Shirley’s Special Places, Open Spaces, and Recreation Lands: A Plan for 2015-2021 Longley Acres Conservation Area, Shirley, Massachusetts December, 2017, Shirley Open Space and Recreation Plan Committee [This Page Left Blank Intentionally] ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Shirley’s Special Places, Open Spaces, and Recreation Lands: A Plan for 2015-2021 replaces the town’s previous open space and recreation plan, which was in effect from 1996- 2001. The Open Space and Recreation Plan Committee (OSRPC) acknowledges and appreciates the efforts of former members of the Shirley Conservation Commission, previous Conservation Commission Agents, and the many members of the public who in March, 2003, completed a preliminary draft of An Open Space and Recreation Plan for the Town of Shirley, 2003-2008. Later, a new 2011/2014 DRAFT Open Space and Recreation Plan for Shirley, upon which this final revised plan drew heavily, was prepared by graduate students Emily Lubahn, Zach Mermel, and Elaine Williamson, from the Conway School of Landscape Design in Easthampton, MA. Some of the text, many of the recommendations, and a number of the maps and photographs from the draft plan are incorporated into the final version. Former Shirley Conservation Agent Nadia Madden, Conservation Commission members, and Shirley residents worked with the Conway School students in preparing the draft OSRP, and provided photos (see Appendix K). The Shirley Open Space and Recreation Plan Committee thanks the Conway students for their work on the Draft OSRP. Many people assisted the current OSRPC in developing the final revised plan. In addition to those who contributed to the draft plans noted above, we wish to thank the following individuals for their help in providing information, reviewing data, contributing editorial comments, and/or providing technical assistance to us as we completed the revision of the 2011-2014 draft. Susan Baxter, Shirley resident Ward Baxter, Shirley resident Keith Begun, Shirley Recreation Fields Committee David Bortell, Rita Bortell, Bob Burkhardt, Jeff Dinardo, Marie Elwyn, Jennifer Howald, Mike Lance, and Hans Onsager, Shirley Conservation Commission members 2015-2017 Rebecca Boucher and Bill Conner, Former Principal Assessors, Shirley Assessors’ Office Nancy Collins, Shirley Assessors Office Mary Cooper, Shirley Resident Dawn McCall, Shirley resident and member of former Shirley Recycling Committee Frank Esielionis, Shirley resident Donald Farrar and John Rounds, Benjamin Hill Committee members Michael Fleming and Nadia Madden, Shirley Conservation Commission Agents Anne Gagnon, Land Agent, Massachusetts Division of Fish and Game, and former Shirley Conservation Agent Eben Goldman, Shirley Resident Timothy Hatch, Shirley Resident Sandi Hill, Building Inspector’s Office Sharon Jordan, member of Lunenburg Open Space Committee and ORV State Advisory Committee Kayla Kress, Jason Stanton, John Hume, and Noam Goldstein, Montachusett Regional Planning Commission Peg Lorenz, Trails Group member and Shirley resident i Emily Lubahn, Zach Mermel, and Elaine Williamson, graduate students from the Conway School of Landscape Design Amy R. McDougall, Shirley Town Clerk, and Denise MacAloney, Interim Shirley Town Clerk Meredith Marcinkewicz, Curator at Shirley Historical Society and former Shirley teacher Sally Naser, Shirley Resident and TTOR Conservation Restriction Coordinator Bill Oelfke, Janet Tice, Sarah Widing, and Barbara Yocum, Shirley Planning Board members Elizabeth Perry, Hydrologist and Shirley resident Paul Przybyla, Shirley Historical Society Treasurer and Shirley Historical Commission member Beth Quinty and Sue Heinz, Shirley Play Board Jim Quinty, School Committee member Don Reed, Ruth Rhonemus, and Jackie Stanton, Shirley Historical Society Board members John Scanlon, MA Division of Fisheries and Wildlife Superintendent’s Office, MCI-Shirley Jennifer Wilson, Principal Assessor, Shirley Assessors’ Office Pat Wojtas, Shirley Planning Board and ZBA Clerk Preparation of Shirley’s Special Places, Open Spaces, and Recreation Lands: A Plan for 2015- 2021 was assisted by a Grant from the Massachusetts Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, Office of Conservation Services. Finally, we extend special thanks to all the Shirley residents who completed the 2016 Open Space and Recreation Planning Survey, attended public forums, and/or provided us otherwise with feedback and suggestions. We hope the finished plan meets with your approval, and that it will help Shirley move forward to meet your goals for open space and recreation in the town. The Shirley Open Space and Recreation Plan Committee, 2015-2017 Bill Bertera Betsy Colburn Mirkovic Bob Burkhardt, member of Shirley Emilie Faucher PLUS Conservation Commission and ad hoc Trish Garrigan OSRPC member Heidi Ricci Sally Naser, ad hoc OSRPC member Sunday baseball game at the Dale Prentiss ballfields ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................................. i TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................... iii PHOTO AND ACTION MAP ICON CREDITS …………………………………………………vii i SECTION 1. PLAN SUMMARY................................................................................................... 1 SECTION 2. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 3 2A. Statement of Purpose ........................................................................................................... 3 Why Have an Open Space and Recreation Plan? ............................................................... 4 2B. Planning Process and Public Participation ........................................................................... 4 Online and Paper Questionnaire ........................................................................................... 5 Public Information Sessions ................................................................................................. 6 Goals and Action Plan .......................................................................................................... 8 Completion of Rest of Draft OSRP Revision ....................................................................... 8 SECTION 3. COMMUNITY SETTING ........................................................................................ 9 3A. Regional Context................................................................................................................. 9 3B. History of the Community ................................................................................................. 10 Before European Settlement ............................................................................................... 10 Colonization ....................................................................................................................... 10 Economic Development, 1700s and 1800s ........................................................................ 11 20th Century Developments ................................................................................................ 12 Shirley History Since Completion of the 1996-2001 Open Space and Recreation Plan .... 16 3C. Population Characteristics and Trends ............................................................................... 18 Population Trends ............................................................................................................... 18 Population Density ............................................................................................................. 18 Income Distribution ............................................................................................................ 21 Ethnic Diversity .................................................................................................................. 21 Employment ....................................................................................................................... 22 Businesses and Industries ................................................................................................... 24 Location of Employment .................................................................................................... 24 Environmental Justice ........................................................................................................ 25 3D. Growth and Development Trends ...................................................................................... 30 Patterns of Development .................................................................................................... 30 Housing Construction ......................................................................................................... 33 Infrastructure ...................................................................................................................... 34 Land-Use Bylaws ............................................................................................................... 39 Devens and Regional Open Space Planning ...................................................................... 42 SECTION 4. ENVIRONMENTAL INVENTORY AND ANALYSIS ....................................... 43 4A. Topography, Geology, and Soils........................................................................................ 43 Topography .......................................................................................................................