For decades, Jamestown has maintained its identity as one of the quieter, but most picturesque destinations along the Rhode Island coastline.  This “sense of place” provides the foundation for a steady, but not overwhelming, tourist economy on the island. The Narragansett Avenue corridor leading to the waterfront has helped to define Jamestown for over a century and maintains a scale of buildings and activity that typifies the traditional “pier area” commercial center that is special to coastal New England.  Outside of the commercial center, Jamestown has some of the most stunning coastline and natural landscapes in Rhode Island.  As Jamestown looks to the future of a sustainable local and regional economy, access to these unique assets will be essential to maintaining a local economy of place.

Questions to Consider:

1. How can Jamestown attract and support local, year-round businesses that serve island residents?

2. What are the best ways to balance the tourism industry infrastructure with the environment that makes Jamestown an attractive town in the first place?

3. What programs can the Town and other partners use to support sustainable, "green" business and tourism?

The impacts of Climate Change through Sea Level Rise are often perceived as distant, but the assets being built today will still be within their design life when future effects of sea level rise are felt. In addition, sea level rise will magnify the impacts of 100-year storm surge events by raising the water level.

Less distant is the issue of water infrastructure, and making sure Jamestown has safe and dependable access to water for drinking, bathing, and more.

Questions to Consider:

1. What roads and bridges in town flood now during storms? What can the Town do to ensure safe circulation if these resources are damaged or inundated in the future?

2. What would happen if summer drought conditions caused Jamestown to lose its capacity to supply public drinking water to the island?  What would you be willing to do or to spend to make sure that never happens?

3. In the next century, parts of Jamestown are likely to be cut off from the rest of the island by sea-level rise. At what point does it make sense to start investing in new bridges and roads that address these changes?

One of the components of Sustainable Jamestown is likely to be an energy management plan: a long-term planning resource used by the Town to
drive and guide progress toward a more secure, cost-effective and sustainable energy future.

This may include setting clear and measurable energy reduction goals, which will be critical for understanding what we want to achieve, developing effective strategies, and reaping financial gains. The Town can use this goal to more thoroughly assess opportunities, implement energy efficiency projects and achieve its energy reduction goals.

Jamestown is currently working with URI and the RI Office of Energy Resources to develop a baseline analysis of energy usage in all Town facilities. This will help identify potential opportunities for energy savings, and will also position Jamestown to take advantage of state and federal loans and grants to invest in energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.

Questions to Consider:

1. How important is it for you that locally generated energy options be available for use by Jamestown citizens, neighborhoods and businesses?

2. Should Jamestown invest in more energy efficient heating, cooling, windows, insulation, and other building infrastructure, even if they are more expensive?

3. Should Jamestown only purchase or lease new automobiles for its fleet which meet stronger pollution standards and have improved gas mileage, such as hybrids and electrics, even if the upfront cost is more expensive?

As of 2015, the average single family home in Jamestown cost $585,000 - more than anywhere else in the state other than Block Island.

It would take an income of nearly $145,000 a year to afford the average house.  The median household income in Rhode Island is $54,891.  In Jamestown, $95,175.

Anecdotally, more and more of Jamestown's housing stock is being used for short term vacation rentals, or is being torn down to make way for larger homes.

Further, over 35% of the island's housing stock was built prior to 1950. How can these homes be retrofitted to be more energy efficient and to provide good homes for the next generation?

Questions to Consider:

1. Can your children afford to buy a home in Jamestown? Can your aging parents afford to stay here?

2. How does the housing market impact the town's long term quality of life and sense of community?

3. Cost aside, do you think Jamestown has the housing types needed to attract and retain young adults, families, and aging seniors?

A sustainable future depends on more than just government action – all of us need to do our part. It takes the collective efforts of each and every resident and visitor to Jamestown. Individual actions can add up for good or for bad. Ideally, community members of all ages should participate actively and effectively in civic affairs and community improvement efforts. All of us should also understand the basic principles of sustainability and use them to guide our decisions and actions - both personal and collective.

Community resiliency also depends on community members of all ages and incomes being able to meet our basic needs and enhance the quality of our lives.

Questions to Consider:

1. What sorts of things might you personally be willing to do to preserve Jamestown’s quality of life into the future?

2. How can the Jamestown community best work collectively to preserve the town's quality of life into the future?

3. Who are the types of people or families in town most vulnerable to economic or social struggles in the future?

In recent years, community planning policy and design have been viewed through the lens of public health.  In most cases, projects are implemented at the local level but, many funding sources are now available from state health agencies, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), and other state and federal sources.  These funding streams signify a significant shift in state and federal agencies away from treating diseases to developing strategies to prevent them.  The focus on downward trends in public health (e.g., asthma, diabetes, obesity, etc.) has led to an interest in the quality of local food systems, recreational opportunities, bicycle and pedestrian amenities, “green” homes, and traditional neighborhood design. 

Questions to Consider:

1. Do you, your family, and your neighbors have good opportunities to live a healthy lifestyle in Jamestown?

2. Is access to healthy food or health care a problem for anyone you know?

3. What would make it easier for you and your family to have more active play and exercise in Jamestown?