Public input into city’s next master plan
When my family and I moved to Concord 35 years ago we felt at home immediately. We quickly explored neighborhoods, parks, hiking trails, and community organizations. We felt lucky to be living in a thriving community. We understood that communities that thrive don’t simply happen. We discovered what contributes to Concord’s secret sauce: variety in employment and (at the time) housing options, inclusive recreational opportunities, good local schools, engaged residents, and local government responsive to the needs and interests of the community.
Concord has remained a great place to live. The city government has embraced several master plans over the decades aimed at keeping the city a place where its residents are happy to live, work and play. A new master plan is now on the horizon. This plan will give direction to the city’s development over the next decade or more, and needs to reflect the vision of residents. There have been some missteps recently.
The controversy over the location of our middle school could have been less fraught had community voices been listened to earlier in the process. The response to a new golf clubhouse might have been more widely supported had the city solicited genuine public engagement early in the process. These missteps underscore the need to incorporate the hopes and desires of the people who live here in the development of the master plan. The city needs robust community engagement in the master plan process. Let’s ensure that public engagement is part of the plan!
Millie LaFontaine
Concord