Last year the Town Council approved a new Community Strategic Plan. As part of the overall process, the town also conducted a citizen survey to get input on current town issues.
Overall, 442 people responded to the survey.
Below is a brief overview of the pertinent questions, beginning with question 7, which dealt the meat of the Strategic Plan survey:
Question 7: Do you agree with the Strategic Plan goals – of those who read it, 89% agreed
Do not agree comments
• Feel the plan although good, is not being carried out as it says (3 responses)
• Feel Town is bending rules for contractors, no checks on accessory dwellings or other codes for proper compliance. Feel there are too many rentals, and that tourists are forcing out residents. Businesses cater mostly to tourists; hours consistent in summer only (10 responses) • No workforce housing (4 responses)
• Concrete Plant/Clamming operation issues (5 responses)
Agree comments
• Agreed with the plan but felt there needs to be more emphasis on improving the community for full time residents. The primary improvement needed is housing for year around residents and the workforce (6 responses)
• Some commented, “for the most part” (8 responses)
• Said yes but felt the goals or implementation was vague (8 responses)
• Agreed but felt it caters to tourists and begs the question, “does the Town serve the residents or the visitors” (6 responses) Additional comments
• More emphasis needed on maintenance and improvement of the beach (6 responses)
• Details were too vague regarding vacation rentals, golf carts, etc. (3 responses)
• Need more specifics around preserving our town’s historic character (3 responses)
• More emphasis needed on walkability and sidewalks
• Asked the question, “Can police or town employees afford to live in town”
Question 8: Has the Town maintained its small-town character – 84% responded Yes
Yes response comments
• Said yes but felt there is an over-emphasis on tourism and that tourism is starting to take over. Merchandise and new amenities in town are priced too high for locals, and that these amenities are only available to accommodate tourists (14 responses)
• Community events and functions, like concerts in park, 4th of July, grand illumination, festive Fridays, etc. really help the small-town feel and sense of community
• Said yes but felt concrete plant/clamming operations are taking a toll (4 responses)
• Responded yes and no, or “to some degree” (5 responses)
• Felt beach improvement is vital (5 responses)
• Said yes but felt on the verge of losing our charm (4 responses)
No response comments
• The single largest concern over losing our small-town feel is due to too many vacation rentals/tourists (27 responses)
• Feel Council tends to make decisions mostly to benefit tourism (10 responses)
• Clam operations and concrete plant concerns (6 responses)
• Parking issues (6 responses)
Additional comments
• Vacation rental signs should not be allowed, detracts from small town feel
• Long term renters being forced out for short term
• No affordable housing for the workforce
• Not enough amenities like restaurants or public restrooms
• Becoming too much like Ocean City, VA beach, or New Jersey
Question 9: Do you agree with the Council’s view regarding Economic Diversity – 85% responded Yes
Yes response comments
• Yes, but felt the clamming operation does not fit within this view (13 responses)
• Yes, but strongly conditioned support on, “as long as these activities are thoughtfully located and regulated to minimize conflicts” and the need for noise/time of day limits (14 responses)
• Yes, but there also needs to be some flexibility (3 responses)
• Yes, but felt that workforce housing needs to be a higher priority (6 responses)
No response comments
• Felt the industrial sector has caused issues for the town, environment, and quality of life (19 responses)
• Feel Council has not made this happen
• Feel waterman and locals have been pushed out
Additional comments
• Should be more situations like Hook at Harvey and Yacht Center mixed w/industrial • Light Industry does not mean huge concrete plant
Question 10: Are Public Services appropriate for a community our size – 81% responded Yes
No response comments
• Public works needs more staff with workload continuing to grow (6 responses)
• Because there are so many tourists, the services needed exceeds the number of employees the town has (10 responses)
• Employees are hardworking, but simply not enough of them (4 responses)
• More Police needed, especially in the summer (5 responses)
• Building and planning understaffed (4 responses)
• Beach maintenance needs to be prioritized (9 responses)
• Need more public restrooms (7 responses)
Question 11: Is the quality of Town Public Services Satisfactory – 82% responded Yes
No response comments
• Water quality unacceptable and hard on plumbing /appliances (13 responses)
• Tourist growth exceeds staff and causes staff to cater mostly to tourists (7 responses)
• Public works: Trash/leaves needs to be ramped up on the weekends, beach entrances, dunes, and Bay Ave. also need more attention (5 Responses) Additional comments
• There was general concern regarding boats, old cars, trailers, motor homes, etc. parked throughout town (8 Responses)
Question 12: Would you be willing to pay more for curbside recycling – 52% responded No
Yes response comments
• Yes, but raised the question why glass isn’t included. (13 responses)
No response comments
• Said would consider if glass was included (23 responses)
• Said no because they felt rental guests would not utilize properly (2 responses)
• Said no because it is easier to drop it off in Cheriton (19 responses)
Analysis: 194 people said they would like recycling under the stated conditions, and 207 said no. But 23 of the no respondents said they would have said yes if glass was included. Therefore, if a vendor could be found that would also accept glass, it is likely the 23 no responses would become yes, thus shifting the overall outcome to a positive response of 217 yes (53%), and 184 no.
Question 13: Support for paid parking along Bay and Mason Aves – 51% responded No
Yes response comments
• Responded yes but only if residents in Northampton County would receive passes, rental property guests would receive passes, and there were exemptions for golf carts and anyone who works in town (13 responses)
• Responded yes but only if residents and property owners were not charged (17 responses)
• Said yes but also felt a paid lot elsewhere would be more suitable
• Said yes but only if the town limited how many cars rental guests could have per property
No response comments
• A very large concern that this would diminish our small-town atmosphere (24 responses)
• Creating a parking garage or lot would be better (10 responses)
• Felt the town didn’t have the resources to do it, and it would create other problems (4 responses) • Cost of this would outweigh the profit (5 responses)
• Would create worse parking problems on residential streets (9 responses)
Additional comments
• Felt the town should concentrate on getting boats, trailers, and old cars off the streets first (6 Responses)
Analysis: 217 people said they were in favor of paid parking, while 224 said no. However, up to 30 of the yes respondents conditioned their support on free passes or exemptions that would not likely be included in such a program. Therefore, there are potentially 30 additional no responses to any likely program, shifting the overall outcome more negative,with only 187 responding yes and 254 responding no (57%).
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