Methuen Open Space and Recreation Plan 2013-2020 Ii FORWARD
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CITY OF METHUEN OPEN SPACE AND RECREATION PLAN 2013 – 2020 Spicket River Prepared by Methuen Open Space and Recreation Plan Working Group Methuen Open Space and Recreation Plan 2013-2020 ii FORWARD The character of a community is determined not only by its residents and its built structures, but also by its open spaces. These unbuilt places create a unique “landscape identity” for each community. From the very rocks and soils that have sculpted our hills, streams, and ponds; to the woodlots, wetlands, wildflower meadows, and pastures that are the haunts of living creatures large and small – all contribute to a community’s signature setting and “sense of place.” The living landscape we inhabit can serve as a subtle “backdrop” for a community, like the scenery of a play or the background music of a movie. If observed, listened to and understood, the natural environment around us can tell us exactly where we are in the world, much about the history and values of our community, and even help us learn about ourselves. Are we in an urban, suburban or rural community? Are we in an upland area, along a river, or in a coastal plain? Is our neighborhood the site of a former mill complex, or a farm or quarry? Does our community cherish its heritage and place a high value on maintaining a natural landscape, on preserving a place not only for people but for nature, too? As Methuen residents, we each have an opportunity to contribute to the present and future appearance of our community by the manner in which we alter or preserve the land around us. By action or inaction, by design or as unintended consequences, we determine the landscape identity of our neighborhoods and our community at large. Each of us makes a contribution that will make our community appear more natural or artificial, more open or developed, more wild or managed, more beautiful or blighted. When our citizens share a common vision and act in concert, we can set public policies that will determine the nature of the landscape in which we live, and which will be inherited by our children and generations to come. This 2013-2020 Open Space and Recreation Plan update, prepared jointly by the municipal government and citizens of Methuen, is intended to serve as a guide and tool for all the residents of Methuen to help us better preserve and enhance our quintessential New England community for ourselves, visitors and future inhabitants. This is our challenge… and our opportunity. Methuen Open Space and Recreation Plan 2013-2020 i Methuen Open Space and Recreation Plan 2013-2020 ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Contributors The Mayor’s Office has been an important part of the planning process and has actively supported the preparation of this plan update. Special thanks are extended to Mayor Stephen Zanni and his staff for their thoughtful guidance and assistance. Thanks are extended to former Mayor William Manzi, III, and his staff for their support. The Open Space & Recreation Plan Working Group (OSRP Working Group) prepared this Open Space & Recreation Plan update with a grant from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA), and with planning and technical assistance from the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission (MVPC) and Groundwork Lawrence, Inc. (GWL). The OSRP Working Group first convened in June 2011, and continued to meet and consult on an approximately monthly basis during the next 18 months. The OSRP Working Group extends its grateful appreciation to all who participated in the planning process. OSRP Working Group Members William Buckley, Methuen Economic and Community Development Director Kathleen Colwell, Methuen Assistant Director of Planning Joseph Giarrusso, Methuen Conservation Officer William Pare, Methuen Recreation Director Alan Macintosh, MVPC Asst. Director/Envir. Program Mgr. Brad Buschur, GWL Project Manager Other Acknowledgements Methuen Recreation Department Methuen Department of Public Works Methuen Assessor’s Office Methuen Disabilities Commission MVPC Geographic Information System (GIS) Staff Joyce Godsey, Methuen Rail Trail Alliance Betsy Goodrich, MVPC Transportation/Trails Planner Jack Burke, Forest Lake Association Special Thanks are extended to the MA Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) for a generous planning grant which supported the facilitation, planning and technical assistance provided by MVPC and Groundwork Lawrence. Methuen Open Space and Recreation Plan 2013-2020 iii Methuen Open Space and Recreation Plan 2013-2020 iv TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION 1. PLAN SUMMARY ............................................................................. I-1 SECTION 2. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................. II-1 A. Statement of Purpose ................................................................................. II-1 B. Planning Process and Public Participation ................................................. II-1 C. Enhanced Outreach in Environmental Justice Neighborhoods ................... II-2 D. Multi-Element Planning Approach .............................................................. II-3 SECTION 3. COMMUNITY SETTING .................................................................. III-1 A. Regional Context ...................................................................................... III-1 B. History of the Community .......................................................................... III-2 C. Population and Employment Characteristics ............................................ III-3 D. Growth and Development Patterns ........................................................... III-8 E. Infrastructure ........................................................................................... III-11 SECTION 4. ENVIRONMENTAL INVENTORY AND ANALYSIS ....................... IV-1 A. Topography, Geology, and Soils .............................................................. IV-1 B. Landscape Character ............................................................................... IV-3 C. Water Resources ..................................................................................... IV-4 D. Vegetation and Wildlife Resources ........................................................... IV-9 E. Scenic Resources and Unique Environments ........................................ IV-14 F. Environmental Challenges ..................................................................... IV-18 SECTION 5. INVENTORY OF LANDS OF CONSERVATION AND RECREATION INTEREST .............................................................. .V-1 A. The Need for Open Space ........................................................................ V-1 B. Why Open Space Planning is Important……………………………………. V-1 C. How Open Space is Protected……………………………….. ...................... V-1 D. Methuen Open Space and Recreation Lands Inventory.……………………V-3 SECTION 6. COMMUNITY VISION ..................................................................... VI-1 A. Description of Process.............................................................................. VI-1 B. Summary of Resident Survey Results ...................................................... VI-1 C. Active Recreation ..................................................................................... VI-2 D. City of Methuen Master Plan .................................................................... VI-3 E. Statement of Open Space and Recreation Goals………………………….. VI-3 SECTION 7. ANALYSIS OF NEEDS .................................................................. VII-1 A. Regional Needs: The Massachusetts “SCORP” …….……………………..VII-1 B. Methuen Resource Protection Needs……………………… ……………… VII-1 C. Methuen Community Needs .................................................................... VII-3 D. Management Needs ................................................................................ VII-5 Methuen Open Space and Recreation Plan 2013-2020 v SECTION 8. GOALS AND OBJECTIVES ......................................................... VIII-1 SECTION 9. SEVEN-YEAR ACTION PLAN ....................................................... IX-1 SECTION 10. PUBLIC COMMENTS ..................................................................... X-1 SECTION 11. REFERENCES ............................................................................... XI-1 LIST OF MAPS Map #1 – Regional Context Map #2 – Population Characteristics Map #3 – Land Use Map #4 – Zoning Map #5 – Surficial Geology Map #6 – Soils Map #7 – Water Resources Map #8 – Plant and Wildlife Habitats Map #9 – Scenic Resources and Unique Environments Map #10 – Environmental Challenges Map #11 – Open Space and Recreation Lands Map #12 – 7-Year Action Plan LIST OF APPENDICES A. List of OSRP Working Group Meetings B. NHESP Rare Species, Natural Communities and Biodiversity Documentation C. Summary of Public Outreach Interviews D. Resident Survey Forms (English and Spanish) E. Summary of Residents Survey Results F. Methuen Americans With Disabilities Act Transition Plan Update Methuen Open Space and Recreation Plan 2013-2020 vi SECTION 1. PLAN SUMMARY This Methuen Open Space and Recreation Plan 2013-2020 was developed by an Open Space and Recreation Working Group, with the participation of the Mayor’s Office, Community Development Department, Conservation Department, Recreation Department, Merrimack Valley Planning Commission, and Groundwork Lawrence, Inc. Through a public survey and personal interviews, important contributions were also made by representatives