ROYALSTON — Phil Delorey presented the board of selectmen Tuesday with a draft of the town’s Community Development Strategy. There will be a public hearing next Tuesday, March 7 to meet with Delorey to discuss and finalize the plan.

Delorey said the plan is a “work in progress,” but it is progressing. He will have a finished document ready for next week, which he will ask the selectmen to approve.

The plan gives a brief historical overview of the town, in terms of rural character, economics and development. It outlines a series of developmental categories, with goals and objectives for each. Categories include:

Natural resources and open space and recreation: Goals include preserving and maintaining open fields and working landscapes in town, as well as protecting clean water and air. Preserving the town’s rural character, limiting the amount and location of development, and improving existing recreational resources will also be addressed.

Housing: Goals include continuing to ensure a full range of housing opportunities for the town, including adequate ownership and rental options for all residents, especially low- and-moderate income residents, the elderly and residents with disabilities. Focusing on the revitalization of existing housing stock as a means to assist low and moderate residents with maintaining safe and sanitary housing will also be addressed.

Economic development: Goals will include encouraging the growth of tourism and recreational businesses that take advantage of the town’s natural and historical resources, as well as supporting existing local businesses in town. Through a partnership with the North Quabbin Woods project, the town will provide technical and financial assistance to ongoing and developing wood product businesses.

Transportation and infrastructure: It was noted that low population densities and the distance of commuting to major urban centers limit the potential for public transit as a travel mode. Thus, goals for this category include improving the local transportation infrastructure to ease commuting, and bringing town facilities into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Web site

The board unanimously voted to pursue the development of a town Web site, which would have an address of or similar to www.royalston-ma.gov.

The selectmen had previously received a request to consider starting a site, as some town agencies such as the assessors, open space committee and the town clerk already have Web-ready material.

Chair Werner Bundschuh said he approved of the idea of an official Royalston site.

Selectman Tom Kellner said the town would be willing to pay the approximate annual fee of $60 for the site, which would come out of a selectman’s miscellaneous account.

Kelner said that the address would have a “.gov” domain and be registered as a government site, but the site would not be a government-run site.

The board has received and will sign the administrative paperwork to signify their interest in the project and move the process along.