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Master Plan
Home
This Website has been
developed for the residents of the Town of Charlton and others interested
in the development and implementation of Charlton's Master Plan
Update. Use the links above to get more detailed information about
the Plan and its development process.
What
is a Community Master Plan?
A Community Master
Plan:
- tells a community what it looks like today and
what direction it has decided it wants to go for the future; it
includes assessments of existing resources and issues, projections
of future conditions and needs, and consideration of collective
goals and desires
- is a policy guide and provides a framework for
the physical development of the municipality. While the emphasis
is on buildings and infrastructure, it does not ignore the important
social and economic values of the community. The master plan is
a method of translating the community's values into specific actions
- covers a time frame of about 10-20 years; it
is assumed that shorter-term reviews will keep it current with
the changing needs of the community
- is closely integrated with other municipal planning
documents and initiatives, for example in Charlton, the Open Space
& Recreation Plan, Tri-Community (Charlton, Sturbridge, Southbridge)
Corridor Planning Study, Economic Development Analysis of the
Rt. 169 Corridor, etc.
The Master Plan
is NOT a zoning bylaw, a subdivision regulation, a budget, a capital
improvement program or other regulatory document. It is meant to
be the basis for the preparation of these elements.
For more information, see the Frequently
Asked Questions (FAQ).
How
is Charlton building its Master Plan?
- Funding
- Planning Board
- Public outreach and meetings
- Data collection and analysis that will ultimately
be rolled into the Master Plan document
- New implementation plan.
Information
and data are gathered from the 2000 Master Plan and other prior
studies, while current views and opinions are being collected through
community events where residents are invited to provide inputs.
Other sources include data provided from state census data, and
mapping data provided by one of the consulting teams. See the Master
Plan Process for more information.
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