Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Downtown Planning topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board hears updates on downtown revitalization, Main Street traffic safety and parking study
Summary
City staff and consultants have begun a 9-to-12 month visioning process for Downtown Woburn, are advancing the Main Street traffic safety project to 25% design, and nearing completion of a downtown parking management plan funded by state grants.
Planning Director John and Economic Development Manager Casey updated the Planning Board on a series of connected planning studies intended to shape Downtown Woburn's next chapter. The city has hired consultant teams for a Downtown Woburn enhancement planning study funded in part by a $100,000 Community One Stop for Growth grant; the consultant team will conduct visioning, stakeholder outreach and a zoning/market analysis over an expected nine- to 12-month period.
On the Main Street traffic safety improvement project, John said the work is approaching the 25 percent design phase and a public design hearing in the council chambers is expected once that milestone is reached. "The primary focus for this improvement project is to make traveling for vehicles and pedestrians a safer endeavor," John said, noting that Downtown Woburn ranks among the top 200 difficult vehicular-pedestrian networks in the Commonwealth. Casey added the city is responsible for advancing the design to 25 percent before the state takes the project forward for implementation.
The same consultant team that is working on traffic improvements also conducted in-depth parking counts last October and prepared a parking management plan the city is close to making public. Casey said the consultants found the downtown challenge is turnover rather than overall capacity; downtown needs roughly 10 to 15 percent of spaces available at any given time. The city will present a menu of short- and long-term parking strategies to the City Council this fall and solicited public comment prior to the 25 percent hearing.
Separately, the board received an update on a New Boston Street opportunity study (a $115,000 Community One Stop grant) that will assess zoning, infrastructure constraints and market demand in a large industrial/commercial area in North Woburn to prepare the city to guide future development. Staff said several multifamily projects in North Woburn are already moving forward and the study will give the city tools to set proactive guidance for future proposals.
The board also discussed scheduling and staffing: planning staff are hiring an assistant planner and expect an uptick in consultant presentations in October that could prompt a return to two meetings per month for the board.
