may 7, 2018 master plan implementation committee

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Master Plan Implementation Committee

Community Notes
Monday, May 7, 2018 @ 7pm
Town Hall

Board/Committee members in attendance
·         Marty Lindeman
·         Fred Civian
·         Michelle Persson Reilly
·         Shaw McDermott
·         Jessica Porter
·         Ryan McDermott
·         John Sisson


Not in Attendance: Jay O’Brien, Dennis Teehan, Carol Hills

Agenda [if not posted online it can be found on the 1st floor Town Hall bulletin board]
●     Review and approve March 12 meeting notes
●     Upcoming important  municipal meetings
●     Town Planner status update
●     Next Steps for developing Dedham 2020 Master Plan
●     Old/New Business

• Review and approve March 12 meeting notes
  
  
  • ○     Motion to approve proposed by Jessica Porter, approved unanimously
• ●     Upcoming important municipal meetings
  • ○     Grey Star Article
    • ■     Claimed endorsements from MPIC, Livable Dedham, Housing Authority
      
      
    • ■     MPIC appreciates that they brought it before them but did not take a position on the article itself
      
      
    • ■     Good idea to consider the changing demographics of the town and try to accommodate aging population but again, no official position was taken
    • ■     Zoning change proposed is to allow the project to move forward (not a motion to approve the project itself)
    • ■     Elements of article
      • ●     Traffic
      • ●     Affordability
      • ●     Open Space
    • ■     How does it fit with the Master Plan? How receptive is existing Master Plan to development of this type on that parcel?
    • ■     Moderate step forward
    • ■     Good precedent of zoning article that has percentage required for affordable housing (first of its kind)
    • ■     Not a panacea – doesn’t solve all affordability needs but it’s a good step forward
  • ○     Dedham Square Design Guidelines
    • ■     Hoping to schedule another meeting soon
    • ■     Draft version of guidelines available tomorrow and discussing at committee meeting 5/15
    • ■     Asphalt sidewalk at Washington/High corner will be replaced with concrete
• ●     Town Planner status update
  • ○     Jarritt Katz
  • ○     Young, inexperienced but very smart and good references
  • ○     Starts Monday (unclear 5/7 or 5/14)
  • ○     Will have him meet with department heads
  • ○     Talk strategy for FY19
  • ○     Reporting to John Sisson rather than Town Manager
  • ○     Can a member of the planning department be present at the MPIC meetings?
  • ○     Shaw: motion to acknowledge Sisson and thank him for stepping in to help out in absence of Town Planner
    • ■     Seconded by Lindeman, approved
• ●     Next Steps for developing Dedham 2020 Master Plan
  • ○     Time for current MPIC committee to create 2020 MP committee
  • ○     PB representation on MPIC committee (Jay O’Brien or Jessica Porter?)
    • ■     Selectmen prefer not to have second PB member on committee
  • ○     Workshop from Citizen Planner Training Collaborative
    • ■     Current best practices
    • ■     Process
    • ■     Not very fast (volunteers) – still working on setting up
    • ■     Introductory class for a lot of stakehoders in town
    • ■     RFP development assistance
    • ■     Current target of 6/11 might need to be pushed to July or August
  • ○     Timeline – anticipate that November warrant will include request for $150k for consultant
    • ■     How long from November meeting to hiring of consultant?
    • ■     John Sisson
      • ●     9-10 special permit projects anticipated
      • ●     a couple studies underway
      • ●     Could tee up RFP beforehand
      • ●     By February up and running
  • ○     Is there a way to gauge the market without submitting formal RFP? (SD)
    • ■     Monitoring MP listserv, see what other towns are doing (Lexington recently submitted)
    • ■     Formal motion was made to ask John Sisson to communicate through the listserv that Dedham will be searching for consultant and to direct any questions related to such to John Sisson
      • ●     Motion withdrawn after comments from Fred Civian, committee agrees with consensus to move forward
    • ■     Judi Barrett, experienced planner, involved in 2009 master plan, no longer with RKG but doing freelance consulting
      • ●     Consider asking her to give a presentation on the process
      • ●     Very capable, very helpful to master plan last time around
  • ○    Consultant beginning work 3/1, between now and then how does MPIC continue to prepare and complete its charge
    • ■     Last task from this committee is to develop format for the next committee
    • ■     How can we make a recommendation without some firmer ideas about what we are trying to achieve with the MP process?
    • ■     Jessica Porter has spent time looking at current committee structures
      • ●     Believes they can make recommendation in next few months based on what has worked in other committees and in 2009 plan
      • ●     May not provide exact composition but can at least provide size and rough makeup
      • ●     Does the MPIC agree that a recommendation can be made?
  • ○     MPIC representation situation
    • ■     Jessica Porter already sworn in on Planning Board
    • ■     Only one Planning Board rep on the MPIC, but Jay O’Brien has indicated he wants to continue being rep
      • ●     Jay O’Brien has not been able to regularly attend meetings
      • ●     Jessica Porter is current Chair
    • ■     Planning Board will decide on Thursday 5/10
      • ●     If they choose Jay O’Brien, Jessica Porter will resign but continue to attend meetings
    • ■     Any action to be taken by MPIC?
      • ●     Ryan McDermott asked why can’t JP continue to serve in current capacity?
  • ○     Selectmen have concerns about appointing 2 members of the PB to be on the MPIC■     S. McDermott has charter from Planning Board on how to develop structure for MP
    • ●     ~5 meetings until Town Meeting in November
    • ●  Doesn’t think they can make intelligent recommendations in two months/meetings
• ●     Strong endorsement for Jessica Porter – elected chair due to incredibly valuable contributions to the MPIC (creativity, attendance, etc.). Unacceptable for Jay O’Brien to replace Jessica Porter in this context.
• ●     S. McDermott wants to present to Planning Board prior to any vote being taken. Vote should not happen this Thursday (SD can’t go).
• ●     No decision should be made at Thursday meeting without S. McDermott (and larger MPIC committee) input
• ●     MPIC stance is that they need Jessica Porter’s presence to do what they were chartered to do.
• ●     Motion – If Planning Board discusses this issue on Thursday, John Sisson will communicate the MPIC unanimous endorsement of Jessica Porter for continuing presence on MPIC through Town Meeting
  • ○     Outstanding responsibility
    • ■     Prepare proposal for reconstituting Master Plan 2020 Committee
    • ■     Marty Lindeman will provide block elements on Thursday (main deliverables)
      • ●     Best Practices
      • ●     Committee Structure
      • ●     FC will present at PB on Thursday
      • ●     JS will also convey support for JP
    • ■     Fin Com – vote on spending in late September
  • ○     Master Plan Committee structures used by other towns
    • ■     Milton, Sharon, Ayer, Canton
    • ■     More towns starting to layer in Health
    • ■     Historic District
    • ■     Conservation
    • ■     Housing Authority – one of least implemented last time around, might be worth focusing on this time
    • ■     Finance/Warrant Review
    • ■     School
      • ●     At Large: 4-7
      • ●     Other interesting committees: Chamber of Commerce, Community Preservation, Economic Development Committee, Water Advisory
      • ●     MR: Appointed or Direct?
        • ○     Not clear, can contact to clarify
      • ●     Benchmarking against other towns might be worthwhile
    • ■     14 members last time around
    • ■     Economic Development Committee (Canton has one)
      • ●     S. McDermott asked John Sisson about effectiveness
      • ●     Newton one was not effective, toothless, largely ignored
        • ○     Good reports, but not fully valued by elected officials
      • ●     Economic development director should be heavily involved with MP committee
    • ■     Housing – better implementation might not come from housing authority but from more creative sources – other points of expertise within the committee (at-large?)
      • ●     How do we identify that expertise within the community and harness it?
    • ■     Housing from government perspective generally disconnected from people making the decisions about spending money
      • ●     The person who did cluster development project might be good resource to ask about this
  • ○     Where do we want expertise and where is the best place to get expertise for that given topic?
    • ■     i.e. Housing – how do we get broader expertise than just Section 8?
    • ■     Some places residents will make sense, in others town staff
    • ■     How to engage the people who will be implementing this? (get someone to own each piece)
    • ■     Develop structure that is better equipped to more fully implement the plan than last time around
    • ■     Ask committee members to review update and ID areas of expertise
    • ■     Review in context of what worked well, what was successful, what wasn’t, etc.
    • ■     Homework – Brainstorm ideal list
      • ●     Straw poll
      • ●     Not definitive, just a way to get thinking about it. Act as a placeholder
    • ■     Need to have people at the table making money/budget decisions
      • ●     Translate wonky ideas from dedicated citizens into concrete action
    • ■     Authorizing environment needs to be considered by the committee
    • ■     How to populate subcommittees with expertise
    • ■    Matrix structure, make sure all priorities are reflected in all aspects
      • ●     Neighborhoods – 7 at large, one from each precinct?
    • ■     Civic engagement important
      • ●     Flowering of civic organizations in the past 30 years is remarkable
      • ●     Should think about this as an important aspect
• ●     Old/New Business
  • ○     Walk audit training
    • ■     Sponsored by Livable Dedham
    • ■     Met at library
    • ■     ~30 people, breakout into small groups of 5-6
    • ■     ML very impressed with presenter, wants to practice very soon
    • ■     Walk expert led group of 25 residents including some town staff, DPW director chief of police town engineer, see how pedestrians experience streets and sidewalks
    • ■     Dedham Square planning study had representatives there
    • ■     This walk focused on Dedham Square, but included training so we can do it on our own in the future as the town is developed
    • ■     Walk audits can inform zoning changes
      • ●     Short term and long term changes
        • ○     i.e. changing Rte 1 overpass to a concert venue
    • ■     Training discussed difference between policies and programs
    • ■     Tool for planning
    • ■     Walk audits are great tools which can help inform development projects all across town moving forward
      • ●     Legacy Place
      • ●     Riverdale Neighborhood Group
  • ○     Bridge Street
    • ■     YourGov – mobile app for reporting potholes and streetlights out, can expand to report experiences on a map related to pedestrians
      • ●     Should be promoted better within the town
      • ●     Light Items
  • ○     Fun fact of the meeting: illegal to kill pigeons in Massachusetts
• ●     Meeting adjourned 8:50 PM
  
  

Open Discussion/Public Comment

No open discussion/public comment

Meeting Adjourned 8:50 pm
Notes taken by  Justin Reiter

Notes reviewed by Heather Springer


Community Notes are not official minutes or transcriptions of a meeting. They are intended to provide summaries of discussion and actions taken at meetings. For official meeting minutes, visit the Town of Dedham’s website or contact the Town Clerk.

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