Pleasant Hill, Higgins Beach, Spurwink Road

Pleasant Hill, Higgins Beach, Spurwink Road

A neighborhood meeting was held on Tuesday, June 25th at Camp Ketcha. Approximately 50 participants shared their visions of the future. The following notes summarize their vision.

Participants were asked to identify their favorite places in the Pleasant Hill, Higgins Beach, and Spurwink Road Neighborhoods. These special places ranged from the natural (Scarborough Marsh and other marsh lands, Higgins Beach, Sprunwink River, Cliffwalk, sensitive wildlife habitat, and rivers) to the cultural (Higgins Beach Inn, Breakers Inn, Higgins Beach Market, churches, walking paths and trails, and historic sites). See map at right for more detail.

Next, participants were asked to share their hopes and fears for the future of their neighborhood.

Hopes for the Future of Pleasant Hill, Higgins Beach, and Spurwink Road
Fears for the Future of Pleasant Hill, Higgins Beach, and Spurwink Road
General Concerns raised by Participants
Scarborough Special Places
Hopes for Scarborough's Future

click here for larger view

Hopes for the Future of Pleasant Hill, Higgins Beach, and Spurwink Road
- Respect for Natural Resources
- Save open spaces and provide for human activities
- Controlled growth
- Balanced growth (commercial/industrial as well as residential)
- Balanced tax base
- More flexible surf rules
- Dredge Spurwink River, bring sand to Higgins
- Implement the ad hoc Higgins Beach Report
- Burry utilities
- Buy Benjamin Farm for Park
- Lower taxes, better services
- Institute the plan of the Higgins Beach ad hoc committee
- Safe traffic
- Maintain Higgins Beach no parking in the summer
- Ban parking on Bayview year round
- Change time from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. or 6 p.m. for dogs on the beach
- Pedestrian to bike access to Oak Hill from other areas
- Bike paths to beaches
- Keep beaches public and open to everyone
- Open Fogg Pond to the public
- Fixing urban sprawl
- Lower speed limits in neighborhoods to 15 mph or 20 mph
- Traffic light at 4-way at Pleasant Hill and Highland Avenue
- Recognize that Higgins Beach is a private beach
- Community center w/pool!
- Train station
- Keep beauty -- beautify Route 1
- Control growth -- industry, housing, population
- Diversified population
- People who work here can afford to live here
- Clean air
- Clean water
- High quality education -- all levels
- Pedestrian / bike lanes
- Paths like Piper Shores
- Continued connection of Trail system
- Connection to open spaces
- Preserve Benjamin Farm!
- Preserve scenic Spurwink road corridor
- Outlaw contract zoning
- Change zoning requirements
- No more metal box buildings
- Traffic safety in Pleasant Hill industrial area
- Preserve Camp Ketcha
- Protect beaches / marsh areas
- Sewer lines extended to Spurwink Road area
- Maintain mature trees
- Preserve fruit stands / Higgins Beach businesses
- Sidewalks -- Spurwink & Pleasant Hill Road
- Bike paths -- Route 77, Route 207, Pleasant Hill to Higgins Beach, Fogg Road & Higgins Beach to Scarborough Beach
- Town center
- Vision for schools -- academic achievement
- Adequate space for growth in school
- High quality, low impact commercial development
- Develop Haigis Parkway -- get shovels in ground
- Walking trail system: Camp Fire to Pt. Hill. & Higgins beach to Scarborough Beach
- Maintain watersheds
- Preserve historical places
- Preserve public access to beaches
- Public parking for Higgins

Fears for the Future of Pleasant Hill, Higgins Beach, and Spurwink Road
- Development
- Marsh pollution
- Beach erosion
- Town indifference -- Higgins Beach Management Plan 1998; 1980; infrastructure for community recreation
- Traffic
- Use of contract zoning
- Over use of beaches
- "New Jerseyization" of the beach
- Loss of parking
- Greenwood Avenue Extension remains emergency exit.
- Illegal planting in Marsh areas -- obscure views
- Tower effect of building three story structures
- Creation of larger, wider roads brings faster and more traffic.
- People, growth
- Traffic -- trailer truck, volume/speed, flow
- Development -- big box (Walmart); sprawl
- Unlandscaped development
- Loss of civility
- Water shed pollution
- Poorly panned development
- ATV's
- Unauthorized (illegal) dumping
- End hunting
- New homes / over development
- Curb cuts
- Traffic / pedestrian and bike safety
- Inadequate setbacks
- Loss / access for walking paths & trails
- Loss of Ocean access
- Loss of river access
- Fishing restrictions
- Loss of small local stores (i.e., Len Libby's Spurwink Country Kitchen)
- Over crowding of Pleasant Hill School
- Higgins Beach Parking Lot (loss of)
- Fire (Higgins Beach is a tinder box)
- Removing the parking ban at Higgins
- No beach conservation
- Saturation of building
- Skyrocketing property values
- Lack of diversity
- Traffic -- speed, no pedestrian walkways, no public transportation
- Inland taxes remain constant
- Lack of community in the town
- More school overcrowding
- Lack of involvement in town government
- Lack of industrial development
- Beach erosion
- flushing effect on marsh -- Black Point Road
- Traffic need bike lanes
- Population -- increase or decrease
- Loss of natural resources
- Protection of privacy
- Protection of property value
- Developers -- in control
- High incidents of drunk driving

General Concerns raised by Participants
- Implementation of Higgins study
- Need to check back when implementing to be sure Town gets it right
- Too many studies, too high taxes, too little follow through
- Contract zoning is unfair -- different rules for big developers as "opposed to homeowners"

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Scarborough Special Places

Participants were asked to identify their favorite places in Scarborough. Responses were both specific and general (wetland protection). See map at right for complete list of special places.

click here for larger view

Hopes for Scarborough's Future
- Do something with all the reports that have been submitted from countless, yet talented, committees
- Shoot to provide not an adequate school system, but the absolute best school system
- Promote high quality commercial development --> get shovels going on Haigis
- Town center
- Pool
- Community center
- Swimming pool
- Delineation of business growth
- Quality education
- High school expansion
- No portable classrooms long term
- Linking pedestrian / bike trails
- Continue Town land purchases
- Preserve Town character
- Cap residential growth
- Increase town communication
- Upgrade roads
- Create town center -- emphasis on beauty
- Excellent schools
- Action -- live long enough to see this!
- Bike paths sidewalks
- Bring Route 1 up to 21st century
- Traffic control -- minimize congestion
- Preservation of simple, shingled structures
- Increased use of land trust
- Hopes for Town same as neighborhood
- Community center with pool
- 35% to 50% commercial property ratio
- Retain as much as possible the small town atmosphere to push the historical significance
- Beautification of Route 1

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