Marion residents who participated in the September 27 Master Plan Discovery Workshop maintained their ongoing goal and vision for the Town’s next Master Plan by putting the preservation of the community’s natural and historic character at the top of the list.

Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development Division (SRPEDD) leaders directed the group of about 25 residents and town officials gathered to take the first step towards developing a 2015 Master Plan that, since 1996, has not changed much in regard to overall goals pertaining to the Town’s character, zoning bylaws to protect and enhance the growing community, and the discouraging of larger businesses in favor of smaller “mom and pop” businesses.

Those in attendance were split into five different discussion groups to address Natural and Cultural Resources, Economic Development, Services and Facilities, Housing, and Land Use, and then attendees at the end of the event voted on their personal top four ideas from the five different topics.

Group members had to decide what parts of the old Master Plan are still pertinent today, while brainstorming new ideas for the future of the community.

Route 6 development topped the list of discussion points in most of the groups, with most envisioning a more “village” feel that is more accommodating for pedestrian traffic and small businesses.

“Is there a reason why we have to have a 50 mile-per-hour road through the village?” asked Robert Raymond, part of the Economic Development group. Mattapoisett and Wareham both have a village-like environment that group members agreed was more in line with Marion’s small town character.

The Economic Development group suggested increasing the tax base by attracting smaller businesses “without changing any of the things we love about Marion.” The group envisioned Route 6 as more of an “urban village,” and recommended enhancing the quality of life of residents through cultural activities, even suggesting shuttle busses that would run in a loop around town.

Land Use group members thought the first four goals of the old Master Plan were “absolutely right on,” suggesting focusing on devising specific “aesthetic design guidelines” for business development. The group also focused on natural resources, the aging population, and “walkability” from one area of town to the next.

Group members emphasized the importance of smaller, quality businesses, making Route 6 safe, and “cluster development” regarding subdivision development to have that “village feel instead of those acres and acres … of spread out development,” as Marilyn Whalley stated on behalf of the group.

Representing the Services and Facilities and Circulation group, Bill Saltonstall reported that the group found the wording of the previous Master Plan “too passive” and in need of more active verbs that are “more do-able,” rather than softer verbs like “preserve” and “maintain” to describe the vision for the town center.

“The village isn’t really full of vitality,” said Saltonstall.

The group touched upon awareness of climate change and rising coastal waters that could affect Marion in the not-so-distant future.

“We’re not convinced that the Town is prepared or ready to face … increasing destruction.” Saltonstall pointed out that zoning bylaws allow structures to be rebuilt in flood and velocity zones, but new construction is prohibited. The group wondered if rebuilding in these zones in the future should be reassessed.

Keeping with the status quo, Saltonstall suggested “beautifying Route 6” and making it appropriate in scale to the Marion village center, and advocated for sidewalks and a more cohesive system for pedestrians.

The group discussing Housing reported that its own overall strategy stayed the same, with attracting large, but more appropriate, business development to decrease the tax burden on residents. The group suggested the Town look to neighboring towns and their own master plans for ideas, and advocated fostering more constructive communication between the Town and Tabor Academy.

Developing affordable housing for Town employees such as first responders made that group’s list of concerns as well, and the group also questioned how 40B development might affect town services and whether future 40B developments could be rejected or negotiated.

The group discussing Natural and Cultural resources and Open Space and Recreation had one buzz word that kept popping up throughout its discussion: “piecemeal,” regarding the management of acquired conservation land and zoning bylaws.

Former Planning Board member Ted North referred to the Town’s bylaws as “a lengthy canoe gathered together by duct tape, and it floats.”

The group also assessed its cultural and historic assets, referring to the Marion Art Center, the harbor, and the village as Marion’s top three attractions.

Planning Board Chairman Steve Kokkins first pointed out the lack of overall management of the conservation and recreation land and stated, “We don’t want to attract other people [to Marion], we just want it there.”

When the topic of a bike path development came up, Caro Sanz called it “stupid” and then asked where cyclists would park their cars to use the bike path. The group consensus was that Route 6 should be beautiful, prompting others passing through to say, “Isn’t it beautiful? I want to live here!” as one group member put it.

Group members said public beaches were an asset to the Town, but only “limited public access” for Marion residents, and suggested breaking the Town into historical districts as a way to preserve the town character.

Another buzzword throughout discussions was “smart zoning” aimed at creating diversity in housing and inhibiting larger business growth, and pedestrianizing the Town was a big topic when it came to envisioning the future of the town.

A Master Plan takes work, said Sandy Conaty of SRPEDD. It also takes between 18 months and three years to develop.

“This is not an overnight task,” said Conaty. “It takes a lot of time and effort. It is a lot of work [and] it can be expensive.” This workshop, said Conaty, was the first step in the process of creating a new Master Plan.

Marion residents who would like to contribute their own ideas toward a grand vision of Marion can visit the website SRPEDD devised specifically for the Marion Master Plan at www.srpedd.org/marion-master-plan. There is also a Facebook page titled “Marion Master Plan.”

By Jean Perry