Natick Center has witnessed a great transformation since 40 years ago, when the last Master Plan for the community was completed in the 1970s. At that time, the plan for Natick Center was to utilize 1950s and 1960s-style urban renewal techniques to “revitalize” downtown.
Fortunately, those efforts did not come to fruition. Natick Center in 2015 is rich with revitalized historic and new properties, largely occupied with a mix of commercial, retail, cultural, residential, and civic uses.
The purpose of the Natick Center Plan is to work with the Town, property owners, business owners, and citizens to craft a vision for short- and long-term changes to capitalize on the current and future assets in Natick Center. The project will engage the public in a discussion about how Natick Center can support the needs of the residents and businesses today, as well as those who may be here in the future. We will look at potential opportunities for redevelopment, which will include ways to improve the current utilization of existing buildings in the Center. We will look closely at parking needs, parking ratios, and impact new growth could have on the current parking supply. We will also recommend ways to improve multimodal transportation connections within and outside Natick Center.
The goal of the Natick Center Plan is to develop a clear action-oriented path for the Town and other stakeholders that will help maximize the benefits to the Town and take advantage of the Center’s proximity to public transportation.
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Final Report
Chris Kuschel presented the final report to the Board of Selectmen on May 31, 2016. Download the report here.
Public Forum 2/10/2106
A well-attended forum was held on February 10, 2016, to allow the public to comment on the draft recommendations developed by the MAPC. The slides from the presentation are here.
“Virtual Forum” survey
Link to “Virtual Forum” survey Survey End Date: Friday, 1/15/2016Those unable to attend the Public Forum on 12/8/2015 or unable to participate fully can now add their input to the Natick Center Plan by way of an online survey. We’re calling it a “Virtual Forum” survey, because it not only solicits opinions, but provides much of the demographic and other information presented at the Public Forum. The deadline for returning the survey is 1/15/2016.
Public Forum 12/8/2015
Next Steps
Several surveys will be distributed during December. One survey will be for people who were unable to attend the forum, and the other will be a follow-up for both groups.
The feedback garnered from the surveys will be combined with information from discussions with Town officials, and opinions gathered at a 12/3/2015 “pop-up” feedback booth at the Natick Center T station and at the 12/8/2015 forum. All of this input will inform the draft recommendations that will be developed by MAPC over the next months. MAPC will present these recommendations at a yet-to-be-scheduled meeting in early 2016 and gather additional feedback. That meeting will be widely publicized.
MAPC’s Role
MAPC will be assisting the Town in working with the public to identify the key opportunities and impediments to creating a vibrant, active, and well-connected neighborhood. To help inform the overall process, MAPC will be completing a commercial and residential market analysis, reviewing the existing zoning, reviewing parking, and exploring what improvements could be made to the roadways and pedestrian connections within Natick Center.
Questions and Updates
For questions about this project, please contact Chris Kuschel, ckuschel@mapc.org