Readying for Route 146
Towns in its path are preparing for a promised development boom
Last month, a 185,000-square-foot super Wal-Mart opened off Route 146 in Northbridge. A 67,000-square-foot Stop & Shop is poised to break ground in nearby Sutton, just across 146 from a proposed shopping center slated to be anchored by Lowe's.
Meanwhile, South Sutton Commerce Park is nearing capacity, as distribution companies flock to the 127-acre industrial park's outstanding 146 highway access.
The long-anticipated boom along the Route 146 corridor is starting to gain momentum. Officials from the four towns in its path, determined to be ready when it takes off, have formed the Route 146 4-Town Group to do just that.
In fact, Douglas, Uxbridge, Northbridge and Sutton officials who have been collaborating for four years to plan for growth along 146 are reviewing a consultant report mapping out development potential on the corridor. The report comes as the state is putting the finishing touches on the link between routes 146 and 290. That $55-million project, begun in fall 2005, is expected to be completed by the end of this year, according to MassHighway.
Share the burden
Paula Brouillette, member of the 4-Town Group and Douglas Selectman, said it's hard to tell if the towns are ahead of the curve in bracing for the 146 boom. "The only way we'll know is when the wave hits us," she said.
But according to at least one local developer, it's only a matter of time.
James Coull of Maynard-based Sutton Park Associates LLC, which owns the Sutton Commerce Park, is convinced the wave is coming. He says the Route 146 corridor is going to be the "next belt" of development in the state, fanning out from Routes 128 and 495.
Because of the hype behind the highway's completion, the 4-Town Group is working to forge strategies that will let the municipalities work together in handling development instead of at cross purposes. That way, towns can share the burdens and benefits of 146 corridor development and, at the same time, eliminate the barriers to developers that could keep the corridor from reaching its best potential.
"It's the gateway to our communities," Brouillette said. "We can either let development happen or we can try to shape its future."
The $25,000 study, done by Braintree-based Daylor Consulting Group, was launched in the fall of 2005. Each town put in $5,000, along with a $5,000 contribution from the Blackstone Valley National Heritage Corridor Commission, Brouillette noted. Over the past year and a half, the group met with owners of land along the corridor and held three public hearings to come up with a vision for the area.
The Phase I study report looked at some 800 acres of undeveloped land along 146 to determine what areas are buildable and what infrastructure is needed to serve them. The report also explores design concepts for the area, based on what town officials and the public put forth in visioning sessions and via website feedback, according to Erika Johnson, a planner with Daylor Consulting. The group is considering a Phase II study to look at streamlining zoning bylaws for the area. A key focus, added Brouillette, will be determining what kind of agreements the towns need to work together.
Road blocks
Michael Guzinski, Douglas executive administrator, said the biggest barrier to development along the corridor is the need to coordinate infrastructure, including water and sewer, roads and fiber optics, as well as making zoning compatible across town lines. For example, Brouillette said, Douglas' zoning limits building height to 30 feet, while Sutton's allows 35 feet.
According to Brouilette, the group would like to "eliminate the unknown" for developers, who can be intimidated by working with multiple towns on a project. "When they know what the rules are, they know what to expect," she said.
The Daylor report hones in on 372 acres of buildable land straddling Route 146 in the four towns. Sutton has the most developable land in the study area, with 164 acres. Douglas is next with 145 acres, followed by Northbridge with 44 acres and Uxbridge with 19 acres.
But Brouillette pointed out that development in one town in the study area can have considerable repercussions for the town next door. The new Wal-Mart is in Northbridge, she noted, but it is surrounded by Sutton, which will clearly feel its impact. In turn, Sutton has the most land to be developed, but access to what is built will be through Uxbridge.
The 4-Town Group is not the first time communities along 146 have tried to coordinate their growth strategies. In the late 1990s, leaders from the four towns, along with Millbury, got together in a task force and came up with a plan for an overlay district to unify zoning and site plan requirements. That effort was funded by a $50,000 state grant spearheaded by the Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission. Two towns, Sutton and Northbridge, adopted the overlay. The others did not.
Jennifer Hager, planning coordinator for Sutton, said the overlay standards have been a plus in recent developments, including Wal-Mart.
Brouillette said the overlay issue was before her tenure in town government but she feels the towns are now working from a point of common ground. The most difficult issue to resolve, Brouillette says, will likely be coming to an agreement between towns on how to share the revenue from development in the area.
Revenue sharing will be particularly important to Uxbridge, which has little land in the 4-Town study area but provides key access. South of the study area, BJ's Wholesale opened a distribution warehouse in Uxbridge in 2006. There are also plans in the works for a 300,000-500,000-square-foot mall where 146 intersects Route 16 in Uxbridge. Floyd Forman, Uxbridge director of planning and economic development, says the 4-Town Group has already united the towns in a way that hasn't been done before and he is optimistic it will succeed in coordinating corridor growth.
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