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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPLANNINGbrd_10052016Planning Board Minutes Joint Workshop with Board of Selectmen, Finance Committee, Industrial Development Commission, Cultural Council, Fales Fuel Site Advisory Committee, Keep Mansfield Beautiful October 5, 2016 Present: Tom French, Chairman; Don Cleary, Clerk, Beth Ashman -Collins, Michael Feck, Ralph Penney, Rich LeBlanc, Joe Cerretani and Sharon Friedman Shaun P. Burke, Director of Planning and Development; Jennifer Davis, Administrative Assistant Board of Selectmen: Jess Aptowitz, Chair; George Dentino, Frank DelVecchio, Michael Trowbridge, Steve Schoonveld William Ross, Town Manager Members of the Finance Committee, Industrial Development Commission, Cultural Council, Fales Fuel Site Advisory Committee, Keep Mansfield Beautiful Introduction Mr. Ross reviewed some of the information from a Northeastern University student presentation in April 2016 regarding vacant properties downtown, how the current traffic pattern may be confusing and a disconnect with the bike trail. He said the Fire Department vacating the North Main Street fire station building in approximately 30 months will reduce the need for large trucks to be able to swing in to the area. Currently, North Main Street is one-way with parking on both sides; the students' idea was when the Fire Department moves out, consider two-way traffic with parking on one side and sidewalk improvements. Mr. Ross said the students also looked at the bike trail from East Street to downtown and were concerned it is not conducive to walking and biking, especially after dark. Norton is currently working to extend the bike path to Taunton, so there is an opportunity to improve the Mansfield portion of the bike path. Mr. Ross said the students brought up the possibility of using the Fales Fuel site as a trailhead for the bike path with some green space and a walking path connecting the trail to the train station. He said under that plan, there may be an issue with access to the back of back of businesses along Old Colony Way. If the roadwork downtown were tied into work on the bike path, it would open the possibility for federal funding programs encouraging project tied to walking, biking and train station access. There was a question about traffic counts from the students' study, and about how many parking spaces each business needs; Mr. Ross said the students' project demonstrated how the plan would improve parking with lighting and signage. Mr. French summarized downtown zoning changes since the 2008 Master Plan, including the Vision statement from the Master Plan, existing zoning maps and overlay districts and zoning requirements in the B I and B2 zones. Currently, there are 159 on -street, non -commuter parking spaces from Route 106 to West Street; 127 on North Main Street and 32 on side streets around Workshop with BOS October 5. 2016 the Middle Common. He noted that number does not include off-street parking provided by downtown merchants or the town. Mr. French said the TOD Overlay District includes the area around the west side of the train station and is intended to promote mixed-use, pedestrian - oriented, high-value development within walking distance of the train station; a mix of housing types, live/work space, retail, commercial and office; focal point for arts and artists; act as a cultural center and promote public space and art. Mr. Krentzman said the IDC has focused on the North Main Street area and has been developing relationships with other committees. Nancy Wall, Chair of IDC's Downtown Subcommittee, explained they have done marketing projects, had Mansfield High School students conduct a survey of what people would like to see downtown, launched a website and Facebook page, held a focus group to ask businesses about their priorities and what they would like to see downtown. She said two big things came out of that focus group: parking and the fact that the businesses are not that familiar with one another, so people are supportive of getting together with one another and with the town. Ms. Wall said they have investigated GATRA bus service, which currently goes from the train station to Wheaton College, stopping at Mansfield Crossing, and have talked to businesses and representatives from Wheaton about bus service. Ms. Wall said the subcommittee has developed a list of downtown businesses and contact information, and plan to develop a map with layers of information. She said the subcommittee's vision of downtown is similar to the Master Plan, with a clean, attractive, inviting downtown. She said downtown should have curb appeal, attractive storefronts, green areas, art and entertainment, wayfinding signs, wife and be litter and weed -free. She said they have counted 96 storefronts from Route 106 to West Street, with 90 occupied. She said she would be concerned if there are only 159 on -street parking spaces downtown. She said the subcommittee thinks it is important to create a walkable connection to major areas, make the roads leading in and out of Mansfield attractive, increase GATRA service, -provide easy access to parking, schedule downtown events like Family Fun Nights, popup markets, food trucks and entertainment, reuse the North Main Street fire station and continue collaboration among boards and committees and town departments. She said the IDC can help with its members' knowledge and energy, provide an open forum for ideas and facilitate collaboration. She said they think it would be advantageous to hire a downtown development director. She said open communication is important so everyone has a chance for input and to participate in decision-making. Fales Fuel Committee Chair Caitlin Barrows explained the Fales site was taken for back taxes in 2002, and the committee has looked at multiple uses, and has invested costs and funding options. She said combining the Fales site work with work on the bike path could make it eligible for state funding. She said the green space could be used for multiple purposes, and the committee has heard a lot of interest from the community, as it would serve both downtown residents and the community as a whole, especially if the bike path is linked to Norton and Taunton. Cultural Council Chair Lisa Piscatelli said the council's membership has doubled to 10. She said at the suggestion of downtown business owner Debra Britt, the council is looking into the idea of a Cultural District for downtown. The council did a survey this year to gauge interest in a cultural district; Workshop with BOS October 5, 2016 80% of respondents said they would be interested. The subcommittee plans to gather more information from the state about establishing a District, and to talk to other communities about what has worked and what has not. She said the goals of a district would be to attract artists and cultural enterprise, business and jobs and tourists. She said towns with a cultural district have reported 15% growth in business development during the first year. She said a district would help to preserve and reuse historic buildings, enhance property values and foster cultural development. She said there were concerns expressed in the survey about the town losing its identity through too many industrial parks and too much traffic. The Massachusetts Cultural Council offers $5,000 grants a seed money to begin the process. Ms. Piscatelli said the Cultural Council ispreparing a list of Mansfield's cultural assets, concentrating on downtown. She said in Fiscal Year 2016, Bristol County received almost $1 million in cultural grants; Mansfield got around $5,000. She said there is funding available, the town just has to organize and get community support. She said a Cultural District would identify an area with a concentration of cultural assets, and a town could have more than one district. She said Mansfield's assets include things like the National Black Doll Museum, Creative Communities, Bead Cache, church performances, MMAS, annual folk festival, Duck Race, parades, movies on the common. She said they are also looking into opportunities to place historical markers around town. Mr. Schoonveld asked if that list is sufficient to create a district; Ms. Piscatelli said she thinks it is. Finance Committee Walter Wilk, chair, suggested ranking priorities, appointing a subcommittee and putting a plan in place. He suggested talking to downtown restaurants about participating in the Wheaton meal plan, which could help attract college students to Mansfield. Debra Britt, National Black Doll Museum, Cultural Council and Downtown Business Association, said they have been working on identifying buildings connected with Mansfield history and downtown businesses will participate 'in a "History Hunt." She said Mansfield's train station was on a major transportation route for slaves between Boston and Providence; she said Frederick Douglass and President Lincoln both visited Mansfield. Ms. Barrows said the Downtown Business Association meets monthly to go over downtown event ideas and welcomes board and committee participation. Ms. Britt said the DBA has a Facebook page and is building a website. Representative Jay Barrows said the Downtown Business Association has existed since the 1980s, with varying levels of participation. He said downtown has never looked better with new lighting, plantings, benches and reduced litter. He said the DBA would like to update the brackets and banners along North Main Street; Mr. Ross said funding for that work is available. Mr. Barrows said they would like to include North Main Street north of Route 106 in that program, as well. He said Mansfield has good parking, well -lit sidewalks and a pedestrian - friendly downtown. He said he thinks the state is willing to invest in communities, noting that Norton is on the 2018 Transportation Improvement Plan to complete the bike path. He said the bike path is well -used, including by children using it to walk to school, and is a good opportunity to connect to the train station. Workshop with BOS October 5, 2016 Mr. Aptowitz said he thinks everyone has worked hard on this issue for years, noting that one of the recommendations that came out of the Strategic Plan was to establish a Downtown Development Committee to coordinate the issues. Mr. DelVecchio said he thinks a lot of the issues brought up tonight are complementary, like the Cultural District and the TOD district. Mr. Trowbridge said he would be concerned that two-way traffic on North Main Street would reduce parking spaces. Mr. Barrows suggested creating more pedestrian friendly, wider - sidewalks downtown. Mr. Trowbridge said closing off Old Colony Way would impact several businesses. He said he thinks Mansfield could do a better job with signage downtown to slow traffic. Mr. Barrows suggested talking to MMED about installing some solar -powered signage. Mr. Schoonveld said there should be an executive committee of the downtown subcommittee; a small decision-making group to act within a year. He said he thinks Mansfield already has a lot of the information, but the decisions need to be made. Mr. Dentino said there have been a lot of good suggestions but said he thinks the future of downtown has already been carved out, with a lot of residential uses and four-story buildings. He said businesses cannot survive without tenants providing income; he said a lot of businesses would not succeed if they did not own the building. He said parking problems will come up. He said new development from malls hurt downtown businesses. He said TOD needs' federal funding to have a chance and said there are very few TOD plans in towns that have made it. He said driving downtown has been very difficult and it is hard to get federal funds. He said he thinks traffic and parking are the biggest problems. Ms. Wall said she is excited about so many people who want downtown to succeed; she said if the town has the will and funding, it has great potential and can do a lot. An audience member said he thinks it is pessimistic to say the town will stay the same and suggested an independent study to look at towns that work. Neil Rhine, Keep Mansfield Beautiful, said he is more optimistic that there is a lot that can be accomplished. He said the Strategic Plan recommended forming a downtown committee and he is glad that is happening. Scott Feely, Finance Committee, said it is time to start working. Ms. Britt said she chose to move to Mansfield in 1995 because of all its positive qualities, including great history and excellent schools; she said someone just needs to organize all the work that needs to be done. Mr. DelVecchio said the ideas need to be organized to focus on the things that need to be addressed. Motion: To establish a Downtown Committee (DelVecchio-Schoonveld) Workshop with BOS I October 5. 2016 Mr. DelVecchio suggested not establishing an executive committee in addition to the downtown committee. Mr. Wilk suggested setting the committee up like CIP, with representatives from several committees. Mr. Barrows suggested setting up a timeline with a specific goal. Mr. Rhein said these issues have been discussed for many years, so he doesn't think it should be a short-term committee, but rather a standing committee. He said the challenges will evolve over time, but a group of people committed to downtown could work with it. Mr. Schoonveld said the town is losing money every year it doesn't act. Mr. Krentzman said any committee meeting would be open, so anyone who is interested in attending would be able to participate. He recommended appointing the committee and having them come back to report to the Board of Selectmen regularly. Mr. Wilk suggested a small committee would be more effective in setting priorities. All in favor. PASSES Motion: To form a committee with the Town Manager as the point person, one member of the Board of Selectman, one Planning Board member, two downtown business owners, one member of the Fales Committee, one member of the Cultural Council, one member of the Industrial Development Commission and one member of the Finance Committee (Trowbridge - Motion Amended: To include one member of Keep Mansfield Beautiful (Trowbridge-DelVecchio) Four in favor. Dentino opposed. PASSES Mr. Ross will schedule the first meeting; he asked the boards to inform his office of their representatives. Mr. Aptowitz said the town can post the opening for downtown business owners on the website, on cable and on social media. Mr. Barrows said the Downtown Business Association can contact its members. Mr. Aptowitz said this will be a work in progress-. The Board of Selectmen adjourned the meeting at 9:20 p.m. �f �� ZOC� ,ell 601 L*"J� ao, nature of Clerk Date of Appro, al Workshop with BOS October 5, 2016