In the past thirty years, development
has dramatically altered the character of Westborough. Once a place where a thriving downtown core
of industries was balanced with outlying orchards, dairies and farmland, the
town now faces irrevocable loss of its open space and recreation resources to
development. As this continues, the Town's
ability to meet its community obligations diminishes.
By anticipating the
needs of the community and setting goals for strategic action, this Open Space
and Recreation Plan takes the offense. This Open Space and
Recreation Plan takes the initiative to anticipate the needs of the community and set goals for strategic
action. It provides vision and direction to
preserve and enhance the quality of life that has attracted families to
Westborough. This plan has
resulted from an results from exhaustive data collection and analysis of
demographics, building sites, environmental problems, school growth,
infrastructure and public service demands, natural resources and land
inventory.
As the best way to To balance
growth with and sound planning for the well being of the
community, Westborough must adopt the following interrelated goals:
·
Protect Westborough's natural water supply.
·
Develop and maintain open space to ensure and enhance the
aesthetic, scenic, and historic resources that give Westborough its unique
rural character.
·
Meet Westborough's current and future needs for active and
passive recreation.
The Open Space
and Recreation Plan incorporate specific strategic actions designed to
protect ground and surface water, watersheds and the ecological integrity of
woodlands and wetlands. It further
incorporates actions to preserve the scenic
and historical resources through the creation of open space corridors. Finally the plan addresses ways to provide
safe and appropriate active and passive recreational facilities for the current
and future residents.
To achieve
these
the goals outlined in the plan, our intent is towe must develop
adequate, creative
and adequate funding
sources and to work with landowners to the mutual
benefit of the entire community. Action now will
prevent future regret.We must act now before the diminishing
supply of remaining community resources is further reduced by
development.