Category Archives: Planning

TWMPC – Medfield Day handout

Posted on September 16, 2019 | Leave a comment

Save the date – Sunday, October 20, 5-7:30 public forum. Dine and plan. Mark you calendars.

This was the Townwide Master Planning Committee’s Medfield Day handout.

 

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Medfield’s Townwide Master Plan Honor Our Past – Build Our Future Join us in a once in a generation opportunity…. To help shape the future of Our Town. YOU ARE INVITED… to the 1st Town-wide Master Planning Public Forum Join your friends and neighbors in crafting a vision and goals for Medfield’s future. Your input will be the basis upon which an Action Plan will be developed to guide future decision-making. WHEN: Sunday, October 20, 2019 @ 5:00 PM – 7:30 PM WHERE: Blake Middle School Dinner: available free of charge to all who attend. Free Raffle: All attendees are automatically entered. A Master Plan is an important opportunity to think about: How can we make Medfield an even better place to live, work and play? Join your neighbors in shaping the future of our Town! What is A Master Plan? • A basis for decisionmaking for future development • A process leading to a plan of action based on a town’s shared values and goals • A set of priorities for addressing the full range of issues facing a town Medfield’s Townwide Master Plan Honor Our Past – Build Our Future How can a master plan help increase a municipality’s financial efficiency? • Identify priorities • Identify potential funding opportunities • Master Plan makes municipality eligible for grants • Identify low-hanging fruit • Recommend public/private partnerships where relevant • Master plan process can lead to partnerships and resource sharing • Identifies opportunities for regionalization of services and/or facilities Why Plan? • Take stock, review objectives, direction and priorities • Examine resource allocation: existing and optimal • Last complete plan - 1997 • Be proactive and affect future decision making • Support eligibility for grant programs and public funds What to preserve? What to change? Concerns? Improvements? Ensure that Medfield’s desirable features are preserved and challenges are addressed. “But I like things the way they are… “ Doing nothing doesn’t mean nothing will change. For more information please see: https://www.town.medfield.net/350/Townwide-Master-Planning-Committee20190914-Medfield-Day-Handout-V-2_Page_2

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Posted in Medfield Day, Planning

Logo for Townwide Master Planning Committee

Posted on September 12, 2019 | 1 comment

twmpc logo

Townwide Master Planning  Committee picks logo

The Townwide Master Planning  Committee will be working over the next year to do master planning for the Town of Medfield, and has chosen the logo above to brand all its work.  Look for the logo, and then join in the master planning efforts.

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Posted in Planning

10/3 PB hearing on zoning for MSH

Posted on September 6, 2019 | Leave a comment

msh-phil tuths-buildings

Photo by Phil Tuths

Posted on: September 6, 2019

MSH Rezoning – Planning Board Public Hearing 10/03/19

Pursuant to the provisions of MGL ch. 40A §5, the Medfield Planning Board will hold a public hearing at 8:05 p.m. on Thursday, October 3, 2019, at the Medfield Town House, 459 Main Street, for the purpose of accepting public comments on the following proposed amendments to the Town of Medfield Zoning By-laws:

Item 1: Article ## To see if the Town will vote to amend the Medfield Town Code Article 300 Zoning by adding a new section known as Article 300-20 to create a new “Medfield State Hospital District” seeking to:

  • promote the reuse of the former Medfield State Hospital property and certain nearby properties by encouraging a balanced, mixed-use approach with housing, educational, recreational, cultural and commercial uses, with open space and with public access;
  • implement the goals and objectives of the Strategic Reuse Master Plan for Medfield State Hospital;
  • promote the public health, safety, and welfare by encouraging diversity of housing opportunities;
  • increase the availability of affordable housing by creating a range of housing choices for households of all incomes, ages, and sizes, and meet the existing and anticipated housing needs of the Town, as identified in the Medfield Housing Production Plan (2016);
  • ensure high quality site reuse and redevelopment planning, architecture and landscape design that enhance the distinct visual character and identity of the Medfield State Hospital area and provide a safe environment with appropriate amenities;
  • encourage preservation and rehabilitation of historic buildings;
  • encourage the adoption of energy and water-efficient practices and sustainability;
  • establish design principles and guidelines and ensure predictable, fair and cost-effective development review and permitting.

Full text of the proposal is on file with the Town Clerk and the Planning Department and may be inspected during regular business hours, as well as on the Town’s website at www.town.medfield.net. All interested persons should attend the public hearing.

Item 2: Article ## To see if the Town of Medfield will vote to create a new zoning district consisting of the following parcels as shown on the map titled “Proposed Medfield State Hospital District (MSHD)” dated 08/17/18 which is on file with the Town Clerk and Planning Department (71-001/Core Campus, 71-020/Laundry Parcel, 71-017/Water Tower, 63-004/Sledding Hill) for the purpose of creating a new zoning map district that enables the uses, dimensional requirements, permitting processes etc. of the proposed Medfield State Hospital District all as set forth in the document entitled “Notice of Planning Board Hearing Relative to Proposed Zoning By-Law Amendments Pursuant to M.G.L c. 40A, § 5 Scheduled for October 3, 2019” on file in the office of the Town Clerk. Full text of the proposals is on file with the Town Clerk and the Planning Department and may be inspected during regular business hours, as well as on the Town’s website at www.town.medfield.net. All interested persons should attend the public hearing.

SARAH T. LEMKE, CHAIR

MEDFIELD PLANNING BOARD

MEDFIELD PRESS

  • September 13, 2019
  • September 20, 2019

 

 

Sarah Raposa, AICP

Town Planner

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Posted in Development, Medfield State Hospital, Planning, Zoning

A 1969 review of our first 5 years of implementing the first master plan

Posted on August 13, 2019 | Leave a comment

The first Town of Medfield master plan was done in 1964, and five years later the stewards of master planning in town looked back at what had been accomplished.

Interestingly, the town voted down in 1967 the recommendation to install a traffic signal at Main and North, but recanted a year later.

Of those named, I only recognize Bob McLeod as still in town.

THE MEDFIELD MASTER PLAN THE FIRST FIVE YEARS 1964 - 1969 The MEDFIELD Master Plan is a tribute to the wisdom and vision of those who, in the Town Meeting of 1962, showed sufficient concern over Medfield's future to authorize the expenditure of $21,000 ($14,000 of which was provided by government funds) for the preparation of such a Plan by Metcalf and Eddy, a firm of civil engineers eminently qualified for this undertaking. Before a blueprint for the future of our Town through 1980 could be proposed it was first necessary to analyze those trends in its past which had shaped its present, and how these trends, without proper provision for their development, would affect all of us in the years ahead. So there followed two years of exhaustive investigation and research into every phase of Medfield's life--a period during which Medfield residents themselves provided substantial assistance to the Planners in the collection and analysis of data. Nine Working Committees prepared detailed reports on their assigned subjects and over 2500 residents participated in comprehensive surveys. From school buildings to road systems, from zoning requirements to conservation problems every aspect was examined in complete detail and nothing was judged too insignificant to merit the Planners' closest scrutiny. In 1964 the Planners completed their assignment and published their Master Plan in seven volumes. With the aid of statistics and maps, problems are analyzed, priorities assigned and remedies are proposed which, if implemented in the manner and at the time recommended by the Plan, will ensure that Medfield's growth through 1980 is orderly and controlled. (A Summary of the Master Plan is available to all Medfield residents and those who do not have a copy are urged to obtain one from the Town Hall.) Following a recommendation by the Planning Board, a Special Town Meeting in 1965 sanctioned the appointment of a Master Plan Implementation Committee (MPIC) , the primary function of which is to channel the efforts of other Town Committees and Boards in the directions recommended in the Plan. The fifth anniversary of the Plan's publication now provides the MPIC an appropriate opportunity to review the major accomplishments and failures of the Town Meetings in recent years in implementing the Plan's recommendations. These can be summarized as follows: 1. SCHOOLS The new Junior High School, approved by the Town in 1964, was completed and opened in 1966. In 1968, construction began on the Elementary School on Elm Street--on land acquired for that specific purpose in 1965. The school is scheduled to open in 1969. 2. BUILDING CODES AND ZONING LAWS Regulatory measures are fundamental to orderly growth. Such measures, essential to the implementation of the Master Plan and undertaken since 1964, include: -Adoption of a Building Code, approved by the Attorney General's Office. -Revision of Subdivision Rules and Regulations. -Amendment of Zoning By-laws with respect to apartment buildings. -Adoption of Zoning By-laws for the Industrial Area. -Drafting of Zoning Regulations for the Central Business District. This matter is still under review and the services of Metcalf and Eddy have again been retained to re-examine the whole question of the location and character of the Central Business District. As is evident, progress in these matters has been impressive but much still needs to be done. An immediate necessity is for a Soils Survey Analysis, a proposal for which was rejected by the Town in 1968. Such a Survey is essential for efficient planning and without it serious consequences could develop, particularly with respect to on lot water and sewage systems. Therefore, the Planning Board have provided for this Survey in their 1969 budget, to be presented at Town Meeting in March. 3. RECREATION A major development has been the opening of a new Community Recreation Center in the old North Street School, an accomplishment which owes most of its success to the resourcefulness of the youth themselves who not only renovated the building and are now maintaining it but, with some Town appropriation, have contributed the funds necessary for this project. Although the conversion of North Street School to a Recreation Center is not proposed in the Master Plan, the MPIC nevertheless considers this a most valuable asset, both for the young people and for the many Town Committees and organizations who also now use it extensively. In 1966, the Town approved funds for the building of new basketball and tennis courts at the Junior High School. In 1967 the Town approved funds to operate a skating rink on Green Street. Additional land adjacent to the Town's swimming pond was acquired in 1968. 4. CONSERVATION Land along the Charles and Stop Rivers acquired by the Town and set aside for conservation now totals 190.85 acres. Conservation and recreation land in Medfield administered by the Trustees of Reservations now total 662 acres. 5. HIGHWAYS AND STREETS Medfield has kept in touch with other towns affected by the proposed relocation of Route 109 and with the State Department of Public Works in whose hands the matter now rests. The Town has sanctioned the financing of land takings resulting from the planned reconstruction and relocation of Route 27. The new route--from Main Street to the Sherborn Line--will roughly parallel that recommended in the Master Plan. Approval has been given to reconstruct a section of Elm Street from South Street to cater to the requirements of the new school. Traffic lights are to be installed at the North and Main Street intersection. This proposal was defeated in 1967 but accepted by the Town in 1968. The street numbering project on all existing and proposed streets in the Town was completed in 1966. various streets have been reconstructed and others have been paved under the Street Improvement Program. 6. WATER SYSTEM AND SEWERAGE The Town's water supply has been augmented by the commissioning of a new well off Elm Street. r A new package sewage treatment plant has been installed and while this may satisfy current needs discussions continue between various Town departments and outside engineers on the possible requirement for additional sewerage and a larger treatment plant. 7. TOWN BUILDINGS AND LANDS It is under this heading that the Master Plan has suffered most of its defeats so far: -In 1965 the proposal to acquire land adjacent to the Town Hall for the purpose of a Common and parking area was rejected. -In 1965 and 1966 funds for North Street School's renovation and conversion to a municipal office building were denied. (In 1967, however, sanction was given to transfer the building to the Park and Recreation Commission for use as a Community Center.) -In 1967 the voters rejected the proposal to acquire land and construct thereon a garage to house Town equipment. -Although the Town had/ in 1965, approved the purchase of the adjacent bank building for the expansion of the existing Library, funds to implement this program were denied in 1966 and 1967. In 1968, however, funds were voted to redecorate and refurbish the existing library. The old bank building is now used by the Historical Society. SUMMARY In retrospect/ it can be seen that, despite some setbacks, much has been accomplished in the last five years, and the Town's investment in a Master Plan has paid substantial dividends. In order to carry the Plan through its next/ and perhaps most critical stage of development/ the MPIC, in consultation with other Town Committees and Boards, is now preparing a Capital Outlay Program, the implementation of which will ensure that the next five years will contribute even more to Medfield's orderly growth. Joseph C. Donnelly, Jr. Chairman Paul Hurd, Vice Chairman Grace P. Ritchie, Secretary John V. Cracknell Richard Kaerwer Robert Macleod Elizabeth M. Place Richard V. Sturtevant l 11964-1969 The First Five Years_Page_21964-1969 The First Five Years_Page_31964-1969 The First Five Years_Page_4

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Posted in History, Planning

Townwide Master Planning Committee choses consultant

Posted on July 5, 2019 | Leave a comment

At its meeting last week the Townwide Master Planning  Committee selected the Community Circle group as the committee’s consultants for what is expected to be a year long process of creating a master plan for Town of Medfield.  Community Circle was one of two finalists that were interviewed that evening, and the committee’s vote was 11-1 to hire Community Circle over Horsley Witten.

Community Circle shared the hand out below at the end of its presentation.  Start jotting down your issues and questions to incorporate into the Master Plan, as you will be asked to share them as the process evolves.

Community Circle Consulting Team20190627-Community Circle_Page_2

 

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Posted in Planning

RFP issued for Townwide Master Planning Committee consultant

Posted on May 8, 2019 | Leave a comment

 

From the Townwide Master Planning  Committee – a tweet today by the Town of Medfield announcing our TWMPC’s RFP – Sarah said six firms were already on her distribution list –
Town of Medfield
@TownofMedfield

 

The Town of Medfield is seeking proposals for assistance in preparing a townwide master plan pursuant to MGL Ch 41 §81D with community participation. Proposals are due on Friday, May 24, 2019: town.medfield.net/DocumentCenter…

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Posted in Planning

MAPC’s MetroCommon 2050

Posted on May 3, 2019 | Leave a comment

MACP asked to have the following shared –

spark

 

There are some things your Metro Boston city or town can’t do on its own. Those issues are bigger than any one place, and working on them will take a plan. MetroCommon 2050 is just that: Metro Boston’s next regional plan. Your city or town is already involved. We want you to be in on it, too! This is Spark, a publication of MetroCommon 2050. Every month or so, Spark will bring you big ideas about the future  – and ask you to weigh in!

 

Find Out

What is MetroCommon 2050?

Watch our video to find out!

 

spark video

 

 

 Weigh in

What do you want for the region’s future?

Tell us what you think of our draft goals.

 

Did you like Spark? Share it now!

The more people like you who get involved, the better the plan will be!

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Posted in Planning