Community Discusses Housing and Growth at Dublin Master Plan forum

With the help of the Southwestern Regional Planning Commission, the Dublin Master Plan Steering Committee held a community public forum on Saturday to begin discussions with residents about the Master Plan.

There was shared concern about the lack of younger families and participants at the meeting and in completing the town survey.

Archie McIntyre, chair of the Planning Board, said 51% of the respondents to the survey were older than 65, and when asked whether there were any participants younger than 45 at the forum, only three people raised their hands in the audience; two were Planning Board members.

The Planning Board, which organizes the Master Plan drafting process, stressed the need for more diverse perspectives when drafting the 10-year Master Plan.

“The master plan is a document that can be relied on by a town boards and committees, specifically planning board that established the vision for where the town should go,” McIntyre said.

Posters hung on the back of the auditorium where participants were asked to place a colorful dot on their most important issue for the town. The options included housing, conservation, business development, community safety, infrastructure, climate resilience and land use. In the end, housing received the most dots.

Then, after a short explanation of the goals for the forum, the audience was broken into four small groups to discuss these broad issues. After 40 minutes of conversation, the groups returned and shared their key takeaways with the crowd.

Housing was a key topic, with discussions focusing on affordable options for younger families, such as cluster homes and multi-use housing. Two groups touched on the minimum four-acre requirement for single-family homes in the Dublin rural district and how this might restrict housing development.

The questions posed by the Planning Board also led discussion to Dublin’s assets. The audience agreed the beauty of the town was important, including the lake and easy access to Mount Monadnock.

They also credited the Dublin Public Library, Historical Society and Community Center with preserving the community and bringing outsiders to Dublin.

In the end, there were more questions than answers.

How do we pay for this? How do we figure out what to prioritize? How do we get working people in Dublin? How do we create affordable housing? How do we get younger residents involved?

This was just the first of many times the community will be able to share their opinions.

McIntyre said that after their meeting on Thursday, August 13, the committee will decide how to continue discussions and whether to host another community forum in the fall or send out a survey more tailored to the questions raised on Saturday.

“I would encourage you to continue participating. This is not a one and done kind of process,” McIntyre said to the crowd.