Planning Revisited

Last week began a new chapter in Winchester’s long history of community planning. The Town has restored a professional, in-house planning position with the arrival of Elizabeth (Betsy) Ware. Betsy will be working part-time as the Town Planner. She has twenty-five years of experience in planning and is familiar with our structure and process of government. The Town Planner position was restored following an intensive process of bringing together the elected Board of Selectmen and Planning Board under a Memorandum of Agreement. Essentially, the Agreement establishes a compromise by vesting policy authority with the Planning Board and administrative oversight and coordination with the Town Manager.

One only needs to look around Winchester to see the foresight and commitment to planning. Natural beauty and open spaces, well laid-out neighborhoods, a vibrant downtown, and fine public buildings are a testament to the public officials and citizens who developed master planning documents and zoning laws. In 2006 however, Winchester is being impacted by the forces of economics and environment. Historic and significant large parcels of land are being developed or redeveloped. Market forces and the attractiveness of Winchester have made residential development the most viable option, exacerbating the fiscal impact on our budget. Large scale development outside our borders has impacted the amount and intensity of storm runoff, creating flooding and degrading the quality of our water bodies.

The Town is responding with both short-term and long term measures. Longer term, the Planning Board has initiated an update of the Town’s Master Plan. This will build upon recent efforts of visioning and strategic planning. In addition, the Town’s zoning by-law document is in the process of being reorganized and updated, including the incorporation of modern “smart growth” techniques. In the short-term, the Town is addressing the zoning regulations for large land parcels, at the same time negotiating mitigation and other things of value to offset the impacts of development. These efforts bring challenges, including the ability to successfully engage the community and affected neighborhoods. I am hopeful that, with the arrival of our new Town Planner, this effort can be more coordinated and productive.