After tornadoes, communities get planning help

Monson and West Springfield, two of the communities hit by tornadoes on June 1, 2011, have been receiving planning advice facilitated by the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission.

The destruction brought by the tornadoes presents an opportunity to rethink what the downtown district or other neighborhoods should look like, according to Danielle McKahn, a planner with the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission who worked with Monson on the project.

In Monson, an initial “visioning” forum in September that drew more than 70 residents suggested that people generally like the town center, but have some concerns about traffic and pedestrian access, McKahn said.

During the winter months, roughly 270 people viewed images of different types of development and rated them on a scale of 1 to 5, from “Strongly Dislike” to “Like Quite a Bit.”

According to McKahn, residents indicated support not only for replacing lost street trees but also for more pedestrian activity in the town center, improved sidewalks and crosswalks, and the creation of recreational amenities such as a walking/bicycling path. The results were discussed at an April 25 meeting.

“What is in the images relates back to physical zoning,” McKahn said, noting that changes to Monson’s land-use regulations would be necessary to realize the vision.

The Pioneer Valley Planning Commission contracted with Ashfield-based Dodson & Flinker to carry out a similar process involving West Springfield’s Merrick section, a mix of industrial buildings and lower-income housing. According to West Springfield Planning Director Richard Werbiskis, one possible outcome for the neighborhood would be zoning along two prominent streets that would allow commercial uses on the ground floor with residential use above.