MERRICK NEIGHBORHOOD TORNADO RECOVERY PLAN

In June 2011 a rogue tornado barreled across western Massachusetts, touching down in the historic Merrick District of West Springfield. If any good can come out of such devastation, it was the opportunity to address long term planning and zoning issues that have long hampered rehabilitation and development. In partnership with the town and with the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, Dodson & Flinker led a series of public meetings to help the community identify valuable existing development patterns and to propose zoning changes that would encourage context sensitive redevelopment. Our work included neighborhood and streetscape analysis, a community masterplan, illustrated form-based zoning code and a final report.