Vote for Long-Range Planning: Yes on Article 37
By Claire Lawton; as previously published in the Concord Journal
As a third-generation resident of West Concord, I know many things have changed here over time. As a nurse my entire adult life, I've seen birth, death and everything in between. We cannot prevent change. It is part of the natural course of life -- I accept that. But what I can't accept is how change is happening now in our Town. We seem to have lost our compass. We are not following the traditional values that have served us so well for so many years, and we are allowing change to simply be thrust upon us. I feel very strongly about this: we have come to the point where we must take control of the waves of change coming our way.
It's no secret that West Concord is ripe for change. With the MBTA planning to double their ridership, a redesign of the Route 2 Rotary, traffic congestion everywhere, new ownership of major portions of our Village center, we can't help but agree that change is coming. But we need to better understand what is happening, and that requires a lot more information. That is what planning is all about, and so much information is missing or incomplete. That is why I urge you to vote "YES" on an Article 37 amended to develop a real, up to date plan just for West Concord.
So much is about to happen to West Concord -- things never anticipated during the last Comprehensive Long-range Plan (CLRP). While I truly appreciate the hard work put into the "Greg Howes Implementation Plan," implementation is just not the same as planning. Implementation should come after planning has taken its full course. That is the correct order of things.
The Howes Plan asks three vital questions:
What role does Concord, specifically West Concord, want to play in regional transportation (including parking, roadways, railroad)?
What level of population growth and economic development is sustainable for West Concord?
How will West Concord deal with changes in properties, including issues of zoning and controls?
These are all excellent questions! They must be answered! Answering them is not a job for an implementation group. This is why we must pass Article 37 -- because only true comprehensive long-range planning for West Concord can answer these important questions.
We also need true economic development that benefits the whole community, not just a few large land owners. That kind of development requires sound planning, and it is planning that must be carried out fully under the control and influence of people whose first allegiance is to our community. A full plan for West Concord will provide for real improvements in traffic flow -- and ensure that the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail has a safe crossing of the active commuter rail line -- and one that we the citizens of Concord do not get stuck paying for! Until we have that plan, we must put the rail trail articles on hold. Vote "NO" on articles 27, 28, 29, 30 because we don't know how the railtrail fits into an unknown bigger picture.
The Howes Group was supposedly formed to address urgent needs. But besides the need for sound planning, I'm not sure I see any other urgent needs. Truly urgent needs would be met swiftly to enact zoning and other controls that limit growth and development, which is not what they are planning. Also, all the other proposed zoning change articles before Town Meeting only serve to make development less restrictive. Please vote "NO" on articles 40, 42, and 43.
Who should do the planning? The members of the now-disbanded West Concord Village Overlay Committee have studied the issues most recently; they should be the ones who make up the major portion of any future long-range planning effort. Their experience would make them the true "quick start" effort. They worked hard and made good progress despite being restricted to a narrow part of the Village center and being kept in the dark about important State plans, all unfairly limiting their effectiveness. Let's let them do the job they wanted to all along, and get them the real help they need including an outside professional planner with economic-relevant experience.
It's been said that there isn't any money available for Article 37. If there is funding available to hire a consultant to start off the Howes plan -- money not approved by Town Meeting -- then why can't there be funding for Article 37 from that same source?
We may have only one chance to get this right. If we don't first study the facts, it's unlikely that the alternative of the Howes Plan -- even with some modification -- will hit the right answers if implementation comes first. Vote "YES" on Article 37. Let's get West Concord the true longrange plan that we need and deserve.
Editor's Note: For additional information, see Preserve Our Village
Art Credits: Photos of Mount Misery, Lincoln ©Judith Canty Graves of the First Parish Photo Club. Page designed by Windfall.
