Marion moved one step closer to finalizing its Master Plan on January 4 when members of the Planning Board held a workshop to familiarize residents with the plan’s goals and details.
Several interested citizens showed up despite the weather, coats and boots dusted with snowflakes. Planning Board member Rico Ferrari qualified the objective of the workshop held at the Marion Music Hall.
“We’re introducing people to a rough draft of the plan,” said Ferrari. “We have drafts from the past so that we can get more detailed plans for the future.”
Several representatives from SRPEDD, headed by principal comprehensive planner Grant King, joined the Planning Board. As he did in previous meetings, King worked to break down the multi-layered process into something more concise and easily understandable.
“Our Master Plan presentation will probably only take about fifteen minutes,” King said. “Tonight is about you, about your thoughts and concerns,” which he pointed out was actually the goal for the Master Plan as well. “We’re approximately halfway done with the process of creating the Master Plan,” he continued. “Master Plans can run hundreds of pages. We want to create a clear, concise plan which is easily readable.”
The workshop on Monday night was actually one of a series of public workshops that the Planning Board has held. This open house addressed several different but interwoven aspects of the Master Plan, including improving traffic and road safety, creating new zoning bylaws to allow appropriate development in certain areas, and protecting the Village and Harbor.
“We want to adopt design guidelines which define Marion’s style, and will place clear expectations on the growth and environments which the town wants to see,” King clarified.
The driving decisions for the Master Plan come from town demographics and market and data trends. Marion’s age trend provided curious information.
Since 1990, Marion’s population has aged fairly rapidly, with the many residents nestled upwards of age 45. Marion’s average age in 2015 was 46.1. That is seven years older than Massachusetts’ overall average age of 36.1. Marion’s age data indicates that the final master plan will be driven largely by the needs of those residents 45 or older.
Several residents brought up Marion’s unique status as a seasonal destination for many residents. They were curious to know if SRPEDD considered that many of Marion’s voting residents don’t live in the town year-round while drawing their demographic analysis.
“You know, we didn’t think of that,” admitted King, “but it would make a good analysis. I’ll add that in right now.”
Residents also wanted to know what would happen after SRPEDD finalized the Master Plan, which King mentioned would hopefully be done in late 2016. Once finalized, the Master Plan will be submitted to the Marion Planning Board for their review. Once the final plan is submitted, SRPEDD’s role will be finished and it will be up to Marion to act on the plan.
Planning Board Chairman Robert Lane qualified the board’s role.
“We will review the Master Plan and decide which aspects we want to take action on,” Lane said. “We can then pass recommendations, and of course any changes will need to be voted on. But those will be the next steps.”
After his presentation, King released the group to a number of tables around the room – staffed by other SRPEDD representatives – where they addressed different aspects of Marion’s Master Plan. The residents could discuss any questions and concerns with the representatives. They were also provided with a sheet on which to write down any questions, comments, or concerns for submission to SRPEDD before they left.
For more information on the Master Plan, you may contact the Marion Planning Board at 508-748-3517. You may also visit the project website at www.srpedd.org/marion-master-plan or share your ideas on the Marion Master Plan Facebook page, www.facebook.com/marionplan.
By Andrea Ray
