Salem Point Neighborhood Visioning Project
Project background
The Point neighborhood in the City of Salem includes nearly 144 acres and 4,100 people, and is located just south of the downtown and wharf areas.
The Point is distinguished from surrounding neighborhoods by its geography, density, high proportion of multi-family housing and masonry apartment blocks, and a high concentration of recent immigrants.
Neighborhood resources include rich architectural assets, a significant supply of affordable housing, immigrant-owned small businesses, easy access to Salem Harbor and public transit, and close proximity to Salem State University. It is also a vibrant, ethnically-diverse community that has long been a settlement destination for newcomers.
This project is landmark collaboration among city, regional, nonprofit and grassroots stakeholders to develop a "Vision Statement and Action Plan" for the neighborhood.
Save the Date: Upcoming Meetings
Dinner and refreshments will be provided at all neighborhood-wide public meetings. RSVP for meetings by contacting Jackie Giordano at 978-825-4016 or jackie@northshorecdc.org
If you need accommodations such as an assisted listening device, interpretation, or childcare, please contact MAPC a week before each meeting so we can assist you.
Date and Time | Purpose | Location |
Friday, Jan. 25, 4-6 pm | "What's the Point?" Community PlanIt Game Launch Party | Orange Leaf Yogurt, 76 Lafayette Street, Salem |
Thursday, Feb. 7, 3-5 pm | Game Play Meet-Up | NSCDC, 104 Lafayette Street, Salem |
Thursday, Feb. 7, 3-5 pm | Game Play Meet-Up | NSCDC, 104 Lafayette Street, Salem |
| Thursday, March 7, 6:30-9 pm | Neighborhood Visioning Workshop | Immaculate Conception Church Auditorium, 15 Hawthorne Boulevard, Salem |
| Monday, May 13, 6-8:10 pm | Neighborhood Action Planning Workshop | Salem Academy Charter School |
"What's the Point?"a Community PlanIt Game
Community PlanIt is a web-based game where community members electronically interact with one another on their smart phone or computer to contribute ideas about their neighborhood. In the game, community members participate in online challenges, collect coins for participation, and can pledge coins to Causes -- real-world organizations or nonprofits -- to fund services or activities that benefit the neighborhood.
Between January 28 and February 18, people who live, work, study, and play in the Point played the game.
Now that game play is over, the website has converted to a post-game state where you can see comments people have left and summary stats on player responses to questions in the game: www.communityplanit.org/salempoint.
Point Neighborhood Walking Tour
View photos from a recent walking tour MAPC conducting with youth from the North Shore CDC Youth Jobs program. Phgoos taken will go into the design for "What's the Point?" a Community PlanIt game that will be launched in the early spring and provides another avenue for residents within and outside of the Point to weigh in on assets and opportunities in neighborhood.
Partner roles
The project is initiated by the City of Salem and the North Shore Community Development Coalition (NSCDC) with the support of MAPC and is funded by the Metro Boston Consortium for Sustainable Communities.
- MAPC is working with the City of Salem and NSCDC to synthesize existing data about the Point, helping to plan and facilitate public meetings, and preparing all final project deliverables. MAPC is also coordinating the participation of Emerson Engagement Game Lab, which is developing and implementing the Community PlanIt igame.
- NSCDC is undertaking all outreach and engagement for development of the vision statement and action plan, including canvassing, surveying, and small-scale community meetings and neighborhood-wide meetings.
- The City of Salem is assisting with the compilation of content from existing studies pertaining to the Point, planning and facilitating the second public meeting, and assessing impediments and opportunities to implementing the neighborhood vision.
Why it’s important
The proposed project will empower residents to create their own community vision and to mobilize resources to ensure that the Point develops sustainably in its housing, land and environmental resources, and its economy. Project partners hope that the resulting Action Plan guides municipal priorities for local capital and operating improvements.
This project supports MetroFuture’s Sustainable Growth Patterns , Housing Choices , Community Vitality, and Healthy Environment goals for the region.
Project schedule
- Summer 2012: Establishment of Point Neighborhood Visioning Project Advisory Committee
- Summer/Fall 2012: Data synthesis and maps
- Fall 2012-Spring 2013: Community PlanIt and neighborhood canvassing and community meetings
- Spring 2013: Neighborhood-wide public meetings
- Late Spring 2013: Development of vision statement and action plan
Questions?
For more information about this project, please contact:
- Jennifer Erickson, MAPC Regional Planner at jerickson@mapc.org or 617-933-0759
- Lynn Duncan, AICP, Director of Planning and Community Development for the City of Salem at lduncan@salem.com or 978-619-5685
- Mickey Northcutt, Executive Director of the North Shore Community Development Coalition, mickey@northshorecdc.org or 978-745-8071
