Dedham To Unveil Draft Plan Saturday

DEDHAM, MA – The draft Designing Dedham 2030 Master Plan will be released for public comment at a hybrid meeting Saturday at the Dedham Middle School from 11 a.m.-1 p.m., which will be simultaneously be held on Zoom for those who cannot attend in person.

The town-wide master plan was developed to guide the future improvements and economic development in the town, using goals and ideas generated by community members. A 12-member Master Plan Committee is working with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) to produce this plan.

This this the culmination of a two-year process. At the meeting, attendees can expect a brief overview of the master plan process and draft content including the vision statement and all master plan topic chapters, a question-and-answer panel hosted by the Master Plan Committee, and an informal open house to conclude the meeting. Some of the topics addressed will be: public health and livability; land use and zoning; economic development; housing; natural, cultural, historic resources; transportation and connectivity; community facilities and services; and governance. Spanish interpretation will be provided, and those who would like information in other languages may request it beforehand.

The event will begin a 45-day public comment period that will be open until January 18th. Community input and feedback has defined the content of this plan, and community feedback on the draft plan now is equally as important.

Beginning on Dec. 4, residents can download a copy of the full document or any of its chapters for review. Comments can be sent to MAPC Project Manager Josh Fiala at jfiala@mapc.org. For more information, visit www.DesigningDedham2030.org.

All of the events of the Master Plan have added to the new ways that the town has engaged people in the two-year Master Plan process. A hybrid Community Celebration is another example of the inclusive engagement that has been a core feature of this process.

During this timeframe, a visioning workshop attracted more than 300 participants in 2020. A visioning survey conducted over the same time period received 1,100 responses and a second, more detailed survey gathered input from nearly 800 people.

Other events that allowed residents to contribute to the design included a series of three virtual open houses last winter attended by hundreds of participants who strengthened the goals with their input.

This fall, a virtual open house was hosted to gather detailed input on draft strategies with over 50 attendees. The town has also hosted two virtual youth focus groups in partnership with Dedham’s Youth Commission and has performed individual interviews to expand the inclusiveness of participation.

The Master Plan Committee has met monthly throughout this process and will be recognized at the community celebration for all of their efforts. An outreach working group has also been contributing many volunteer hours to help promote events and engage the community throughout this process. They will also be recognized at the event.

The above information was submitted by the Town of Dedham.