Mattapoisett Master Plan

Mattapoisett Master Plan Workshop #2

Take your time to participate in the online activities on this page to support the Mattapoisett Master Plan efforts! All activities are now live and will be open until Weds., March 24, 2021 - four weeks from the start of the workshop. Contact your project team with any thoughts, questions, or concerns.

This workshop focuses on Land Use, Housing, Economic Development, and Climate & Resiliency.

Please click here to register for the live Zoom event to take place from 6:30 - 8:30 PM on Weds., February 24, 2021.

Welcome to the Second Mattapoisett Master Plan Virtual Workshop

Virtual Workshop #2 for the Mattapoisett Master Plan will focus on land use, housing, and economic development. We'll also begin the process of exploring these - and all - Master Plan topics through the lens of climate change and resiliency.

How do I participate?

The workshop will feature one live event to be held via Zoom from 6:30 - 8:30 PM on Weds., February 24, 2021 where residents and stakeholders will learn about the online activities below, discuss the topics at hand, and ask any questions. After the Zoom event, you can complete any and all interactive exercises at your on pace and at your convenience! The activities will be live for four weeks.

Who should participate?

Any resident, business owner, or official in Mattapoisett!  We'd especially encourage Master Plan Committee members and Planning Board members to take part in the activities here.

What's this Master Plan all about anyway?

Good question! Please see our project's frequently asked questions (FAQs) below.  You can also visit the main project web page at www.srpedd.org/Mattapoisett-Master-Plan.

Informational Videos

Housing

Land Use/Future Growth

Climate Resiliency

Participate in the Workshop

Due to restrictions on in-person public meetings, we have provided a wide menu of options to participate in this workshop. Choose any and all methods you prefer!

Listening Line

Call or send a text to the Mattapoisett Master Plan Listening Line at (774)-377-9708.

Six Online Exercises

Beginning on Weds., February 24, please participate in any and all exercises, below. And feel free to reach out to your project team with any questions.

Activity #1 - Estimates of Future Growth

Get to Know Your Growth Model

What could development in Mattapoisett look like over the next 30 years? Let’s get to know a tool – a land use model – that will help us envision these possible futures. We’ll use it ask questions, create scenarios, and refine estimates as this project moves forward. The answers to all these questions – combined with your hopes and values – will help us write your Master Plan.

Don't forget to leave a question or comment at the end of the "Story Map!" We'd be particularly interested to know what questions you'd like us to ask the model and what useful scenarios you think we could develop.
 

Click the icon to the left to proceed to the exercise. A new window will open.

Activity # 2 - WikiMapping Your Growth Preferencecs

Continue to Map Your Preferences

Let's add to the excellent community mapping we began during the first workshop!  This time, please pay special attention to the following prompts, but feel free to add any and all ideas!

  • Other than on Route 6 and in the Industrial Park, where would you like to see commercial development in town?
  • Housing in the Village is fairly dense - 5 units per acre (UPA). Are there any other locations in town where you could envision "Village-style" housing in the future?
  • Imagine a housing development that you know and love from somewhere else in the world. Can you let us know where it is (with a name or a link) and where you might imagine it fitting in town?
  • Can you identify any land use outcomes that you would rather ... not see more of in Mattapoisett? Can you help us understand why?
  • Are there any specific locations where you would consider zoning changes to allow more senior housing, more commercial development, or other changes?

 

Click the icon to the left to proceed to the exercise. A new window will open.

You can also see a refresher video on how to participate just below.

Activity # 3 Mapping Housing Production on Town-Owned Land

Where might affordable housing belong (on town-owned land)?

As part of the Master Plan, Mattapoisett is also undertaking a local Housing Production Plan (HPP). This document is a community's plan to produce both market-rate housing and subsidized housing that meets the requirements of state housing laws (especially Chapter 40B). One requirement of the HPP is for communities to map town-owned land that might be appropriate for affordable housing development. This exercise asks for your input on that important question.
 

Click the icon to the left to proceed to the exercise. A new window will open.

Activity #4 - Climate Quiz

Test how well you know what is expected for Mattapoisett's Climate in 2050

We don't expect you to ace this quiz! Rather, we hope this will familiarize you with anticipated climate impacts that we will consider throughout the Master Plan.

Take your best guesses as an intriguing way of comparing what you think might be expected relative to the level of magnitude of changes that are actually modeled and predicted.

Answers based on projections from ResilientMA, at the Buzzards Bay watershed basin level (the most localized dataset available).
 

Click the icon to the left to proceed to the exercise. A new window will open.

Activity #5 - Your Town MVP Rankings

How do you prioritize proposed Resilience Action Items for Mattapoisett?

An initiative of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Program is a significant two-step tool that supports local response to climate change impacts.

Mattapoisett initiated its MVP process in 2018. The town received an MVP Planning Grant to undertake a specialized MVP Planning Workshop for a local team of town staff, board members, and volunteers most involved in the stewardship of community infrastructure, public health, and bylaw implementation. The Workshop identified the aspects of town most vulnerable to climate change hazards (such as flooding, sea level rise, and intense storms). Participants then developed and prioritized actions to mitigate climate change impacts. As a result of the planning process, Mattapoisett has an MVP Plan and can apply for MVP Action Grants to implement the priority actions established in the MVP plan.

This exercise puts you in the shoes of the MVP Planning team to express your own views on what steps are most critical for mitigating climate change impacts in Mattapoisett.

The map below is a geographic representation of the action items proposed in the MVP Plan, categorized by their priority level as assigned by the MVP planning group.

First, explore the resilience action items that have been proposed for Mattapoisett in the map by clicking on a feature. A pop-up window with additional information will emerge. Clicking within the town (but not on any one feature) will bring up a list of town-wide action items. Layers can be turned on and off in the "Layers" panel, where legend information is also available.
 

Click the icon to the left to proceed to the exercise. A new window will open.

Activity #6 - Long-Form Climate Comments

This is a space for you to fully express any concerns and ideas you have related to climate change effects in Mattapoisett.

Considering the potential impacts of climate change on local communities can be deeply difficult. It's there in the phrase itself - climate change. And as with any change, it can be destabilizing. The potential effects that climate change can have may hit us on a personal, emotional level, tinged with both loss at what may transpire for our environment and our property, but also with some silver linings of possibility.

This exercise is an opportunity for you to digest some of the figures and thoughts that have been presented in Activities #4 and #5 (though you do not have to have done those activities to participate in Activity #6). This activity poses several long-form questions for your reflection and response.
 

Click the icon to the left to proceed to the exercise. A new window will open.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is Mattapoisett creating a Master Plan?

The State of Massachusetts requires that all cities and towns create and update a Master Plan every 10 years. (Mattapoisett’s last Master Plan, from 1999, is therefore in need of a full update.) More importantly, the Master Planning process is a meaningful opportunity for you to come together as a community, to reassess your goals and priorities, and to set a course to achieve those goals over the next several years. Master Plans frequently result in bylaw changes, participating in new state or federal programs, coordinated grant applications and infrastructure investments, updated and more efficient administration, and increased volunteerism, service, and stewardship in a community.

Who should get involved?

The Mattapoisett Master Plan will be directly informed and created by the input we receive from town residents, officials, seniors, parents, business owners, and even students! The project team listens to everyone’s ideas, identifies areas of consensus, and provides a road map to make your community goals real. Your ideas – combined with current information – will directly influence this plan and the future of Mattapoisett.

What is the final document like?

That depends. Some towns like a long plan with a ton of data – like a text book! Others like a concise, easy-to-understand, graphically engaging document – like a magazine! The project team will make sure that your Master Plan includes sufficient, necessary, but not excessive information on which you can base your decisions ... but we will probably lean towards making sure the plan is concise and approachable … something the average person wouldn’t mind reading at the end of a long work day.

What’s in a Master Plan?

Master Plans have 9 required “Elements.” You can think of these as chapters. They are: Vision, Land Use, Economic Development, Housing, Open Space & Recreation, Natural & Cultural Resources, Services & Facilities, Transportation & Circulation, and Implementation. Since you’re a coastal community, Mattapoisett's Master Plan will also be considering Climate Resilience.

How do you make sure the Plan leads to real change? Don’t plans just sit on the shelf for 10 years until it’s time to update them again?

Well, that’s up to you! Master Plans – good Master Plans – should create their own community momentum, optimism, consensus, and excitement. Ideally, when the planning is done, there will be a group of you – let’s call you “Local Champions” – who believe in the work and want to make it real. For its part, the final Master Plan will read like a recipe or an instruction manual:

  • It will include Goals for each Master Plan chapter. We'll describe the main reasons that each Goal is in the Plan; this “Big Picture” usually includes data and quotes from residents and workshop participants (e.g. “we need to complete the Mattapoisett Bike Path by 2030!”) that explain why the Goal is important to you as a community.
    • In turn, each Goal will have Strategies and list the main steps needed to achieve them. To make the Plan easy to use, each Strategy, clearly presents:
      • Who’s in charge – we call these the “Responsible Parties.”
      • How to measure success and progress – we call these “Performance Measures.”
      • Where to look for advice – we call these “Example Success Stories” and “Potential Partnerships.”
      • Other items from the Plan that might help – we call these “Complementary Actions.”
  • All these “How To” items appear again, summarized in charts, tables, or other diagrams and graphics, in the Plan’s Implementation chapter.

How can I get involved?

The best way to get involved with the Master Plan is to interact with the project team, explore data and past plans, and participate in virtual meetings and online exercises to provide your honest feedback. Please visit the “Stay Connected” section of the Mattapoisett Master Plan website to find links to all our engagement options.

What is a virtual workshop?

A virtual workshop is a 2-week period during which the project team will seek information from the public regarding specific topics online through a web page and virtual meetings. The Mattapoisett Master Plan’s “Discovery” workshop will take place from August 26 to September 9, 2020.

How can I participate in the virtual workshop?

You can simply visit the web page and read the information provided, such as demographic and previous planning summaries. The web page will also host exercises that you can do on your own time, including mapping exercises and brief surveys. The project team will also host live Zoom meetings that are open to the public and designed to actively solicit your ideas, hopes, and input.

Do I need to attend both live Zoom meetings to get the full experience?

You do not need to attend both live Zoom meetings. The meetings will follow the same agenda and discussion questions. The project team is hosting two meetings to give greater opportunity and flexibility for the public to participate.

What if I can’t make it to any of the live Zoom meetings?

That’s totally ok! You also have the option to complete the online exercises on the virtual workshop page. In addition, we have provided engagement tools that are available at any point during the planning process including, project email, listening line, public comment form, and the Master Plan Survey.

Who should I contact if I need special accommodations or translations for materials and/or virtual meetings?

Please contact a member of the project team to discuss your needs and what we can do to accommodate them during the live Zoom meetings. We do request advance notice of 5 business days to prepare and gather all necessary tools and staff.