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HomeMy WebLinkAboutVision Statement Public CommentsComment # Comment 1 Great thanks. It’s always tempting to build a vision statement with too many “good words”. I am submitting an alternative set of statements for further public review. I have tried to maintain much of the original, but to simplify, consolidate and to emphasize central ideas where appropriate. The essence of the Cape and the Town of Barnstable IS its Natural Environment and the fragile balance of development and that environment. That is the beginning of our vision. To assume that it can or will last without constraint, with continual growth, with individual responses to all perceived needs, and to development pressure is foolhardy. VISION: The town of Barnstable is committed to protecting its natural resources and maintaining a healthy, safe, and inclusive place for residents and guests by providing a vibrant set of identifiable villages where people and nature can thrive together. To achieve our vision, we will proactively: 1. Protect the natural environment, salt and fresh water resources, existing open spaces and natural habitats. 2. Support our outstanding recreational opportunities and where appropriate expand access to open spaces. 3. Preserve and enhance the unique historic character and sense of place of each of the seven villages. Create individual village design, protection and conservation plans. 4. Recognize that the central core of Hyannis Village as the regional retail, activity and employment center of the town. Build on that fact by improving the look of the area, adding careful urban design detail and protection of the historic character of the many Hyannis Village neighborhoods. 5. Provide a market economy that supports fair wages, local businesses and protects the environment. 6. Commit to providing attainable housing options for year-round and summer employees. 7. Provide a safe transportation system using caution and constraint in the design and building of streets and modes of travel. 8. Incentivize redevelopment over new development and steer development toward locations with adequate infrastructure and away from environmentally sensitive areas town-wide. 9. Recognize and build upon previous efforts by citizens and the Town to make Barnstable the best it can be. 10. Strengthen town-wide and community communication and connections. Confusing, are we sure of what we mean and the likely outcomes. 1. “Enable people to travel safely by the mode of their choice.” (As written this draft comment suggests that widening roads, widening the bridges, increasing speeds, adding sidewalks, overcoming delays, adding more obtrusive signs, and adding asphalt will benefit the vision. Without caution and sensible constraint such changes will not likely increase safety but will continue to further decay the values of our Town and the Vision. Will we ever want more lights and signs to replace the courteous driver flashing their lights to allow us to turn off or onto 28?) 2. “Reduce our environmental footprint by investing in renewable energy, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and better managing our waste.” (Hard to disagree with the sense of this but do vast areas solar collectors replacing wooded habitat areas, farms of windmills in the Bay, or total dependence on an electric power system make sense? Is that what we mean or where we are headed?) 3. “Increase transparency of the local government so that it can make effective decisions grounded in citizen input and implement necessary changes efficiently.” (isn’t this the same idea as 10 above?) Do we want to add something about? 1. Barnstable’s relationship to the rest of the cape? 2. Supporting cultural activities – art, theatre, sports, etc. 3. The summer surge of tourists. 4. Avoiding turning major roads, like 28, into commercial development strips, rather, clustering a few centers and keeping a sense of separation between villages? 3 While the Draft Vision has a lot of great "ideas" it does appear to be very long in topics but short in perceived specifics on achieving the goals. I realize that the list has to be generated like you have shown but to me it's not letting the community know the priorities. I think a true 80/20 review of the list where 20% of the list at tops is presented as the priorities that will get moved on first and foremost is a better way to show progress. There are 17 items on the list. What are the top 4 items and what are the specific plans to get them implemented. It may sound like a short list but the reality is there are many moving parts to each item(as I'm sure you know) It would also provide the town voters with a real gage of the progress. I just hope that this list does not become another 10 to 12 committee jungle with folks sitting around tables and passing around ideas. That process seems to just push any true implementation down a long road of getting little done. Thanks for letting me comment. Don Tremaglio Barnstable Barnstable Local Comprehensive Plan Vision Statement: Public Comment 2 4 This vision statement does not accurately reflect public input. The top priorities of the public were natural resource protection: protection of water quality, tree cover, wildlife habitat, open space. These priorities were followed by preservation of cultural and historical heritage. Issues such as housing, public safety, and economic growth were way down the list of priorities. So why does this “vision statement “ totally reverse the priorities so strongly stated by the public? The public has emphatically stated its desire to put environmental protection FIRST - - not affordable housing or any of the other first five “priorities” listed in this vision statement. Why reach out to the public and then ignore what the public wants? This is extremely disappointing and disillusioning. Once again the near-sighted ‘development’ proponents in the Town of Barnstable trump the long term visionaries who are attempting to save Cape Cod from continued overdevelopment.PLEASE listen to the public and amend this “vision statement” to accurately reflect what the people want. 5 The Cape Cod Commission seems to have drifted away from its mission to protect the Cape's remaining open spaces. It has prioritized building housing on any available land, in a reactive way to proposals from builders, rather than thoughtfully and proactively siting affordable housing in already developed areas, of which there are many. I look to Barnstable and the Comprehensive Plan to protect Barnstable's limited remaining land, to benefit the entire community.