The upshot of this article is a Public Meeting on Monday June 16, 2003 at 7 pm in the Memorial Building to discuss the Community Development Plan; specifically "The first meeting will focus on how the town should preserve or utilize open space and natural resources." (see paragraph 3 below)
/andrea carr-evans TMM Pct 3 ___________________________________________________________________ DEVELOPMENT PLAN IS GETTING RENEWED ATTENTION Author(s): Eun Lee Koh, Globe Staff Date: June 8, 2003 Page: 5 Section: Globe West As an emerging collaborative of business leaders and community groups determines ways to enhance and revitalize downtown, Framingham is beginning to update a 14-year-old community development plan that will help guide the groups' planning. The comprehensive community development plan, which is part of the town's master plan, was last revised in 1989, and reflects the town's desires for development in areas such as housing and transportation. "The town has both ongoing downtown revitalization strategy and housing strategy, and revising this overarching plan will help us determine whether these are viable," said Kathleen Bartolini, Framingham's director of planning and economic development. "We want to better integrate some of these components into the larger plan." Framingham's Planning Department has been preparing an open space and development map for the first public forum on the development plan at 7 p.m. June 16 in the Memorial Building. The first meeting will focus on how the town should preserve or utilize open space and natural resources. Future forums, scheduled for the fall, will examine the town's future in transportation, housing, and economic development. Some areas covered by the community development plan have changed significantly since it was last revised. In the past decade, Framingham has seen an influx of population, traffic, and commercial development, as well as rapid changes in technology, according to town officials - however, some core commitments made in the last plan remain similar. "You would be surprised how some things have remained the same, but things like the Internet and the whole telecommunications field was almost nonexistent in 1989," said Framingham's senior planner, Donna Jacobs. "There's a lot of information that needs tweaking, and a lot that needs reaffirming." Town officials hope the forums will draw local business and property owners and leaders of community groups and ethnic organizations, as well as residents who would be affected by various aspects of the development plan. Over the years, a number of community groups, like Downtown Solutions and the Economic Development Industrial Corporation, have focused on the town's downtown development and growth opportunities. However, town officials say that this is the first time the town as a whole will be exploring such issues and coming up with a sweeping vision that these groups can follow. Jacobs said the town will seek and rely on the feedback of these groups. Elsa Hornfischer, cochair of the START Framingham Partnership, which seeks to increase cultural opportunities for the town, said she was supportive of revising the community development plan. She said it would give residents an opportunity to reexamine Framingham's direction. "It's kind of a renaissance, in a way," Hornfischer said. "Framingham has so much potential. We have a little bit of everything. It's rural, suburban; there's citylike aspects to it. It'll be interesting to see what happens." Eun Lee Koh can be reached at [EMAIL PROTECTED] or 508-820-4238. © Copyright 2003 New York Times Company
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