DRAFT Town of Hingham MASTER PLAN Prepared for: Hingham Planning Board Hingham Master Plan Committee Barrett Planning Group LLC Horsley Witten Group Community Circle Martha Lyon Landscape Architecture LLC BETA Group, Inc. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Master Plan Committee Barrett Planning LLC Gordon Carr, Chair Judi Barrrett Deirdre Anderson Alexis Lanzillotta Bryce Blair Catherine Dennison Paul Healey Bob Hidell Horsley Witten Group Nancy Kerber Nathan Kelly, AICP Liz Klein Jeff Davis, AICP Michael Kranzley Liza O’Reilly Community Circle Adrienne Ramsey Daphne Politis, AICP Susan Sarni Jerry Seelen Martha Lyon Landscape Architecture LLC Donna Smallwood Martha Lyon, ASLA Vcevy Strekalovsky Hans Von der Luft BETA Group Jeff Maxtutis, P.E., AICP Mary Savage-Dunham, Planning Director Amy Allen TABLE OF CONTENTS Reserved 1 Introduction What is a Master Plan? A master plan is a policy framework to guide decisions about growth and change. Its main purpose is to shape public policy about the use of tools a city or town has to manage growth and change: regulation, public investment, and leadership. A master plan is primarily a plan for a town’s physical evolution and a set of policies, programs, and actions to achieve what the plan envisions, A master plan is... ● It is a process for deciding what to do, and how, when, why, and where to do it; ● Land use ● It includes a comprehensive analysis of all aspects ● Housing of community development; ● Economic development ● It works to improve the community’s well-being. ● Natural and cultural resources ● Its purpose is to create a community that off ers ● Open space and recreation better choices for where and how people live; ● Services and facilities ● It is a plan for preservation and development; ● Circulation and The statute also calls for Goals and Policies and an im- ● It provides recommendations and an action plan, plementation program to address all of these topics. typically for a ten- to twenty-year implementa- Like many towns, Hingham chose to expand on the tion period. state’s minimum list of master plan elements by add- In Massachusetts, Planning Boards oversee the prepa- ing a focus on sustainability. The land use plan, which ration and periodic update of their community’s mas- lays out regulatory reforms to address the Town’s ter plan. G.L. c. 41, § 81D calls for a master plan with needs and embodies all of the other master plan ele- text, tables, and maps to identify current and future ments, is recorded and documented in the implemen- needs, trends, problems, and opportunities in: tation program. HINGHAM MASTER PLAN A Community Speaks COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT The foundation for the entire Master Plan is the Vision Statement, crafted and revised by the Mas- SNAPHOT: COMMUNITY VISION ter Plan Committee over several meetings in 2020. PROCESS The Vision provides the frame for the Master Plan goals, and the goals provide the structure for the 6 Master Plan Core Assessment Meetings Master Plan’s many recommendations. Ultimate- ly, the recommendations support each of the Mas- 6 Major Community Visioning Sessions ter Plan elements. 2 Senior Visioning Sessions Developing a shared community vision requires many ways for residents to participate. People 3 Student Visioning Sessions who know their town well bring an invaluable perspective to the planning process. They help 6 “Meeting in a Box” Sessions to educate and inform others who may be new to a town planning exercise. Newcomers to town 4 Community Comment Boards also provide an invaluable perspective: fresh ideas, experience from other places, and a desire 947 Responses to Online Survey to take part in the public life of their new-chosen community. Providing multiple avenues for pub- lic engagement helps to bring a range of voices mer, the Town appointed the committee with rep- into the conversation about a town’s future and resentatives from numerous boards, committees, allows residents, town offi cials, business owners, and commissions, along with some “at-large” and others to learn from one another. It also in- members. The Master Plan Committee met at creases the potential for community support to least once a month throughout the development implement the plan. of the plan, with more frequent meetings to de- velop and agree on the plan’s recommendations. At the start of this Master Plan process, the Master All of the Committee’s meetings were public, and Plan Committee approved a community engage- the Planning Department maintained a webpage ment plan from the consultants. The plan laid with meeting materials for public review and a out an outreach strategy that would span several link for submitting comments. months and allowed for input from a variety of groups. Central to the engagement process was creating the Master Plan logo and tagline to help Core Assessment Meetings residents easily identify any activities relating to The community engagement process began with the plan’s development. Following this, active “core assessment” meetings with town offi cials, public outreach began, which included the op- residents, and staff . The meetings introduced the portunities described below. consultants to Hingham’s natural and built assets and culture, and notable “cross-cutting themes” aff ecting more than one element of the plan. A re- Master Plan Committee curring theme in this process was the immense The fi fteen-member Master Plan Committee met pride Hingham residents take in their town. Peo- for the fi rst time in September 2019. Over the sum- ple value Hingham’s natural beauty, excellent 1-2 INTRODUCTION Hingham’s Community Vision In 2035, Hingham will be a place that ... Honors its coastal New England heritage and cel- ebrates its place and role throughout our country’s history. Safeguards its coastal and inland natural resources. Enhances public access to Hingham Harbor and its amenities. Strengthens its pride of place and sense of community through town-wide events and celebrations. Provides infrastructure and services to encourage multimodal mobility linking key locations through- out town, such as the Shipyard, Harbor, Downtown, and South Hingham. Promotes the safety and well-being of older adults and supports aging in community by provid- ing high-quality amenities and services and encour- aging housing that meets the needs of seniors.. Provides excellent schools and supports families by meeting the needs of children and youth, offer- ing a wide range of recreation, athletic, social, and cultural activities. Provides for strong, resilient commercial districts by supporting responsible development that brings economic growth and diversifi es our tax base. Welcomes racial, cultural, and economic diversity. Encourages a range of housing types and prices. Systematically plans for and invests in planned preventive maintenance and capital im- provements to municipal and school facilities and infrastructure. Encourages and values its tradition of public participation in government. 1-3 HINGHAM MASTER PLAN services, access to Boston, safety, history, mix of businesses, and town character. In almost all the meetings, however, residents had concerns about the potential impact of new development on the town, particularly traffi c, strain on the schools and municipal services, and the gradual loss of Hingham’s charm. These sessions took place on the following dates: ● Open Space and Recreation (9/24/2019) ● Historic Preservation (9/24/2019) ● Transportation (9/24/2019) ● Economic Development (10/09/2019) ● Sustainability, Water, and Energy (10/09/2019) ● Land Use (10/09/2019) ● Community Services and Facilities (10/21/2019) and (11/05/2019) Community Visioning Sessions Following a presentation about the master plan process, participants in community visioning ses- Student Visioning Sessions: Voices from sions engaged in small- and large- group discus- Hingham’s Future sions. Individual input was also provided through Members of the Master Plan Committee led vi- comment boards featuring questions about how sioning sessions at the South School (November people would defi ne Hingham’s character, what 15, 2019; Fifth Grade Leadership Club), Hingham makes Hingham unique, and what they identi- High School (November 18, 2019), and Hing- fi ed as their favorite location in town. The Master ham Middle School (November 19, 2019). Many Plan Committee and consultants worked togeth- themes from the student visioning sessions mir- er to provide several visioning sessions: rored the adult-centered meetings, such as ap- preciation for the Town’s history, natural beauty, ● Monday, 11/18/2019; Morning Session location, and more. ● Wednesday, 11/20/2019; Evening Session ● Saturday, 11/23/2019; Daytime Session However, the students voiced greater concern about the environment and taking steps to become ● Tuesday, 12/11/2019; Evening Session with a “greener” community. They more frequently Hingham Downtown Association noted Hingham’s lack of diversity, too. Youth also ● Wednesday, 12/11/2019; Evening Session emphasized a desire for more “hang out” spaces ● Friday, 12/13/2019; Morning Session, Senior and events around town. Generally, students ex- Center, and Linden Ponds pressed more pride in Hingham athletics than the 1-4 INTRODUCTION adults, so they made more frequent requests for turf fi elds and better athletic facilities. At the same time, some students wanted to see more focus on non-athletic activities, too. Meeting-in-a-Box Visioning Sessions To reach as many people as possible in Hing- ham, Master Plan Committee members in- vited numerous organizations and groups to participate in less formal “Meeting in a Box” visioning sessions in the fall of 2019. ● Hingham Republican Town Committee (11/03/2019) Online Survey ● Ladies’ Book Club, (11/12/2019) In January 2020, the consultants conducted an ● Men’s Group, Hingham Congregational online visioning survey on the Master Plan Com- Church (11/12/2019) mittee’s behalf. The feedback received through- ● Hingham Development and Industrial Com- out the previous engagement activities shaped mission (11/19/2019) the questions included in the survey, which re- ● Ralph’s Hingham Wine Merchant mained open from January 6-February 11, 2020.