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Date: 2/18/2021
EAST LONGMEADOW – More than 65 people joined a Zoom meeting on Feb. 13 to discuss their vision of East Longmeadow’s future. The meeting, a “visioning session” for the town’s new “resilient master plan,” was designed to give residents a say in what areas of improvement and development are important.
The master plan is a document designed to be updated every decade that lays out the town’s goals and areas to be improved or expanded upon in the following 10 to 20 years. The town has enlisted engagement consulting firm Barrett Planning Group and the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC) to help the Master Plan Steering Committee develop the document, which Town Administrator Mary McNally said has not been updated since 1976. Fiona Coughlin, of Barrett Planning Group, called the Resilient Master Plan “a blueprint for your future.”
She noted that while policies had been created to deal with issues over the years, the master plan will codify them and keep everything up-to-date.
Coughlin began by engaging the meeting participants in four polls to get a consensus on how people feel about key issues. The first poll asked whether residents support becoming a Green Community, a state designation that involves municipal encouragement of renewable energy and energy-use reduction. Green Communities are eligible for state grant funding to help with environmentally-friendly initiatives. Most responses – 83 percent – supported working toward the designation, while 5 percent did not and 12 percent were unsure.
The next question was about East Longmeadow’s position as a “bedroom community,” one in which people live while generally working in another city or town. Coughlin asked whether East Longmeadow functions well in this position, or if people want more options to “live, work, play” within the town’s borders. George Kingston, a member of the Master Plan Steering Committee, said it could also be a shift in the type of jobs in town. He noted they could find ways to encourage more high-paying positions to become available. Only 37 percent of respondents thought the town works well as a bedroom community, 47 percent wanted more options in town and 16 percent were unsure.
On the issue of whether there should be more recreation space in town, an overwhelming 82 percent agreed, while 6 percent disagreed and 12 percent didn’t know.
The final question was about whether the Redstone Rail Trail that runs through town should be expanded. Again, the majority approved of that idea, with 86 percent saying yes, 8 percent saying no and 6 percent unsure.
The meeting then broke into small groups to brainstorm about the town’s SWOT – strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. The ideas brainstormed by residents can be distilled into several issues.
Type of Community
The number one strength that all groups cited is the sense of community in East Longmeadow. The senior center was also referred to as a “community within a community.”
People said East Longmeadow supports its small businesses, but some also noted a concern with the types of businesses in town, such as the gun shops. A desire to keep big-box stores out of town was also mentioned.
Residents commented on the “outstanding,” responsive municipal employees, but said that the DPW and recreation department are overextended.
While all groups praised the schools in East Longmeadow, many people called for a better high school and more school funding.
Meeting participants had different ideas on the town’s level of diversity. While some felt the town’s existing diversity was a strength, others saw a need to encourage the racial and ethnic diversity of residents and town staff. Still, others pointed out the socio-economic inequity between “the haves and the have-nots.”
A few different people mentioned better communication from the town to all residents and between age cohorts within the town. To accomplish this community meeting spaces open to all residents were discussed.
Infrastructure
One area of infrastructure improvement that was frequently mentioned involved outdoor recreation, including walking trails. Resident Amie Singh said she would like to see more natural space conserved for passive recreation. Someone noted a desire to expand natural plantings along the rail trail.
Green infrastructure was called for, such as electric vehicle charging stations, energy-efficient homes and buildings, and disaster mitigating design and structures.
Traffic
Each of the breakout groups described issues with traffic, from speeding to truck routes, to the Center Square Rotary. Town walkability was also discussed. Several people mentioned a lack of sidewalks in town, while others spoke of the opportunity to improve the design of the Shaker Road corridor. The idea was raised to adopt Complete Streets, a roadway design approach that incorporates dedicated space for motor vehicles, public transportation, bicyclists and pedestrians.
Development
The topic of construction and development in town was cited as both an opportunity and a threat. While people voiced support for age-friendly infrastructure and disabled-friendly housing, some felt that new subdivisions are a threat due to concerns of an increased school-aged child population and strain on school funding. Moderately priced homes were also called for to avoid pricing potential homeowners out of the town while keeping taxes manageable.
Residents brought up both solar farms, and the building of natural gas infrastructure by Eversource as concerns. A couple of people noted that the machinery on Chestnut Street was an eyesore and could be cleaned up or developed.
One topic that came up involved an existing by-law that prohibits drive-throughs in town. The pandemic has drawn attention to their absence in town and the safety and convenience they may provide in limiting person-to-person contact.
Finally, better marketing of the downtown East Longmeadow area could encourage economic growth, one person said.
Coughlin explained that all of the information gathered at the meeting will be compiled and used by the master plan steering committee to create a vision statement for the master plan. More information about the master plan can be found at http://eastlongmeadowmp.pvpc.org/index.html.