The Jaffrey Planning Board will be taking feedback on two chapters of the town’s master plan during a public hearing on May 9, including the adoption of a newly developed chapter on energy and updates to the chapter on economic development.
The town’s master plan is a planning document, which is not rules, but which provides a guide to the overall character of the town and is used by boards such as the planning and zoning boards when making regulatory decisions.
Copies of the drafts for both chapters are available on the town’s website, townofjaffrey.com.
The master plan can be amended by a vote of the Planning Board following a public hearing.The new energy chapter, as proposed, seeks to promote energy efficiency and community resilience, including adopting policies which secure local food sources, manage development pressures and mitigate risks of flooding, drought or fire.
Planning Director Jo Anne Carr said the development of the chapter was done by town employees and volunteers following a mandate passed at the 2020 Town Meeting which directed the town to create and include a sustainability chapter within the next two years.
The chapter includes information on state energy resources and energy use, including Jaffrey-specific information on energy use and community concerns collected within the last two years.
The energy chapter includes several key takeaways, including identifying the town’s water treatment plant and highway garage as high-energy consumers that might be targets for energy improvements.
The economic development chapter is expected to be updated for the first time since 2007. Carr said the previous chapter included directives for growth in town, such as providing better access to high-speed internet – a project which has been completed – and didn’t take into account other large-scale projects that the town has upcoming, such as major downtown improvements.
It also includes more-recent census data, survey findings and input from the town’s Economic Development Council.
Jaffrey’s population growth experienced large booms in the 1980s and 1990s, with 29 percent and 23 percent growths in the population. In 2000, however, that growth rate plummeted to 2 percent, and populations in 2010 and 2020 showed a slight decrease in population. The population demographics have also shifted significantly, particularly when it comes to the youth population. In 1970, about a third of residents were children, where in 2020, only about one-fifth were under 19. The youth population dropped by about 19 percent between 2010 and 2020.
While Jaffrey shows a growing job market, its labor force has shrunk, declining at an annual rate of about 0.5 percent from 2010 to 2019.
The median income in town has seen growth in the past 10 years, from $56,637 in 2010 to $63,739 in 2019. While this is a growth of about 11 percent, that increase has not kept up with the median income growth for either the region or the state – which were both about 17 percent.
The chapter mentions several upcoming municipal projects, including the development of the Cold Stone Springs well site with the town of Peterborough as additional water sources, maintenance upgrades to both water and sewer mains installed in the 1960s, targeting development where town water and sewer exist, and conducting environmental assessments of properties that need redevelopment, including the former St. Patrick’s School and W.W. Cross manufacturing building.
Carr said the economic development chapter updates follows many of the same topic headings as the current iteration, with more up-to-date information.
The Planning Board is scheduled to hold a public hearing on the master plan chapter updates on May 9, during its regularly scheduled meeting, at the Jaffrey Town Office at 6 p.m.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172, Ext. 244, or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.