While Sterling has enjoyed a long, lazy, and unusually hot summer there’s also been an unusual amount of activity behind the scenes. Town officials, many of our boards and committees, and groups of local residents, have been meeting throughout the summer to discuss Sterling’s future, and the economic development of the town. Last spring, the town contracted the services of Judi Barrett, Principal of Barrett Planning Group LLC, as a facilitator for the newly formed Master Plan Committee. Barrett has worked with Sterling’s Open Space Implementation Committee, and has experience in organizing and guiding master plan committees. She’s also been key in developing the master plans for Groton, Princeton, and other communities.
In addition to forming a Master Plan Committee, the town is in the process of hiring a town planner. The town planner position was approved by vote at the Annual Town Meeting on May 1. At this point, the deadline for applications has closed, a screening committee has been struck, and interviews are being scheduled. The town planner’s primary responsibility will be to develop and implement Sterling’s master plan.
Why is a master plan necessary? In addition to providing a blueprint for a community’s growth and economic development, land use, zoning, and other factors, a master plan is routinely required when a town applies for government grants. Developing a master plan can take more than a year, and involves consultation with all the business, government, and residential stakeholders that live and work in a community. Most towns revise their master plan every 10 to 15 years. Sterling’s current master plan is over 50 years old, which is disturbing to many that are concerned with what the town will look like 50 years from now.
According to Town Administrator Ross Perry, Sterling is on the cusp of assessing its future, and he’s determined to make the process effective and efficient. “This is all about breaking the mold of same old, same old, or business as usual,” he says. “But the challenge of breaking the mold is that you have to have a way to do it and the resources to do it. The master plan is essential for that. It maps out not only the goals, but the process and means to achieve those goals.”
Perry works closely with all town boards and committees, as all are involved in planning for Sterling’s future. While the Board of Selectmen, Planning Board, the Economic Development Committee, and Finance Committee have obvious roles in planning, virtually all boards and committees are intrinsically involved with town infrastructure, such as roadwork, utilities, septic and sewage, signage, rubbish disposal, recycling, zoning, and everything else that keeps a municipality running from day to day.
The Economic Development Committee (EDC), true to its name, is most specifically concerned with the town’s economic growth, including attracting businesses to Sterling. EDC Chair Jim Patacchiola believes that both planning and rejuvenation are critical to determining the town’s future.
“From the EDC perspective, town planning is necessary to know what types of businesses will be appropriate for Sterling in terms of location and infrastructure, which includes utilities and their capacity to handle increased loads and also roads,” he says. “Rejuvenation is important in keeping Sterling an attractive place to work and live.”
Patacchiola is also convinced that revising zoning bylaws needs to be a priority over the next year. “Rezoning to correct present zoning conflicts that are an impediment to business investment in Sterling needs to be a priority,” he says. “This is necessary to maintain businesses that are presently in Sterling and to attract new businesses.” He adds that updating zoning bylaws will go a long way toward stabilizing Sterling’s tax rate. “Otherwise, Sterling homeowner property taxes will increase when businesses leave town.”
Although town planning discussions are intense and sometimes heated, there’s agreement from all sides that public input into all aspects of the process is absolutely vital.
“Our discussions and the planning process are for the benefit of the town, and it involves everyone who lives and works here,” says Perry. “Often, the fate of a particular initiative depends almost entirely on public involvement. This is the moment for the people of Sterling to make their voices heard.”
Sterling is on the move
Although the process of developing a master plan is complex and time-consuming, significant progress has already been made in identifying and preliminary implementation of many initiatives, including:
• Master planning process
• Town beach project
• West school tennis and pickleball courts
• Main Street rejuvenation
• Sidewalk planning
• Updating the town’s open space plan
• Working with the EDC and the building commissioner to clean up vacant and neglected lots
• Supporting schools
• Increased programs and community use of the Sterling Senior Center
• 1835 Town Hall renovations
• Roundabouts and other roadwork
• Investment in infrastructure, such as HVAC system in Conant Public Library and planned for Butterick Municipal Building
• Balanced budget with appropriate financial reserves
• Hiring of operations manager to manage and track projects day to day
• Revising personnel policies, including instigating merit and longevity recognition
In addition, the town has been successful in securing new grant money, including:
• $5,000 MRPC grant for sewer feasibility study
• $25,000 Community Compact grant for technical assistance
• $85,000 Massachusetts Office on Disability and Municipal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) grant for installation of a lift in the 1835 Town Hall
• $100,000 Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund (CFF) grant for restoration of the great hall of the 1835 Town Hall
• $40,000 commitment from Senator Dean Tran to implement online permitting, which will enable permitting for residents and builders 24/7
Watch for articles detailing many of these initiatives as they develop in upcoming issues of Sterling Meetinghouse News.