A “good cross section” of residents, business leaders and town officials started revamping Wareham’s blueprint for the future – its master plan – on Saturday morning, according to Director of Planning & Community Development Ken Buckland.

“We had people from the Wareham Land Trust, Board of Selectmen and just regular residents here this morning,” said Buckland. He added that the Saturday session was an experiment to see if more people would be able to attend. Buckland said he was not disappointed with the crowd of approximately 25 people.

Led by representatives from the Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District (SRPEDD), the two-hour event featured workshops and a general discussion on Wareham specific issues related to housing, economic development, recreation, transportation and other issues the master plan should focus on.

Wareham’s master plan was last updated in 1998. The document serves as the community’s blueprint, informing regulatory changes, land use policies, budgeting decisions and other community-wide decisions. After becoming a full-time director in November, Buckland made updating the master plan with input from the community a priority.

“I’m sure we can climb the highest mountain,” said Buckland, referring to achieving the town’s planning goals. “But we have to decide which mountain we want to climb.”

Saturday’s session took the pulse of the community, he said. Participants discussed a variety of areas, including making the town bike friendly, attracting businesses that pay high wages and promoting local businesses to residents.

John Salerno, co-owner of Marc Anthony’s Pizzeria in Onset, said one area he’d like to see explored is making Onset Village parking friendlier for residents. The parking program was implemented in 2013. That’s when the town put parking kiosks at Onset Pier and at Temple Lot on Union Avenue. Prior to 2013, attendants manned the Town Pier lot and collected parking fees and there was no charge to park in the Temple Lot. Visitors must also pay to park on Union Avenue near the bluffs.

Salerno said he was aware that the program brings in money for the town, but over the years noticed a drop in locals coming to the village. He said the parking issue goes against one of the current master plan’s stated to goals to “encourage economic vitality in existing businesses.”

“I’ve been making pizzas and looking out that window for 30 years, and the area has a different feel to it,” said Salerno, noting that the day before streets were empty, despite the beautiful weather. “It’s hard for me to sell a slice of pizza for a $2.50 when people have to pay a dollar to park.”

He recommended town officials look at ways to encourage more residents to come to Onset in May and June. That, he said, would benefit all businesses in the area.

“It seems like it’d be nice to welcome people who live in town back into the village,” said Salerno.

Claire Smith, who serves as the town moderator, urged officials to not only consider future goals, but how to reach them.

“I think it’s wonderful that we’re coming up with a master plan, but we need to be sure to implement it going forward,” said Smith.

Looking ahead, Buckland said SRPEDD officials will review the comments made Saturday, as well as additional ones that may be submitted on a website devoted to Wareham’s master plan. Those results will be summarized and used to inform the process.

“This is the part of the process I call the ‘path of discovery,’” said Buckland. “We’re going to review then sit down and figure out what the next steps will be to advance those goals.”

For more information on Wareham’s master plan, or to submit comments, visit: www.srpedd.org/Wareham-Master-Plan.