CONWAY — The Planning Board will hold an informational session this month on river corridor protection, which includes their consideration of adopting a River Corridor Protection Overlay District.
A river corridor includes the active river channel, associated bars and wetlands, and a portion of the floodplain, terrace or adjacent slope.
According to a press release from Planning Board Chair Beth Girshman, the River Corridor Protection Overlay District Bylaw would aim to protect public and private property, and public safety and welfare; protect river and stream corridors that are highly subject to erosion due to naturally occurring stream channel migration and adjustment; limit new development within the river corridor areas to minimize property loss and damage due to flooding-related erosion; and allow rivers and streams to maintain or re-establish their natural equilibrium.
The board is inviting the public to the remote meeting on Jan. 21, at 7 p.m.
“This information session is an opportunity for the board to present information and get input on important concerns that have the potential to impact our entire community,” Girshman said. “We hope many Conway residents, particularly those who have property along our river corridors, will attend.”
The meeting will include a presentation by Kimberly Noake MacPhee, land use and natural resources planning program manager with the Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG), on the river corridors, and dangers posed to important municipal infrastructure, such as roads and bridges.
Additionally, Town Administrator Tom Hutcheson will share the recent Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Planning Report, as well as the town’s Hazard Mitigation Plan.
Hutcheson said in an interview that Conway is partnering with FRCOG on river corridor planning, particularly along the South River, as part of a grant the council received through the state’s MVP program in collaboration with the Mohawk Trail Woodlands Partnership.
“They’re helping us now look at the larger picture of the whole river corridor, and what we can do to plan around that,” he said. “And some of that is going to involve zoning changes.”
In addition to possible new bylaws, the town is looking into potential designs for storm and flood mitigation. In the past, that has included adding stone weirs just below the bridge in the center of town to help channel the flow of water, which helps to save the banks.
“There’s a lot of potential flooding in the center of town,” Hutcheson said. “And so we’re trying to do everything we can to avoid that.”
The meeting can be accessed via Zoom at bit.ly/3pKHvA6 (Meeting ID: 822 4499 4143; Passcode: conwaypb). The meeting can also be accessed by phone at 1-929-205-6099.
Mary Byrne can be reached at mbyrne@recorder.com or 413-930-4429. Twitter: @MaryEByrne