Weymouth Awarded Planning Grant from Massachusetts Department of Housing & Community Development for Columbian Square
Weymouth, MA - The Town of Weymouth was awarded a $75,000 Community Planning Grant from the Massachusetts Department of Housing & Community Development for the Columbian Square village center to fund a plan to improve parking, determine the best land uses and understand the marketing needs of the area. The Parking, Land Use, and Marketing Plan will follow the guidelines, principles and techniques of smart growth and sustainability.
The Town retained the McCabe Enterprises team which includes Pare Corporation and Paul Lukez Architecture to draft the Plan and is expected to hold a kick-off meeting in February. This study complements the approximately $8 million Town investment in intersection improvements that will commence construction this summer in Columbian Square.
Pare Corporation’s transportation engineers will spearhead the parking analysis which will examine parking usage and turnover in Columbian Square. As part of the innovations in planning and engineering, the parking study component will be using drones to assess parking lot utilization and turnover this coming month. The drones will provide photographic inventory of parking use over a period of time.
For the parking, land use and marketing assessment plans, the McCabe Enterprises team, working with the Town, will be conducting two surveys. The first short survey will focus on customers using Columbian Square, their experiences with parking for the Square and shopping preferences. The second survey will gather information on the experience and opinions of business owners on parking in Columbian Square and will be provided to all owners for their input. Residents and business owners can receive more information regarding the surveys by contacting Monica Kennedy in the Town’s Planning and Community Development Department at 781-340-5015 or visiting https://www.weymouth.ma.us/planning-community-development
In addition to studying parking and developing recommendations for better access in Columbian Square, the Town has asked McCabe Enterprises’ team to review the land uses in Columbian Square and conduct a marketing study to examine the demand for different types of uses in the Square. This will be the foundation for developing a marketing and land use plan to strengthen the village center and assist with business growth and recruitment for the area.
Mayor Hedlund feels this study coupled with the signalization and beautification of the Square will bring new life and vitality to Columbian Square and spur private investment. The Mayor went on to say that “Columbian Square has served the needs of the community over the past generations and we need to make sure it continues to serve the needs of future generations.”