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BVPP

 

Blackstone Valley Prioritization Project

 

Project Overview

Building on the success of the recently-completed 495/MetroWest Development Compact Plan, CMRPC is embarking on a collaborative effort, focused on the Blackstone Valley.  Our objective is to create a shared framework for identifying regional and local priorities for growth, development, higher education and land preservation, as well as transportation and other infrastructure investments. This planning effort will be conducted in a cooperative effort with local and regional participants, including the Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce and the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor Commission, and will engage the public,  private, and non-profit sectors in the region to form the framework for public involvement in land use decisions and infrastructure investment within the Blackstone Valley over the next twenty years.  By continuing to identify local priorities for development and preservation, we can articulate a set of larger regional priorities to build into the over-arching identity of the Central Massachusetts region.

 

CMRPC will work with the region’s stakeholders to define priority protection areas, priority development areas, and significant priority transportation improvements.  Our goal is to list and map locally-identified and regionally-significant preservation and development areas and critical infrastructure needs, in a manner that is consistent with existing policies, master plans and guidelines, as well as the state’s Sustainable Development Principles.

 

 The project is guided by six fundamental principles:

 

  1. Continued new growth will likely require major transportation and other infrastructure upgrades, beyond what is needed to keep existing systems in good repair;
  2. New commercial and residential growth must occur in a manner that is respectful of open space resources, transportation networks, and water resources in the region;
  3. Land use and transportation decisions must take into account the principles established by the Global Warming Solutions Act, GreenDOT, and the transportation reorganization statute;
  4. Workforce housing must continue to be produced and preserved within the region;
  5. Sustainable new growth will involve the creation and maintenance of an effective public transit system; and
  6. Coordinated planning and implementation efforts between jurisdictions are necessary.

 

Click here for the Project Flyer. 

 

  

Regional Meeting Presentations  

 

June 26, 2012 Regional Forum Powerpoint Presentation (includes Blackstone Valley By The Numbers) 

 

November 13, 2012 Regional Meeting Powerpoint Presentation and Panelist Biographical Sketches

 

 

Project Maps and Tables

 

 

Final Report

 

2012 Blackstone Valley Prioritization Project, CMPRC

 

For more information contact Trish Settles, Regional Collaboration and Community Planning Manager at 508 459 3320 or tsettles@cmrpc.org.