BRPC Sets Sustainable Berkshires Presentations
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ADAMS, Mass. — County residents will have a chance to weigh in on the neighborhood portion of the countywide Sustainable Berkshires plan this month.
The Berkshire Regional Planning Commission will host two public forums to share the results of an analysis of local neighborhood sustainability and present strategies aimed at strengthening regional and local efforts toward safe, healthy, equitable and vibrant neighborhoods.
The forum for South/Central Berkshire will be held on Monday, Dec. 9, at Lenox Town Hall from 6 to 8; the North/Central forum will be held at in the Miller Annex at the Adams Free Library on Tuesday, Dec. 10, also from 6 to 8.
All members of the community are welcome and encouraged to attend to provide input on recommendations and help make them happen.
To date, Sustainable Berkshires has hosted several community focus groups in which stakeholders have discussed housing or neighborhood-related challenges faced by their communities, including a shortage of affordable housing; a diminished sense of community; and lack of pedestrian infrastructure.
Sustainable Berkshires is a new regional plan being developed by the commission and is funded by a federal Housing and Urban Development Sustainable Communities Planning Grant. Through a public process, the plan will define the community's vision for the future of the region and sets out specific actions for businesses, communities, and organizations across the region to help the region achieve the vision.
The question at the heart of the plan is "how do you envision the Berkshires in 2030?" For example: How should we meet future energy needs? What can we do to build stronger, safer, more vibrant communities? What industries should we encourage to grow and relocate here? What makes the Berkshires a special place? How can we promote a vibrant, resilient economy?
Sustainable Berkshires, set to wrap up in early 2014, is a three-year process tackling a wide range of relevant issues such as housing and neighborhoods, conservation and recreation, climate change and energy, infrastructure and services, historic preservation, food and agriculture, and more. Conservation and Recreation, Economic Development, Climate Change and Energy, and Historic Preservation have draft plans available for review at www.sustainableberkshires.org. Updates are posted on Facebook.
Tags: BRPC, planning, Sustainable Berkshires,
