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A Shared Vision of Natick Center
Results of a Community Charrette co-sponsored by Natick Center Associates and the Community Development Office of the Town of Natick
In seeking to establish a shared vision of downtown Natick for the future, a group of Natick citizens gathered in September 2004 for a community charrette. The goal of this charrette was to create a vision of Natick Center in the year 2030. The vision that resulted is a Center that takes advantage of the town’s historical character and tradition of arts and cultural offerings, to continue its role as a meeting place that offers the citizens of Natick a high quality of life.
The priorities and details of the process are outlined in this report but first let’s have a brief historical sketch of the Town.
Natick Center has been a crossroads and meeting place for commerce, culture, history and the arts. It has evolved and continued to change over the past 200 years. Today it is a walkable, living museum of the history and economy of America. The transportation infrastructure that has led to the success of Natick Center has changed from water to rail to road. Natick Center has adjusted to these changes. It has transformed itself from a place of factory buildings to a place of mercantile buildings where the community met on the upper floors and business was done on the first floor. Natick continues to evolve and is today a thriving retail, service and arts community surrounded by housing. A community that knows where it has been and that cares about where it is going.
The vision that came out of the charrette is that:
The people of Natick envision downtown Natick as a vibrant and diverse center for arts, commerce, and cultural resources. The vision includes preservation of the historical character of the downtown, affordability for residents and local businesses and accessibility to the Center through a wide range of transportation options.
The six priorities are:
to promote mixed-uses that increase night activities and reasons to walk
to develop a Master Plan for downtown
to expand the role of existing mass transit system
to promote affordable housing and affordable businesses
to provide more parking
to expand the mixed use district and allow taller buildings in the downtown core
To “promote mixed-uses that increase night activities and reasons to walk”. Events at TCAN, the Morse Institute Library, the many restaurants and Natick Town Hall all can bring people into Natick Center at night. In addition, events such as Spooktacular, Holiday on the Common and the other summer-months events such as the Concerts on the Common, bring activity during the day as well as at night. The consensus was that more of these activities should be encouraged and that there should be a concerted effort to link nighttime activities together such as dinner at a local restaurant and a show at TCAN or speaker at the library and coffee and dessert at another downtown establishment.
To “develop a master plan for downtown”. There was a great deal of discussion concerning the advantages and disadvantages of a master plan for downtown. Traditionally, a master plan for the downtown would exist as a part of a master plan for the entire town. This can be a very expensive proposition and is something that fewer and fewer towns are relying on for charting their future. Natick’s master plan, done in 1968, has been rarely looked at or up-dated since its inception. A comprehensive plan or charrettes such as this one, which attempt to move towards a shared vision are far less expensive than a master plan and have been proven to be an effective tool in reaching similar goals.
To “expand the role of existing mass transit system”. Natick’s history and success as a community has always been tied to our access to and use of the existing transportation infrastructure. From our reliance on the Charles River to our use of both the existing rail line, which runs East to West and the former electric street railway that ran North to South, Natick has achieved and maintained viability as a center of commerce and trade. It is in part because of its good transportation infrastructure, that the town is recognized as a community committed to responding to its residents’ needs. Transportation, including mass transit, need to be expanded for this to continue. We need to add and upgrade our mass transit options as well as expand the current bus services to provide for the needs of today’s population. Individuals that have to get around without a car and senior citizens in particular need more options. The rapidly growing commuter population needs either additional bus services or other mass transit options to take pressure off the road structure of the town.
We have two points of access to the commuter rail, Natick Center and West Natick. Although there is room on the train, there is not enough room to park at either station. At West Natick if you are not parked by 7:15 AM you do not park. In Natick Center there is even less parking and commuters use creative strategies to access mass transit, place their cars into the limited sticker parking spaces or park on nearby residential streets.
To “promote affordable housing and affordable businesses”. Affordable housing and affordable businesses are significant to the future of Natick Center. Affordable housing is clearly necessary if we are to continue to attract and retain a diverse workforce. Affordable businesses refer to the desire of promoting local businesses as opposed to national chains. Together the two components are important if Natick Center is to retain its unique character. National chains could make Natick Center look like so many other downtowns, which feel impersonal and look all the same. Besides being important to the diversity of the workforce, providing affordable housing allows the town to proactively plan for its own future.
To “provide more parking”. Businesses, customers and employers know it, residents and commuters know it, people who come to Natick Center for services or meetings know it: Natick Center needs more parking. Recent studies show that we are almost 250 parking spaces short to cover the needs of existing employers right now. Twenty years ago the State, the Town and the merchants cooperated in building a parking garage on Middlesex Avenue. That structure is now in bad condition and in need of costly repairs. In addition, the parking shortage is exacerbated by the fact that the population of downtown has increased since the parking garage was built; the unused second and third floors of many buildings have become occupied and more people work in Natick Center. These new employees eat at local restaurants, shop at local stores and add vibrancy to Natick Center but they also face the daily challenge of finding a parking space, which in the long term will limit the ability of the businesses to expand and remain in town.
To “expand the mixed use district and allow taller buildings in the downtown core”. Anaffordable, attractive, walkable center with uses that extend beyond the normal 9 AM to 5 PM was clearly a theme that came out of the charrette. To achieve this goal, buildings will need to have mixed uses. Buildings should include different combinations of housing, retail and offices. Building should be configured differently from today; changes in building height may be required; two story buildings may need to be replaced with buildings of greater height to contain either more housing units or mixed uses. The limited amount of space in the downtown will create an economic calculus that will demand larger, taller, denser building use.
In summary: The vision anticipates a Natick Center that is environmentally sound with buildings with greater density and a more integrated mix of uses. Residents, workers and visitors will be able to get to and from Natick Center with greater ease. There will be more pedestrian traffic at all hours of the day contributing to an ever-increasing vitality and sense of community. The increase in use throughout the day will allow for more economic diversity in the downtown, and above all, enhance the quality of life and our cultural and historical resources. Visitors coming to the Center will find what they need and want.
Regional development will have led to increased traffic through the Center and there will be better access for all members of the community, especially youth and seniors. To keep traffic from limiting the center’s viability, new transportation options will become available. The town will seek and find ways to improve the public transportation system. The local system will tie into regional transportation networks, providing shuttle service and other conveniences. In addition, more businesses that provide for the needs of residents and workers in the downtown will be here, making Natick an efficient and pleasant town in which to live and conduct business.
There will be adequate parking for all, including covered bicycle parking, to expand transportation choice. Multi-level parking garages, as opposed to parking lots, will preserve valuable open space and the streetscape. Sidewalks will improve pedestrian access into the center and within the center.
The diversity of housing and businesses will provide residents with choices as we preserve that special sense of place and community that we have today.
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