Town of Reading Strategic Economic Development Action Planning Public Meeting Wednesday, April 1, 2015, 6:30 – 9:00 pm Sponsored by the Town of Reading and the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) with funding provided by the Massachusetts District Local Technical Assistance Program and Town of Reading resources
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Reading Strategic Economic Development Action Plan Part 1
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Town of Reading
Strategic Economic Development Action Planning
Public Meeting
Wednesday, April 1, 2015, 6:30 – 9:00 pm
Sponsored by the Town of Reading and the Metropolitan Area Planning
Council (MAPC) with funding provided by the Massachusetts District Local
Technical Assistance Program and Town of Reading resources
Agenda
7:00 – 7:05 pm: Welcome and Introductions
7:05 – 7:20 pm: Goals for Tonight and Overview
7:20 – 7:50 pm: Retail, Office, and Residential Market Potential in Reading
7:50 – 8:55 pm: Design and Density Preference Discussion and Keypad Polling
8:55 pm: Next Steps and Next Meeting
Town of Reading
PROJECT GOALS AND
OVERVIEW
5
MAPC and the MetroFuture Vision
5
Project Goal
Produce a Strategic Economic Development Action Plan
for the Town, which will include a focus on how four
regionally significant priority development areas (PDAs)
can be built out to support local and regional housing
and economic development goals
PDA_1: Downtown 40R District – Potential Expansion
PDA_2: South Main Street
PDA_3: New Crossing Road Redevelopment District
PDA_4: 1 General Way
• Market analysis identifying potential for retail,
office, housing, and mixed use at the regional PDAs
• Alternative development scenarios analysis for
each regional PDA that will estimate potential
additional square feet of commercial floor area,
dwelling units, etc.
• Action Plan for the four regional PDAs that identifies
potential suitable development types, findings from
the market analyses, and policy and planning
recommendations to facilitate redevelopment of the
PDAs – delivered by June 2015
Project Scope
Local Partners
Our local Advisory Committee, which is providing early
input on components informing the Action Plan, includes:
• Town Manager Bob LeLacheur, Assistant Town
Manager Jean Delios, and Community Development
Administrator Jessie Wilson
• Selectman John Halsey; Selectman Kevin Sexton,;
members of the Economic Development Committee
including Karl Weld, Meghan Young-Tafoya, and Jack
Russell; and Lisa Egan from the Reading-North
Reading Chamber of Commerce
• Town staff identified local priorities for development
and preservation. Town then identified the specific
development types they thought each priority
development area could be suitable to accommodate.
oOptions: mixed-use: infill; mixed use: master
planned; multifamily; commercial: medical/office;
commercial: retail, entertainment, hospitality;
commercial: industrial
• MAPC assessed suitability of PDAs for accommodating
different development types using available data
Identifying Priority Development Areas: The North
Suburban Planning Council Priority Mapping Project
Data used to examine each PDA’s suitability to
accommodate different development types
1) Travel choices: proximity to CR, MBTA, and RTA bus
service; percent of non-auto commutes, interchange
proximity
2) Walkable communities: sidewalk availability,
walkscore, bike/ped lanes and paths, high traffic
roadway proximity, walkable schools, block size
3) Open spaces and 4) healthy watersheds: rare species
priority habitat, core habitat and critical landscapes,
agricultural land use, undeveloped land, developable
land, aquifer recharge areas, surface water supply, 100
and 500 year flood zones
Data used to examine each PDA’s suitability to
accommodate different development types
5) Current assets: number of businesses, population and
employment density, inverse population and employment
density, sewer service areas
6) Growth potential: recent and proposed developments,