Canton, Massachusetts · Saved source text
FINAL MINUTES_RTE 138 092519
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MINUTES CANTON ROUTE 138 CORRIDOR STUDY WORKING GROUP Wednesday, September 25th, 2019 at 1:30PM CANTON TOWN HALL Salah Meeting Room 801 Washington Street Canton MA 02021 Present: Charlie Aspinwall, Town Administrator Christine Madore, MassDevelopment Emilio Mauro, Master Plan Steering Committee, Finance Committee, Economic Development Committee Ed Walsh, Building Commissioner Laura Smead, Town Planner Eric Halvorsen, RKG Associates Ryan Kirkofe, RKG Associates Greg Pando, Zoning Board of Appeals Sonja Grauds, Master Plan Steering Committee David McCarthy, Planning Board and Master Plan Steering Committee Not Present: Chris Connolly, Board of Selectmen Patricia McDermott, Planning Board, Walk Bike and Hike Committee, Sustainability Committee John Ciardi, FIS/ Canton Association of Business and Industry (CABI) MINUTES Agenda 1. Introductions 2. Accept minutes from August meeting a. Discussed making changes to the description of the fiscal impacts of residential uses to clarify that they are fiscally positive b. Accepted unanimously by those present 3. Schedule and progress a. Project initiation and meetings (100%) b. Sociodemographic, Real Estate, and Market Analysis (100%) c. Zoning Review (100%)
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d. Public Meeting #1 (100%) e. Vision and identification of barriers and opportunities (100%) f. Fiscal impact analysis (90%) g. Draft recommendations (65%) h. Public Meeting #2 (10%) i. Draft and final report (0%) 4. Updated schedule a. Work for September includes finalizing the fiscal impact analysis and starting work on draft recommendations b. Work for October includes working on draft recommendations and holding the second public meeting c. Work for November and December include drafting and finalizing the report 5. Discuss draft recommendations for corridor a. Reviewed edited vision statement The Route 138 Corridor in Canton will continue to thrive and grow as a significant contributor to the town’s commercial and industrial tax base, serving as a regional employment hub for thousands of workers. In the future, strategic investments in transportation, open space, and a variety of development types will ensure that the Corridor offers a safe, vibrant, and appealing environment for all users. b. The group was favorable to the new draft and suggested two changes: i. To edit out the words “thousands of employees” so that it wasn’t so prescriptive ii. To edit out the words “in the future” iii. To use the words “strategic partnerships” rather than “strategic investments” The Route 138 Corridor in Canton will continue to thrive and grow as a significant contributor to the town’s commercial and industrial tax base, serving as a regional employment hub. Strategic partnerships in transportation, open space, and a variety of development types will ensure that the Corridor offers a safe, vibrant, and appealing environment for all users. c. Draft recommendations include a theme for the corridor to create a more “complete and connected corridor” – How do we get from a disconnected grouping of uses to the creation of “Place?”
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i. Rethink single-use spaces ii. Examples from Framingham & Natick, MA (Golden Triangle), Burlington, MA (3rd avenue), Lexington, MA (Hartwell Avenue) iii. Enabling place creation: Canton Rte 138 in a lot of places lacks landscaping, has no sidewalks, has a lack of branding, parking is right up against the road, it has above ground utilities, and buildings are setback far from the street iv. The Town should examine standards for signage and streetscape frontage to allow for a more unified marketing and character of the corridor v. Building setbacks are extremely wide, which adds to the parking placement in the front of the buildings against the road. There is also a great deal of surface parking in general. d. Zoning changes to the business zoned areas to the north and south to create “gateways” to the corridor that are mixed use i. Focus on mixed-use to create small, walkable, activity centers ii. Align district boundaries with parcel lines iii. Encourage parcel aggregation in Gateways to facilitate larger redevelopment opportunities iv. Create new standards for LIB district, with a focus on improving the aesthetics of frontage along the corridor v. Group liked the concepts of the mixed use nodes at the north and south, but discussed specific parcels to both expand to and to remove the zone from vi. Discussed writing in further open space buffering or height restrictions where the new zone is adjacent to single family zones vii. Discussed keeping the Limited Industrial (B) zone district, and having different dimensional standards for this zone as it directly abuts Rte 138 (lower setbacks) and keeping higher setbacks in the general LI zone viii. Discussed allowing for more uses by right, including restaurants up to a certain size, and in the mixed use zone multifamily up to a certain size; mixed use (top of shop format) would be by right in the mixed use zone ix. Limited Industrial and Limited Industrial B districts: 1. Limit heavy manufacturing to LI district. Allow light manufacturing as-of- right in both districts
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2. Limit fast food with drive-thrus in the LIB. Encourage fast casual and sit- down restaurants 3. Consider restaurants as a special permit in LI, but allowed as-of-right up to a certain size in the LIB. x. Gateway district 1. Mixed-use could mean housing over commercial or office over retail/restaurant. Mixed use as-of-right up to a certain size threshold, then becomes special permit 2. Multi-family allowed via special permit 3. No fast food/ drive-thrus. Fast casual and sit down restaurants allowed as-of-right up to a certain size. 4. Allowable uses could include retail, restaurants, office, medical office, multi-family residential, breweries, maker space, coworking space, gym/fitness e. Mixed use zone would have the smallest setback, lowest minimum lot size and highest lot coverage (but lowest heights), then LIB would have the next smallest minimum lot size and slightly lower lot coverage (and middle heights), and LI would have the largest lot size and lowest lot coverage – but the highest heights. f. Discussed using traditional setbacks and lot coverage versus FAR or a form-based code, and decided that using the traditional model while layering on stricter sign and design guidelines was probably the most straightforward way g. Discussed the need for general sign bylaw, streetscape and architectural design guidelines – could be in the bylaw or used as a guide; preference for it being in the bylaws h. Discussed parking requirements, and how some are higher than the standard i. Looked at how reduced parking requirements and allowing for more shared parking could spark infill development on existing parking lots with a lot of surface parking j. Discussed how connectivity and connections to open space could be achieved k. Adding sidewalks and bike infrastructure along major roads like Dan Road, New Boston Drive to connect to the bike/ped improvements on Rte 138 that MassDOT is making l. Adding transit via employer shuttles, on-demand shuttles, or expanded MBTA service in the corridor
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m. Discussed proposed MassDOT Rte 138 infrastructure improvements which include sidewalks on both sides, and/or a multiuse bike/ped path, additional mid-block crossings (with HAWK signals), an additional signal at New Boston Drive, and a middle turning lane. n. There were more slides in this presentation, but do to time constraints we were unable to get into the economic development recommendations portion (supporting & retaining existing businesses; marketing to and attracting prospective businesses; growing economic development capabilities) 6. Public Meeting #2 Logistics a. Generally speaking we are mostly set for this meeting b. Laura suggested having a more structured Q&A format using some sort of feedback form so that data can be more systematically gathered from those present c. The feedback form questions could be echoed in the online survey as well 7. Next Steps a. Public Meeting: October 23rd, 2019 @ 7pm (Bank of Canton) b. Will follow this meeting up with an online survey c. Working Group meeting: November 12th or 14th (to be determined, Laura Smead will survey the group to find the best day and time) d. November and December will refine recommendations and write the draft plan