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New economic development advisory committee outlines goals: infrastructure, zoning, GIS and healthcare access
Summary
Town Planner Ben McClure presented the Economic Development Advisory Committees initial goals to the Select Board: support small-business retention, modernize infrastructure (energy capacity, sewer), review zoning to expand light industrial uses, develop GIS parcel mapping for developers, and explore ways to attract healthcare services to reduce resident travel.
Tyngsboroughs new Economic Development Advisory Committee presented a strategic outline to the Select Board on April 6, with proposed priorities that range from small-business outreach to targeted market analysis and regional collaboration.
Town Planner and Economic Development Director Ben McClure described an early work plan that includes: surveying and supporting existing local businesses; advocating for infrastructure upgrades that would enable commercial development (energy capacity, sewer and wastewater); conducting a zoning review to identify parcels appropriate for light industrial or business uses; building a GIS overlay of development-ready parcels; and pursuing targeted efforts to bring outpatient or diagnostic healthcare services to town.
McClure said the committee will work with regional partners such as the Northern Middlesex Council of Governments (NMCOG) and the Middlesex 3 Coalition to aggregate regional requests for energy and infrastructure upgrades and to present developers with clear, map-based data about site constraints. "If you're a developer, we want to make it as easy as possible for you," he said, describing an interactive MapGO overlay the committee hopes to publish.
Select Board members welcomed the focus on infrastructure and asked the committee to refine measurable next steps and to pursue actionable items that can be taken to the board for support. Committee members emphasized that many towns in the region face similar constraints and that coordinated regional advocacy could improve funding and capacity for energy and sewer improvements.
McClure said the next steps are to refine goals, assign responsibilities and set measurable outcomes so the committee can return with a prioritized action plan.
