The Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee has launched the next phase of community engagement, which includes three new tools to gather input from our community: the Community Survey, Crowdmap, and Meeting-in-a-Box. These will be available through the end of March for the community’s feedback, and the Committee would love your participation in all three.

Our Community Survey asks a broad range of questions about your priorities in Ashland and the key topics that the Comprehensive Plan will address, such as cultural/historic, housing, economic development, and open space. The survey will take approximately 15-20 minutes to complete and is an important way to get representation from as many Ashland residents as possible. The survey can be accessed by scanning the QR Code or by visiting the website at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ashlandCPsurvey.

The Crowdmapping tool is an interactive mapping platform that allows you to give place-based responses to different questions such as, ‘Where in Ashland would you like to see utilities expanded or infrastructure upgraded?’ You can pinpoint exactly on a map where you would want to see specific things. The Crowdmapping tool can be found on the project website at https://tinyurl.com/envisionashland.

The Meeting-in-a-Box is a focus group hosted by a community member or a member of the Steering Committee to gather ideas in an informal setting and discuss a variety of topics.

“I conducted a group discussion with residents who are from a traditionally underserved part of our community. They were very enthusiastic about participating in a town-wide process. Each participant gave valued inputs and added their voice to the planning process. We hope that this outreach and engagement will only lead to deeper conversations about ‘envisioning Ashland’ and the concrete look and feel of the Town a decade from now,” said Rajashree Ghosh, Co-Chair of the Steering Committee.

Once this phase of community outreach has closed at the end of March, JM Goldson, the town’s consultant for the Comprehensive Plan, will compile the results and work with the Steering Committee to draft the Community Vision, Core Themes, and Goals. There will be an opportunity for the public to review the findings and submit feedback as the process continues. The Town expects the ‘Envision Ashland’ project to take approximately 18 months and to create a master roadmap for Ashland’s priorities for the next 10+ years.

“One of my very favorite things about Ashland is how involved community members are in making it a better place while appreciating what is good about our town. As we get deeper into the process of public engagement, the committee is excited to offer even more opportunities for public input. It is heartening to know that we all have a voice and that the feedback collected for Envision Ashland is what will shape our town over the next decade and beyond,” said Stacey Grant-Lewis, Co-Chair of the Steering Committee.

If you would like to participate in a Meeting-in-a-Box group or have any questions, please reach out to any of the Steering Committee members or send an email to [email protected].

Envision Ashland releases new tools for community feedback

By Theresa Knapp 

During the Citizens’ Participation segment of the Feb. 7 Ashland Select Board meeting, Brandi Kinsman, a member of the Select Board and of Envision Ashland, walked the public through Envision Ashland’s new website at https://tinyurl.com/envisionashland. 

“We’ve just launched three new community feedback tools and we will be having these open for approximately two months,” said Kinsman. 

The three community feedback tools include: 

- Data-driven survey that will “help the project team create a community vision and identify goals to incorporate into the Comprehensive Plan” www.surveymonkey.com/r/ashlandCPsurvey 

- Crowdmap where you can insert a digital “pin” where you would like to see certain aspects implemented, improved, or increased in town; and

- “Meeting in a Box” which are small focus groups (4-8 people) that will occur over the next two months related to ideas related to the future of Ashland. 

All tools available at https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/b928fe16ef894dfea5bc0bd0edc29685/page/Home/ 

To attend or host a Meeting in a Box, contact [email protected]