This is ultimately for the Barrington community to decide upon and move forward. I’m just hoping to establish consensus around a larger vision.”

Matthew Heffner

Matthew Heffner has framed a poignant discussion for Barrington, and he’s brought together four very knowledgable people to start that discussion.

His premise is that Barrington should be able to accomplish all of the following: Keep the town’s senior citizens living in Barrington; preserve open space; and create housing for adults with special needs. His conversation-starting rally cry is: “Let’s Keep All 3!”

Heffner has spoken about these issues before. At a Barrington Town Council meeting last fall, the former Barrington resident who grew up in town but now lives in Riverside documented the challenges he faced while trying to find a reasonably-priced home to buy in Barrington last summer. He eventually gave up and settled in Riverside. In September, Heffner suggested Barrington might incentivize developers to build smaller houses, particularly for senior citizens and special needs adults in need of supportive housing.

He is now taking that suggestion to a new level, facilitating a panel discussion at Barrington Public Library on Monday, April 29. The event begins at 7 p.m.

Heffner said his inspiration came from his own experiences trying to find a home in Barrington and then thinking about the challenges that inevitably confront older residents when their children are grown and they want to downsize. “So many people have moved out of this community,” he said. “Some move to Barrington ‘south,’ or to Barrington 'west.' The neighborhood where I live, in Riverside, is home to many Barrington transplants.”

It got him thinking: “Why is everybody leaving?”

Heffner also started thinking about housing for those with special needs, many of whom are living in Barrington right now with their parents and siblings. “From what I can tell, the special needs population has not been discussed as much, at least not publicly,” Heffner said.

Lastly, he added, there is no reason to believe that either of these goals — creating housing options for seniors or supported housing for those with special needs — are mutually exclusive from the desire to preserve and protect open space.

“Some people perceive this as, it’s one interest vs. another, and one has to prevail over the other. I think that is perhaps a misperception by a lot of people,” Heffner said.

For as much time as he’s thought about this, Heffner said he does not have all the answers, or even any of them.

“In my personal option, it wouldn’t hurt if there were more, smaller housing units in Barrington .. providing opportunities for people to downsize,” he said.

However, this is just one person’s opinion, and this issue is much larger than one person. “This is ultimately for the Barrington community to decide upon and move forward. I’m just hoping to establish consensus around a larger vision,” he said.

Asked about his goals for the April 29 forum and what might come of it, he said: “My only desired result is to have all these three priorities incorporated into the town’s plan and the community’s larger consciousness … How it all comes about isn’t important. It’s more important that everyone comes together.”

‘Let’s Keep All 3!’ – Seniors, open space and residents with special needs

WHAT: A panel discussion and Q & A

WHEN: Monday, April 29; 7 p.m.

WHERE: Salem Family Auditorium, Barrington Public Library

PANELISTS:

• State Rep. June Speakman: A state representative whose efforts as a Barrington Town Councilor helped create the Sweetbriar homes in the Bay Spring neighborhood; 

• Kate Sayles — Director of the Rhode Island Land Trust Council, the parent organization of the Barrington Land Conservation Trust; 

• Caroline Dillon — Executive Director of The Village Common of Rhode Island, an organization that advocates for elders and already has a mutual support ‘village’ in Barrington; 

• Tory Flis — Inclusive Living Community Administrator at Looking Upwards, an organization that works on behalf of people with special needs.