Barrington officials are asking residents to assist in drafting a blueprint for “Barrington 2050” at a special open house on Tuesday, July 23 from 4 to 7:30 p.m. at the Peck Center and Barrington Public Library.

The “CompPlanPalooza” event will play a key role in helping officials update the town’s comprehensive plan. Barrington’s existing comprehensive plan was adopted by a Town Council in 2015 and will expire in May. 

“This is the first of several opportunities in 2024-2025 for the Barrington community to help chart the course for the next 20-plus years on issues related to safe streets (including sidewalks, roads, and bicycle routes), energy systems, housing, trees, natural and cultural resources, resilience and sustainability, businesses and economic development, broadband, public services, parks, open spaces, and recreation facilities,” said Teresa Crean, Barrington’s Director of Planning, Building, and Resilience. 

“It’s also important to consider the interconnection of all topics that contribute to the quality of life enjoyed by Barrington residents.”

The comprehensive plan serves as the town’s blueprint, documenting the value-based aspirations and strategic direction for capital improvements, Crean said. 

The comprehensive plan considers a 20-year time frame of land use, facilities, services, and initiatives in Barrington. It is updated every 10 years, with an implementation reporting requirement every year.

A press release from the Planning, Building, and Resilience Department stated that Barrington currently has six different consultants who have been contributing to specialized topics that feed into the comprehensive plan update.

While some of the consultants are being paid out of Town Capital Reserve accounts, as approved by Town Council in 2023-24, half of the consultants are supported through grant awards from RI Housing Municipal Technical Assistance Program; RI Department of Environmental Management Office of Community Forestry; RI Division of Statewide Planning; and the RI Public Transit Authority’s Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) program. One additional grant was awarded in June 2024 from the RI Commerce Site Readiness Program to support a comprehensive signage component and ordinance review.

All of the consultants will be on hand at the “CompPlanPalooza” event on July 23. 

“Rather than holding separate public meetings for each topic, CompPlanPalooza will be an open-house style event with all our consultants in one place accessible to Town decision-makers and the public,” Crean said. “The event will feature a welcome lobby in the Peck Center with information on the different topics covered by the Comp Plan, and then the second floor of the library will offer scheduled informational sessions and meeting rooms with 'lightning rounds' that allow residents to further explore topics of interest and share their vision and expectations of the Town.”

Relevant Board and Commissions, including the Planning Board, Economic Development, Conservation, Housing Board, Resilience and Energy, Parks and Recreation, and Open Space, were asked back in 2023 to review the 2015 plan to evaluate what work was completed and what they would like to see in this 2025 update.

“Town staff, officials, and volunteers look forward to meeting with all community members on July 23rd to discuss ideas and priorities for the next 20 years of investment in our Town,” Crean said.

In addition to the open house event on July 23, several surveys and “quick polls” have been released to get input from Barrington residents on topics such as housing, climate action, and safe streets, with more to come. 

All surveys and other information on the Barrington 2050 comprehensive plan effort can be found online here: https://barrington.ri.gov/457/Barrington-2050-Comprehensive-Plan