “You want to have all the different aspects of the community and the needs (in order) to move in multiple directions at the same time. Zoning, housing, open space, climate, energy, are all things that you’d have to recognize.”
Questions about the event can be directed to Crabtree at [email protected]) or Chris Reilly, director of planning and community development ([email protected]). Additional information can be found at www.mapc.org/resource-library/saugus-united/.
The link for the Zoom meeting is as follows: https://zoom.us/j/95494441075?pwd=UU1iNlhhOHp3UkZOZmMzLzljN0Mydz09
