SUNDERLAND — As the town continues to develop its vision for its village center, residents are invited to a public workshop to get directly involved with the process and share their ideas for the future of downtown Sunderland.

The workshop will be held as an open house in the Sunderland Public Library Community Room, 20 School St., over the course of the afternoon and evening on Thursday, March 28, from 3 to 8 p.m. Stantec, the consulting company the town has been working with throughout this process, will deliver a presentation at 3:30 p.m. and then repeat it at 6:30 p.m., allowing residents to drop in at various points throughout the day depending on their schedules.

The public will be able to learn about the opportunities present around the village center, with a focus on the intersection of Routes 47 and 116, and what design elements the town can pursue to support local businesses, increase safety and walkability for pedestrians, and address transportation needs.

“I think it will be a fun event and we’re hoping a lot of people will turn out,” said Lorin Starr, chair of the Village Center Committee, adding that this will be the process’ main public input and information session. “The more input we have, the better.”

Visualizations, activities and direct question-and-answer sessions will also be held to encourage as much feedback as possible. While the main presentation is geared toward adults and teens, there will also be activities for children 3 years old and older from 4 to 6:30 p.m.

Sunderland has been actively exploring ways to improve its town center for several years. The Village Center Committee was convened in 2019 and the town had a pandemic-recovery plan developed in 2021. Sunderland then partnered with Stantec last fall to develop potential recommendations.

Following the partnership with Stantec, the Village Center Committee welcomed town officials and committee members to a kick-off meeting in November, where the consulting company took that feedback and developed some of the draft ideas that will be presented at the open house.

Major ideas floated at the November meeting include sidewalk and crosswalk considerations for Sunderland’s diverse population; traffic mitigation strategies that can slow down traffic for safety, while potentially drawing customers into businesses; and a potential roundabout, among other proposals.

Since the town does not own the two major state routes making up the downtown intersection, road work is limited in the short term, which means the town may end up exploring zoning revisions and other similar tactics while long-term street infrastructure is considered and developed. The state Department of Transportation has been active with the Village Center Committee and sent representatives to the November meeting. The Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG) has also joined discussions.

Following the March 28 open house, Stantec will incorporate the community input into any recommendations it presents to the town.

“This is a real opportunity,” Starr said. “It’s something that everyone has a stake in.”

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com.