Committee Reviews Town Data for Comprehensive Plan Update

Meeting for the first time last week , Westwood's Comprehensive Master Plan Steering Committee reviewed a handful of town-related information to digest .

Since October 2010, officials and residents have collaborated in a number of meetings to discuss ways to update the town's Comprehensive Master Plan, which was adopted in 2000. 

The : Community Character; Community Services, Facilities and Recreation; Housing; Open Space, Natural and Historical Resources; Transportation; and Economic Development.

But last week's discussion included a new collection of data from town over the years compiled by Phil Herr, a consultant the town hired to help complete an update of the Comprehensive Plan.

Among the data discussed was a highlight of Westwood's population over the years. Notably, the town's population has grown by about 13 percent since 1970, according to Herrs data report. Looking back further into history, according to 2010 data from the U.S. Census bureau, Westwood's population is currently 14,618, a large increase over the 1930 number of 2,097.

Herr's report also stated that housing grew by 40 percent within the last 40 years, and jobs more than tripled. School enrollments, meanwhile, slightly shrank and the tax rate was reduced to a third of its earlier level. 

The review of the data is part of an effort to soon compose updated drafts of the six topics of focus.

"We didn't conclude definitely how to do it," said Westwood Planning Board Secretary Jack Wiggin, who is on the Steering Committee. "Each subcommittee would be responsible for preparing a draft for that section of the plan."

Meanwhile, officials are working on a forthcoming survey for residents that will be posted on the town's website. The survey aims to cultivate ideas and thoughts from Westwood folks on how to help shape Westwood's future. 

"The idea is to make sure we're getting sufficient input from the citizens," Wiggin said.