To the editor:

If the citizens of Tiverton wish to have a say in how their town is developed now and in the future, they need to read the latest version of the Comprehensive Plan (found on the front page of the town website at www.tiverton.ri.gov).

The Planning Board is holding a public hearing of the Comp Plan this Thursday, July 27, at 7 p.m. in the Town Hall. This meeting has not been broadly announced, so it is important that you know about it and come to hear the changes in the Comp Plan that will affect your town. There are several maps within the document that should be reviewed thoroughly, so you should look at them closely as well. Be prepared to voice any concerns or issues that need to be made more clear or that you don't understand.

Once the Planning Board passes this Comprehensive Plan, it goes to the Town Council for review and final vote to be made the official document of the town's land use plan that developers need to heed - and that town officials need to make sure they do.

This plan has taken years to review and modify within the town's volunteer committee and Planning Board; it has been to the state for review, and is now back for our final approval, so please make an effort if you care about how the land is going to be used in our historic rural Town. If you cannot attend the meeting, but have comments on the plan, send them to the Planning Board before the meeting.

Susan Anderson

Tiverton