Town Cove resiliency: planning board announces June community design workshop and walking tour

The Planning Board heard an update on the Town Cove and downtown resiliency project and the schedule for community engagement events next month.

Elizabeth Jenkins, assistant director of planning and community development, said the project assembles ecological and hydrological analysis of the Town Cove area and will produce a long-range plan that emphasizes green infrastructure. The department plans a three-part outreach series: a walking tour and a First Fridays evening event on Friday, June 5 (walking tour begins at 3:00 p.m. at the library), and a drop-in community design workshop Saturday, June 6 at 10:00 a.m. at the library.

Jenkins said consultants and landscape architects from Dodson & Flinker will help interpret the area's ecology and lead interactive exercises designed to surface community preferences for flood mitigation, water-quality improvements, walkability and bicycle connectivity. "We're going to have a series of stations that folks can come and really help us ... set a positive course for this project and come up with some real-world solutions to build resilience for the area in the future," Jenkins said.

The planning board thanked the project working group and encouraged public participation; Jenkins also noted a recorded Town Talk podcast with background on the work will be available the week before the events.

Next steps: the walking tour and evening talk are scheduled for June 5; the community design workshop is set for June 6 at 10:00 a.m. at the library. The project team will gather public input and incorporate findings into the long-range resiliency plan.