WILLIAMSBURG — For the first time in its 254-year history, Williamsburg is creating a master plan to steer the town through the coming decade.
As a first official step in this process, the Select Board last week unanimously agreed to hire J.M. Goldson, a consulting company out of Roslindale, to facilitate the process. Part of that process will be attracting public input “to make the final product more reflective of the community,” said Town Administrator Nick Caccamo.
The study, he said, will welcome input about the town’s current identity and values, while at the same time trying to create a roadmap for town projects and changes going forward.
There will be opportunities for public input from all 2,500 community members, who are urged by the town to share their ambitions, including potential changes to zoning regulations, economic development, parks and open space, infrastructure, or other concerns.
J.M. Goldson began its work last week and will gather feedback over several months as it prepares the master plan for completion by June 30, 2026. The Select Board agreed to spend $148,571 as part of the process.
Throughout this timetable there will be scheduled venues for community input, including a public open house in June and a public presentation of findings in September. Dates have yet to be made official, but they will be advertised by the town.
The result of this process, said Caccamo, will intentionally not be a jargon-filled document that “collects dust.” Rather, he said, “we are producing a document people feel connected to and are willing to read.”
Caccamo said the past year has involved preliminary work, including a four-person search committee that led to the hiring of J.M. Goldson.
Headed by Steve Smith, Darlene Stone, Elizabeth Van Iderstine, and Caccamo, the committee recommended J.M. Goldson based on similar work they’ve done in other communities producing usable, clear and sustainable master plans.
Founded in 2006, J.M. Goldson received the Massachusetts American Planning Association Award in 2020 for a comprehensive plan it developed for the Winchester, a town that had gone without a master plan since 1953.
Samuel Gelinas can be reached at sgelinas@gazettenet.com.
