Northborough committee keeps Blake/Pierce streetscape CPA application on the agenda after detailed funding debate

The Town of Northborough Community Preservation Committee on Nov. 25 reviewed a CPA application seeking approximately $850,000 to rebuild sidewalks, reorganize parking and create a pocket park on Blake and Pierce streets in downtown Northborough.

Committee members said the application builds on previous design work funded with ARPA and consultant support and sits alongside a separate Complete Streets grant the select board accepted in a 3-2 vote. The committee’s discussion focused on which costs the CPA application should cover and whether pursuing streetscape work now could limit future redevelopment options at 4 West Main, where an RFP is expected.

The committee’s chair (unnamed in the transcript) outlined the project scope from slides shown to members: reconfigured parking adjacent to the Christmas-tree/pergola pocket park, new sidewalks on Blake and Pierce, landscaping aimed at improved drainage, and an L-shaped berm to better organize traffic flow. The chair said some adjacent private property owners chose not to participate, so their parcels are not part of the scope.

Peter Martin asked whether the town or partners have a plan to program activity in the pocket park once built. “Is there any thought…about sort of providing any programming for the space?” Martin asked. The chair said the Cultural Council had been encouraged to consider small community events, and the committee discussed modest uses such as neighborhood music or art displays.

Members also parsed the Complete Streets approval letter from MassDOT and the application budget. The committee discussed language in the letter referencing roughly $498,877 and a separate allocation that appears in the packet as $269,000 for the Blake-Street portion; members requested clearer budget mapping so the committee can determine how much of the Complete Streets funding applies to the CPA request and which design costs were already funded.

Debate at the committee mirrored a recent select board split: some board members worried that doing streetscape work now could constrain future bidders on 4 West Main, while others argued the improvements would make the property more attractive. The committee did not resolve that policy question in the meeting but agreed the CPA application should remain on the CPC agenda and proceed to a public hearing at the committee’s December meeting so the committee can collect more details and take public comment.

The committee did not take a final vote on funding at this meeting. Next steps: the applicant is expected to provide a clearer budget breakdown tying CPA and Complete Streets dollars to specific tasks and to present at the Dec. 4 CPC meeting, when the committee will open a public hearing and gather further feedback.