1-27-08

Walpole Voters Vote to Protect Their Small Town Atmosphere

By Chuck Bingaman, Contributing Writer

            Walpole voters have told their Planning Board their top priority for future land use is to retain the town’s “small town atmosphere” as part of an opinion survey on which the board should base a revision of the town’s Master Plan.

             Two hundred ninety-five completed surveys were returned out of about 1200 mailed in December to all households in the town.  “It was a very significant response,” noted Planning Board chair Jeff Miller.  “Even more significant—to me—was the fact that 149 of those responses, half of the total return, were from people who had lived in the town for more than 20 years.”

            In addition to preserving Walpole's small town atmosphere, other top priorities expressed in the survey returns included retaining the “historic New England village character”, protecting “natural wildlife habitat”, protecting the “rural agricultural setting” and preserving “working farms and land available to farm.”   Over 90% of all responses were from homeowners as opposed to renters.

            Of the 12 possible choices for land use priorities on the survey, the two lowest ranked uses were for “availability of shopping and stores” and “light industry.”

            The survey asked voter attitudes about new kinds of flexible zoning to enable protection of features the community has cited as important while still allowing for apprpriate development.  Over 200 responses favored introduction of conservation subdivisions that allow for building houses closer together in the part of a parcel to be developed in order to put at least 50% of the parcel in conservation.  Over 230 responses favored “feature based” density areas that would allow greater concentration of buildings in some areas of land being developed so that development will not occur on or near specific natural features to be protected.

            Townspeople clearly reject introduction of a specific historic district in the town, but they overwhelmingly support zoning that protects specific buildings or historical features.  Of such features that might be given protection, streams and waterways and wildlife habitat were ranked most highly, followed closely by unfragmented forests, ridgelines and scenic views.

            More than two-thirds of the survey respondents ranked ensuring lower-price housing as very important or somewhat important, but they were equally split over whether lower priced housing should be available only in specific areas of town or in all developments.  Retirement housing also was noted as an important priority with 249 respondents ranking it either very important or somewhat important.

            Compared to housing,  Walpole residents ranked future industrial development a bit less important.  201 respondents said it was very important or somewhat important, and 115 said it was less important or not important.

            Over 250 survey returners favored design review to keep future development consistent with the character of the small historic town, and nearly as many favored encouraging growth of “cottage” and home-based businesses.

            Maintaining local agriculture received several strong endorsements from Walpole citizens, including 279 people that said it was either very important or somewhat important.  234 favored “community help” to keep farming feasible in Walpole, and 227 favored forming an agricultural commission to advise all town boards about ways to encourage farming.

            The Planning Board will use survey results throughout 2008 as it updates the Master Plan, beginning first with the land use section.

                                                            --30--