Northborough MPIC: MassDOT contract signed for Blake Street project; committee readies memo on economic development and possible new EDC

The Master Plan Implementation Committee on Dec. 18 heard that the town’s long‑planned Blake/Pierce streetscape project will move forward after staff finalized a negotiated contract with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.

“I'm happy to report that the contract with MassDOT has been finally signed,” Laurie said, describing a scaled scope that includes four LED street lights on the west side of Blake Street, new concrete sidewalks and a vertical granite curb. She told members the project design is near 75% complete and the town anticipates going out to bid around February, with construction scheduled next spring.

Laurie also told the committee she filed a Community Preservation Committee application of $850,000 for street and pocket-park work, including a 20% contingency. She said the CPC public hearing began Dec. 4 and was continued to Jan. 8. The financial planning committee asked about a roughly $43,000 cost difference between Cape Cod berm and a vertical granite curb; Laurie said that is the differential under consideration.

Paul, representing Parks & Recreation, noted his commission supports the project and clarified Parks & Rec would manage the pocket-park land if the town retains it. John (committee member) urged residents to consider modest, achievable steps — signage and shared parking leases — to make existing private parking more useful to downtown visitors.

The committee then reviewed the economic-development section of the master plan recommendation matrix item-by-item to produce a status report for the Select Board and to identify work the Select Board's proposed economic development committee (EDC) or a future paid coordinator might take on. Chair Rick Leaf said the goal was to present a clear, actionable update that the Select Board and any new EDC could use.

On ED1, the downtown planning/revitalization recommendation, members agreed to mark the MPIC’s portion as complete — the committee had overseen the downtown study and initial follow‑up projects — while recognizing that ongoing implementation tasks remain and would either fall to the planning board, the Select Board or a future EDC. "If in fact the Select Board decides to create an economic development committee," Leaf said, MPIC would continue to shepherd the matrix until responsibilities are formally assigned.

The discussion covered multiple downtown and townwide items: property acquisitions and 4 West Main Street (moved to ED15 with ED12 set to 'not yet initiated'), parking (the downtown study recommended a garage as a long-term solution but the committee agreed to add a proposed future task to "consider lease agreements for parking with private lot owners"), business improvement districts (no action yet), and redevelopment financing such as tax increment financing (TIF) in industrial areas. Laurie said negotiations involving Saint‑Gobain's expansion are underway and that White Cliffs property disposition remains in flux.

Members worked to clarify matrix wording where state law limits local authority. On mitigation funding, the committee agreed to distinguish between nonmonetary off‑site mitigation that can be required as conditions of approval (sidewalks, crosswalks, streetlights) and monetary impact fees: Laurie and others recommended language noting that monetary payments cannot be compelled in Massachusetts but may be voluntarily negotiated and included in a permit decision with developer consent.

The group also directed several technical edits to land‑use entries: splitting LU16 (stormwater management bylaw, now complete and under conservation committee review) from a new LU26 that will explicitly address walking routes along Brooks and river corridors, and flagging LU12 (495 MetroWest Development Compact inventory) as something the Select Board/EDC should review.

Committee members agreed to draft a transmittal memo to the Select Board that includes the updated matrix, highlights priority recommendations for economic development, and identifies items the committee thinks should be assigned to a future EDC or coordinator. Leaf said he would draft the memo, and Laurie and Jean would help; members discussed open‑meeting-law constraints on email deliberations and agreed the draft should be shared for review in a way that avoids unlawful serial deliberation. Several members said they preferred finalizing the memo at the committee’s February meeting, with the option of a limited January meeting if the Select Board proceeds faster.

The meeting concluded with procedural housekeeping and a roll‑call vote to adjourn. The committee’s next formal review will continue the remaining land‑use recommendations and finalize the cover memo to the Select Board.

Sources: Committee discussion and staff updates at the Dec. 18 Master Plan Implementation Committee meeting.