Southborough committee to pursue MassWorks Route 9 application, will also seek smaller downtown planning grant

Members of a Town of Southborough committee agreed at a meeting to prioritize a $400,000 MassWorks expression of interest for a Route 9 wastewater predevelopment scope while also pursuing a separate community planning grant for downtown.

The committee said the Route 9 application will be the primary focus because it better fits the town’s near-term infrastructure goals and because MassWorks awards typically favor a single clearly scoped project. Anna (Weston & Sampson) said, “we are thinking that it would be best to show the town's pure focus on Route 9.”

The decision matters because MassWorks awards infrastructure planning and predevelopment funding that can advance design work for projects that later seek construction funding. Committee members discussed the size of requests, local matching requirements, timelines for design, and practical next steps for putting completed draft answers into the MassWorks (IGX) portal.

The committee reviewed two grant tracks: the MassWorks expression of interest that the group previously scoped at $400,000 for Route 9, and a separate community planning grant option for the downtown area. Committee members said the prior…