Amesbury-Mass

10 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 4 AMESBURY, MA The city’s small, urban beach that’s located within a mile of Amesbury’s downtown has also seen some upgrades thanks to feedback from the community. “We’ve really invested in that as another place for people to get out, go for a walk or sit outside,” Gove says. “We are renovating that area, adding shade sails, adding games, adding picnic tables, and renovating the beach. There’s certainly a desire from folks to get outside and enjoy those spaces.” Amesbury’s master plan process is now shifting its focus toward housing and infrastructure. They’re looking at previous plans, capital plans, and data from the Department of Public Works to identify priority development projects and services that will be needed throughout the city. “As all these companies grow, we’re making sure they have access to a workforce that can afford to live here and we’re also updating our housing production plan,” Gove says. “We are aligning our work and laying the groundwork to get us there. We’re creating a long-term plan to make it all possible.” Nearing the top of the priority list for the city when carrying out its action plan is to take part in the LEED for Cities Program, which helps local leaders formulate plans for the future that are sustainable and environmentally friendly. “This is looking at all of the operations, all the different policies and programs that a community offers to help it grow sustainably,” Cleveland explains. “It looks at greenhouse gas emissions, open spaces, and then it goes into the social and the environmental components, including the types of businesses we have here, our tax rate, our crime rate, and education attainment as a component of the social arm of sustainability. It’s really given us some insight and it’s actually helping us fill in some of the actions that we may not have achieved