Mayor James J. Fiorentini is looking to the future of Haverhill—15 years into the future to be exact. On Wednesday night, Fiorentini held a public open house to unveil his plan for the rollout of new land usage, transportation and housing in the City of Haverhill.
Click for a larger image
Joined by approximately 90 neighbors, local leaders and members of his 13-member master plan committee, Fiorentini introduced representatives from Utile Design, which will oversee the lengthy community-driven process.
At Wednesday’s open house, Utile invited residents to jot down feedback on Post-It notes about what they love about Haverhill and what worries them most. Among the responses: Neighbors are anxious to see marijuana dispensaries and desire more funding for education.
“We want as many voices in this process as possible,” Utile project manager John McCartin told attendees Wednesday night.
Fiorentini said he chose to launch his Master Plan vision program at Consentino to celebrate the fact that the Mount Washington-area middle school will soon be overhauled with aid from Massachusetts School Building Authority funding.
“The neighborhoods are the heart of the city. Downtown is our the symbolic heart of the city and the jobs’ center is in the industrial park, but the heart of Haverhill’s in the neighborhoods. That’s why we wanted to have it in a neighborhood.”
To revamp the city’s master plan for the first time since 2005, Fiorentini is looking to Economic and Planning Director William Pillsbury, along with landscape architects and market analysts. Several other listening sessions, focus groups and neighborhood meetings are in the works, he said.