Study Purpose

The purpose of this study is to develop a land use and transportation system plan for the Route 44 study area.  It will use smart growth principles to create a plan for directing growth along Route 44 in Bolton to meet the community‘s collective wishes or ‘vision’.  The study will focus on identifying just what those wishes are; determining what is possible for Route 44 (where, how much, and what kind of growth); and determining what tools will be most useful in guiding growth to fulfill those wishes.

Listed below are some of the activities in which the consultant team, Study Oversight Committee and Bolton community will be engaged:

Getting the lay of the land…

• Identify current land use. This involves looking at natural resources, farmlands, historic sites, businesses, and community resources such as the bikeway and boat launch.
• Look for ways to link what may occur on Route 44 to Bolton town center, particularly the role that the greenways can play in the future of this area.
• Evaluate the potential market for new business and residential development in the Route 44 corridor.  This assessment will lead to some conclusions about the most suitable locations and types of future growth. 
• Draft recommendations for areas for growth and areas to be preserved

Creating a vision...

• Town residents, business owners, and others will dialogue about the future of Route 44
• Study Oversight Committee and its staff will discuss and draft a one-paragraph vision statement for the Route 44 area.

Studying travel conditions…

• Assess positive and negative qualities of travel on Route 44 with a special look at the interchange with I-384
• Consider access in the area for pedestrians and bicyclists.
• Understand relationship between roads and land.  Ease of travel can encourage or discourage new development to occur.  In turn, new development can place more traffic on the roadway system, leading to congestion and pressure for roadway upgrades.
• Identify improvements to complement future land use vision for the area

The end result…

A conceptual Bolton/Route 44 Vision Plan that describes the community’s hope for future development in the area.  It will include recommended actions and a to-do list to help Bolton follow the recommendations through.