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Open Space and Long Range committees report: natural resources inventory underway, LWRP begins project review
Summary
Committee members gave updates: the Open Space committee has hired a consultant to compile a natural resources inventory as phase one of an open-space plan; the town’s Local Waterfront Revitalization Program (LWRP) is now an operational review tool and flagged a small culvert project for LWRP review.
Committee chairs updated the Economic Development Advisory Board on three linked planning efforts: an open-space plan inventory, the Local Waterfront Revitalization Program (LWRP) and long-range planning work.
Open Space: The Open Space Committee has hired a consultant to run a two-phase project. Phase one is a natural resources inventory to aggregate available ecological, habitat and landscape data across the island; speakers said that phase will take roughly a year. Phase two will use the inventory to create an open-space plan that identifies priorities for preservation, stewardship and potential public access enhancements.
LWRP and project review: Long Range committee members reported that the town’s LWRP has been completed and places the town “at the table” on waterfront and creek projects that touch designated waterfront resources. The committee said the LWRP will flag projects that require extra review and that it has already flagged a small culvert/driveway drainage work on First Street for review under the LWRP procedures. Members emphasized the program’s role in coordinating with federal and state agencies and noted that the plan’s chapter on proposed projects identifies potential waterfront investments.
Long Range/planning coordination: Committee members said they are working to translate the LWRP and long-range recommendations into a flowchart of processes so developers and staff understand triggers, referrals and decision points. The committees flagged that federal or state regulatory changes and triggers (for example wetlands or Army Corps jurisdiction) may alter the review pathway and that learning how the program operates in practice will be an early test of the plan’s effectiveness.
The committees intend to use the inventories and LWRP guidance to influence future project design and to coordinate better between advisory boards, planning staff and permitting authorities.
