Working Group Meetings

(formerly Advisory Committee)

Working Group Meeting, Oct 23, 2019

Carlisle Master Planning Advisory Committee Meeting

Raising Awareness about the Master Plan Consultant Funding

prior to the Town Meeting on April 29th.

Advisory Committee Kick-off December 12, 2018

MPAC Kick Off_12-12-2018_FINAL.pdf

Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes

MPAC KICK OFF MEETING SUMMARY

December 12, 2018

Carlisle Public School Cafeteria

Carlisle’s Master Planning Steering Committee facilitated the kickoff meeting of the Master Planning Advisory Committee.

After a brief round of introductions by everyone in the room, MPSC Chair Janne Corneil provided an overview of the master plan objectives and process. Thereafter, attendees broke into five table groups to talk at greater length about their motivations for joining MPAC: what topics or issues do they hope a master plan will address?

Several themes emerged across those conversations, listed here by the number of mentions in the report-outs:

  • Natural resources and environmental sustainability (8)

  • Infrastructure repairs / expansion / improvements (8)

  • Economic activity (7)

  • Town center/community cohesion (7)

  • Building a future-oriented plan with a robust process (6)

  • Population diversity (5)

  • Housing diversity (4)

  • Master plan with realistic and funded implementation (4)

  • Protect/preserve historic resources (4)

  • Transportation (3)

  • Other (3)

A more detailed list of the themes is attached.

MPAC members indicated interest in participating in “info sessions” on a variety of topics. The Master Plan Steering Committee (MPSC) has been working to organize these sessions. A notice of two sessions will be sent out as soon as the participants and venues have been confirmed. Tentative dates are Wednesday February 27th at 6:30PM and Wednesday March 27th at 6:30PM.

MPAC members raised questions of clarification regarding whether MPAC is an official town committee and thus bound by OML. The MPSC has conferred with Town Counsel and determined that since the MPAC does not deliberate or vote on topics or produce reports, we are not required to adhere to OML. The only gray area is that the MPSC voted to form the 40-person committee so the MPAC could be construed as a body created to inform and advise the MPSC which would make it subject to OML. To avoid any issues, we have been advised that the MPAC should be reformed by the master planning consultant once they are under contract. In the meantime, we will continue to prepare meeting summaries, publish presentations and updates on the master plan website (www.carlisleplan.org). We will continue to ensure that the master planning process is completely transparent and open to the public.

SUMMARY OF THEMES

Natural resources & environmental sustainability

  1. Sustainability

  2. Awareness of natural resources

  3. Preservation of wildlife

  4. Identify and plan for future environmental issues

  5. Sustainability $$

  6. Climate change and energy sustainability (clean energy/solar panels)

  7. Maintain goals of conservation and education

  8. Outdoors and natural resources

Infrastructure repairs / expansion / improvement

  1. Carlisle 97% covered by internet

  2. More internet providers/coverage

  3. Wifi transmitters

  4. Infrastructure (power outages)

  5. telecommunications/ internet

  6. No infrastructure (water/sewer)

  7. Bury wires

  8. Lower level gas leaks

Economic activity

  1. Attract a good mix of commercial business

  2. Economic stresses

  3. Future revenue?

  4. Cowork space -- office buildings

  5. Revenue generating opportunities

  6. Raising revenue

  7. Old home day generating money -- Fundraising

Town center / community cohesion

  1. Town center can be a real asset if we focus ( underutilized, disconnected)

  2. Town center/ enriching community

  3. Community center-- all ages

  4. Community center for people of all ages

  5. Things to do/ places to go

  6. Knitting town together

  7. Highland building

Future oriented plan with robust process

  1. Desire for planned direction for town

  2. Create a town of the future

  3. Working together on a plan

  4. Iterative strategic planning

  5. Avoiding myopia (starting planning process from the beginning and connecting new ideas to other modern structures/techniques)

  6. Professional planner

Population diversity

  1. Help the town to attract younger families and keep existing families

  2. Encourage younger people to move in and older to stay

  3. Diversity

  4. Lack of less expensive housing leads to lack of new generations; Carlisle becoming retirement community because of this

  5. Nobody in 20ish age range

Housing diversity

  1. Affordable housing

  2. Diversity in housing and transportation

  3. Less expensive Housing for young/old

  4. Running out of space for housing

    1. Outdated zoning regulations

Realistic & funded implementation

  1. Determine realistic goals

  2. How to create a plan that will actually be implemented

  3. Master plan needs funding

  4. Commercial are to offset paying for this plan

Protect/preserve historic resources

  1. Preservation of antiques and homes

  2. Historic elements of town preserved and kept up (properties in center)

  3. Stone walls keep up

  4. Retain town charm with development

Transportation

  1. Connecting the town so kids/people can walk or bike around

  2. Younger generations looking for walkability

  3. Transportation- traffic

Other

  1. Sports fields and facilities

  2. Values of Carlisle

  3. Town governance