City planners want to know: what is your vision of Chicopee?

Sept. 2, 2020 | G. Michael Dobbs
news@thereminder.com

CHICOPEE – What’s your vision for Chicopee? The mayor and the Planning Department would like to know.

Mayor John Vieau has announced the start of the first citywide comprehensive development plan, “Envision Our Chicopee 2040,” which would be the guide for city officials for the next two decades.

Vieau and Lee Pouliot, director of Planning & Development, are asking the public to participate in several online activities to express opinions and become involved in the planning effort

Pouliot said, “Can you imagine trying to put together a large puzzle without knowing what it should look like when you’re finished? That is what the Planning Department has been trying to do for years. With a comprehensive plan, we will have a clear direction regarding priority projects and funding needs to ensure such investments meet the broader community vision for the city.”

The plan would help answer the following questions:

• What new development looks like and where it happens?

• How the city can protect environmentally sensitive areas and historic sites?

• How to prioritize future investments in community services and infrastructure that promote fairness and equity across the city?

• How to better support local business development and entrepreneurship?

City residents are encouraged to go to www.EnvisionOurChicopee2040.com and participate in The Virtual Community Workshop will be conducted Sept. 3 from 4 to 6 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m.

The website will be where information on the planning process, including other upcoming events and future activities will be posted. Residents can also register on the website to receive email updates throughout the planning process.

Information from online activities will then go to a steering committee and a member of that committee, City Council President Shane Brooks, explained to Reminder Publishing that he hopes the plan will help the city in attracting additional housing stock as well as stabilizing the present stock, assisting with growing tax revenue.

He is very interested in making housing in the city sustainable in order to attract young families. On a personal note, he would like to see the city keep residents such as his two daughters through improvements and investments.

He noted among the challenges especially for downtown neighborhoods is both homelessness and food insecurity. “The underlying issues have to be addressed,” he said.

Issues of social equity should also be discussed in the process. “It may make some people uncomfortable but we have an obligation to have this conversation,” he added.

“Comprehensive plans are long-term visions for a city and ‘Envision Our Chicopee: 2040’ will guide the city’s development over the next two decades,” noted Vieau. “I am proud of our city and expect this plan will help build on our collective identity and a common vision for the next 20 years.”

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