Route 116 Scenic Byway Corridor Management Plan July 2013 Scenic Resources C H A P T E R 2 Route 116 Scenic Byway Introduction The Route 116 Scenic Byway is characterized by a diverse landscape. The Byway travels through Franklin, Hampshire and Berkshire Counties. The road winds from the Connecticut River Valley through the foothills and hills of the Berkshire Mountains to downtown Adams at the crossroads of Routes 116 and 8. The landscape along the route is beautiful and scenic. It is quintessential rural western Massachusetts. The landscape along the corridor is characterized by farmland, historic village centers, ponds, wetlands, forests, fields, meadows with distant mountain views, and an historic mill town. The completion of an inventory and evaluation of the scenic resources is integral to understanding the character of the road. This chapter describes the landscape assessment methodology; the results of the evaluation; and recommendations for maintaining and enhancing the scenic assets of the area. The Byway stretches 38.8 miles (21.4 miles in Franklin County, 7 miles in Hampshire County and 10.5 miles in Berkshire County). The corridor study area is defined as Route 116 plus a half‐mile wide strip on each side of the Byway. Additionally, the descriptions that are provided in this chapter (as with the rest of the report) travel from east to west. To assess the scenic resources of the Route 116 Scenic Byway the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC), the Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG) and the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC) traveled the route and systematically rated the landscape features and views along the Byway using an assessment methodology. The scoring system is based on the landscape assessment procedure used by the BRPC, FRCOG and PVPC for previously completed Corridor Management Plans including the Mohawk Trail Scenic Byway, the Route 112 Scenic Byway, the Connecticut River Scenic Farm Byway and the Route 122 Scenic Byway. Some modifications to the evaluation form and ranking system were made to better suit the specific characteristics of the Route 116 Byway. The assessment procedure is described below, and a sample of the Scenic Assessment Evaluation Form is included at the end of this chapter. Scenic Assessment Process Step 1 Initially, the corridor was divided into “visual segments” based on common visual characteristics that were observed while driving along its length. The landscape along the Byway was classified into the following five “visual segments” categories: Chapter 2: Scenic Resources 6 Route 116 Scenic Byway Corridor Management Plan July 2013 Farmland/Open Land (crop fields, orchards, hayfields, pasture land, and non-forested open land including recreation areas); Farmland Developed (fields and forest lands that have some residential and/or commercial development interspersed with active farms); Forest (forested land including both mature and successional); Village/Town Center (central commercial and industrial areas with multi-storied buildings, community and government facilities and apartments and multi-family housing; and Developed Land (including residential subdivisions, commercial development and industrial areas). For visual segments that have two different characteristics, for example residential development along one side of the road and agricultural land with a historic farm house on the other side, the evaluator made a judgment about which is the dominant visual feature. Each “visual segment” was evaluated every ½ mile according to the procedure detailed in Step 2 with a separate Scenic Assessment Evaluation Form completed for each of the ½-mile sections. Step 2 Using the Scenic Assessment Evaluation Form (a copy is included at the end of this chapter) each ½-mile section within the larger “visual segment” was evaluated twice, traveling the Byway in each direction. All features, both scenic and detracting, along each side of the ½-mile roadway segment were included in the ranking. The scenic features present within each ½-mile section received a +1 and the detracting features within each ½-mile segment received a –1. In addition, all of the topographical features that could be seen from the Byway, not just those within the ½-mile study area were noted. This allowed the long-range and panoramic views that can be seen from the Byway to be accounted for in the evaluation. After the assessment was completed in both directions, the totals were added together and divided by 2 for a “segment score.” During the assessment, the evaluators drove the entire roadway in one direction filling out segment evaluation forms and then repeated the process in the opposite direction. Step 3 If the continuous ½-mile visual segments were categorized as the same land use classification, the segments were collapsed into one segment and the scores were averaged together. In the cases where the visual ½ mile sections represented a continuous string/length of one of the five visual segment categories, the scores were averaged together. The larger “visual segment” score was calculated by adding the total score from each of the Scenic Evaluation Forms completed (one for each ½-mile section) within that “visual segment,” and dividing by the number of ½-mile sections within the particular “visual segment.” For example, if a particular “visual segment” is six miles long, 12 Scenic Evaluation Forms would be filled out, and these 12 segment scores would be averaged to calculate the visual assessment score. The “visual segment” was then ranked based on the following categories: Outstanding (Score Range: 12 or greater) Distinctive (Score Range: 8.1-12) Noteworthy (Score Range: 5-8) Average (Score Range: less than 5) Chapter 2: Scenic Resources 7 Route 116 Scenic Byway Corridor Management Plan July 2013 Overview of the Scenic Aspects of the Byway The landscape of the Byway differs from the lowlands of the Connecticut River to the Berkshire Hills. The fertile land along the Connecticut River is typically flat with large agricultural fields such as those in Sunderland, Whately, and Deerfield. Historic tobacco barns still stand in farm fields and are a visual reminder of the Connecticut River Valley’s rich agricultural history and current farming economy. West of the Connecticut River Valley, the Byway winds through Conway and Ashfield. The landscape is a hilly, wooded terrain in which historic farmsteads with barns, farmhouses, stonewalls, open meadows, and stands of sugar maples can be seen. Further west, Route 116 travels through Plainfield, Windsor, Savoy and Cheshire. The Byway reaches its terminus in Adams. Along the route are breathtaking views of the Berkshire Hills in Savoy and Cheshire. Adams is located at the base of Mount Greylock (the access road is the Mount Greylock Scenic Byway), and is home to many restaurants and artist galleries. The Ashuwillticook Rail Trail, which stretches from Lanesborough to North Adams, is accessible from downtown Adams near the terminus of the Byway at Route 8. Essential services to the road weary traveler, including food, lodging and information, fuel and auto repair can be found along the Byway, primarily in Deerfield, Conway, Ashfield, and Adams. Regional Viewshed Areas Regional viewsheds areas were also noted based on an assessment of the views along the Byway that show unique and impressive natural or scenic features. These include spectacular agricultural landscapes or regionally significant landscape elements. The predominant landscape features include farm and pasture land, ponds, rivers, and historic resources such as historic buildings, farmsteads, and a village center. The viewshed were assessed and priority scenic viewshed were noted for each region based on the field of view, wide of the scenic area, depth of the view and variety and contrast. Scenic Assessment Franklin County The eastern terminus of the Byway in Franklin County is at the Deerfield/Sunderland town border which is on the Deerfield Sunderland Bridge over the Connecticut River. The Franklin County section of the Byway travels through the towns of Deerfield, Conway and Ashfield. At the eastern terminus the picturesque Sunderland Village Center is within the ½ mile buffer area at the eastern end of the Byway and also within the view of the Byway. The entire Franklin County section is 21.4 miles, and terminates at the Ashfield/Plainfield town line. Chapter 2: Scenic Resources 8 Route 116 Scenic Byway Corridor Management Plan July 2013 Table 2-1: Visual Segment Categorization- Franklin County Visual Segment Category Total Length (miles) Farmland/Open Land 3.8 Farmland / Developed Land 2.0 (Residential) Farmland/Forest Edge 2.5 Historic Village/Town Center 1.7 Town Center/Industrial .5 development Forest 6.4 Forest/Developed Land 1.2 (Residential) Developed Land (Residential) 2.9 Developed Land (Commercial) .4 Total 21.4 Table 2-2: Visual Segment Evaluation – Franklin County Evaluation Ranking Total Length (miles) Outstanding 9.4 Distinctive 10.2 Noteworthy 1.4 Average 0.4 Total 21.4 Chapter 2: Scenic Resources 9 Route 116 Scenic Byway Corridor Management Plan July 2013 Table 2-3: Visual Segment Category and Evaluation – Franklin County Segment Starting/Ending Points Approximate Segment Landscape Distinctive Number Length Category Evaluation Feature (miles) 1 Deerfield/ Intersection of 0.5 Farmland/ Outstanding View of the CT Sunderland Route 116 and Developed Land River and town line Sugarloaf Street (Residential) neighboring farmland 2 Intersection of Driveway of 3