Planning Board Envisions Master Plan

On a night when two of its members could not attend and with no petitioners scheduled, Swampscott Planning Board members Pat Jones and Sylvia Belkin welcomed newly elected member George Potts to his first meeting and began a discussion about how to develop a new plan for future development in Swampscott.

"It's unfortunate, but one of the most common things I hear around town is that the town doesn't have a plan (for development)," noted Planning Board Chairman Jones.

Referring to a draft planning matrix that was developed by vice chair Angela Ippolito, who was not able to attend Monday due to a personal matter, Jones outlined a strategy by which he believes the Planning Board could play a central role in helping the town develop a Master Plan, by involving sub-committees comprised of volunteers to each work on different aspects of the overall plan. 

Jones also indicated that he thought one area the Planning Board should take a major interest in organizing is the "downtown" area that includes Humphrey Street from the site where the new police station will be built and extending all the way to Burrill Street and the commuter rail station.

Jones said he'd "like to see the Planning Board become the catalyst" for the planning process in town and "take a leadership role, by pulling together" all of the other committees and boards that have worked on planning issues over the years.

Citing just a few of the boards and committees he thought should be included, Jones named the School Committee and the School Master Plan Committee, the Zoning Board of Appeals, Board of Selectmen, and even volunteer committees like the Humphrey Street Planning Committee and the former Phillips Park Study Committee.

"I think that schools and parks are also areas that need a lot of focus and planning," he said.

The board members each agreed that they would begin to think about what kinds of project areas or neighborhoods would need separate sub-committees, such as the Hunmphrey Street area and schools and parks and would also begin to search for volunteers who would be willing to serve on the sub-committees.

Prior to engaging the board in the master plan discussion, Jones invited Potts to tell a bit about himself and his reasons for seeking the seat, and then filled Potts in on some of the duties and responsibilities of the Planning Board.

Potts, who has been a resident in town for the past four years, said that "with budgets going up we either need to increase taxes or get more people to pay," and said that he felt that by joining the Planning Board "he could help the town."

Jones also noted that normally the Planning Board uses the first meeting after an election to designate the chairman, vice chairman and secretary to serve for the next year. However, given that two members of the board were missing, those votes will be taken at the next meeting instead.

The Planning Board will meet again on June 13 at 7 p.m. at the Senior Center, and there is a chance that a petition regarding the proposed new police station could be before the board on that night as well.