The Easthampton UrbanRiver Visions Charrette was a great example of community planning and creative visioning. The charrette, which took place on September 21, 2002 drew over 75 interested citizens and local and state officials who shared their ideas and enthusiasm for Easthampton’s downtown rivers and ponds and the soon-to-be completed rail trail.
Focus groups were organized around three themes: water access, trail
connections and parklands, and mill redevelopment. All three groups
reached the same fundamental conclusion: the Lower Millpond, though
degraded from industrial use, is a critical recreational and visual
resource for Easthampton and should be restored and protected. Easthampton
should be the “town with the view of the pond” in the minds of visitors.
Some of the key ideas discussed at the charrette included:- Shaping active and passive parks along Lower Mill Pond.
- Creating trails, views, and access to the Pond while restoring ecological integrity.
- Promoting redevelopment of mill buildings for new residential and commercial uses that take full advantage of the water and mountain views.
Easthampton has made
good progress towards realization of these ideas with funding from
UrbanRiver Visions and other sources. For more details, click on
Implementation below.
For more information
on Easthampton, including buildout maps and statistics, please visit
EOEA's Smart Growth and Urban Environments resource
page for Easthampton.
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