The Master Plan Steering Committee held an online visioning workshop on Jan. 31 to gather feedback from residents about how they feel about Hopedale and how they see the town in the future.

Thirty people attended the Sunday afternoon session. 

The town’s Master Plan Steering Committee, along with the Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission, will use the January feedback, in addition to previous survey results, to create a vision statement for the town’s Master Plan, a document that studies the current conditions in town and lays out a blueprint for the next 10 to 20 years. 

“We asked people to list three words that capture their vision for Hopedale,” explained Jim Abbruzzese, Chair of the Master Plan Steering Committee, who also ran the workshop. The most popular responses were “community, historic, small town, history, revenue, active” – all themes indicated in prior surveys. Other responses included: exceptional schools, peaceful, tradition, tight knit, open spaces, picturesque, lucrative, walkable, scenic, classic, professional class, some small business, dynamic, tree lined streets, quiet, quaint, balance old and new, measured growth, supportive, friendly, sociable, families, and more. 

Abbruzzese said they also asked attendees three questions: What drew you to Hopedale; what keeps you in Hopedale; and what do you dream for Hopedale? Those answers will also help form the Master Plan vision statement. 

Next up on the path toward creating a master plan, according to Abbruzzese, is a “benchmark review.” 

This involves identifying tasks from previous town planning documents and following up with all departments, committees, and commissions to learn their status of those tasks and understand what should be carried forward as part of the master plan.

For more information on the planning process and full survey results, visit www.EnvisionHopedale.com