An article in today’s Gloucester Daily Times newspaper 3/9/2024 encouraged the public to attend the Comprehensive Plan Draft Day, today– underway in City Hall from 10-2, if you can make it. See the article for more information, links to the plan’s website and next steps for the project. The Director of Community Development responsible for the plan stepped down. Staff from that department was on hand and members of various boards. Mayor Verga welcomed attendees and introduced the consultants.
Earlier this month, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) announced the release of a new interactive map, MAPC’s Homes for Profit: Speculation and Investment, showcasing some of their multi year research specific to housing and investment in Greater Boston.
(You can zoom in to Gloucester and greater Cape Ann or all of the North Shore.)
Today, to mark the public release, MAPC hosted a panel featuring Angie Liou, Executive Dir. Asian Community Development Corp; Brian An, Dir. Public Policy Georgia Tech; Katie MCann, Rent Control Campaign Coordinator, City Life/Vida Urbana; and Tim Reardon, Chief of Data & Research, Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, a newly established cabinet level area in Gov. Healy administration. Prior to taking that position, Reardon had led the data and research for MAPC.
Moderators announced at the outset that there were 168 participants on the Zoom meeting including elected city officials– Sue Moran, Falmouth; Steve Owens, Watertown; Rita Mendes, Brockton; and Liz Breadon Alston-Brighton, Boston City Council–, city staff from multiple towns too many to name, and partner/organizations.
Before introducing the panelists and moderator, MAPC’s Jessie Partridge Guerrero gave a quick overview about the report findings and how MAPC wanted to focus solely on the speculation challenge in this particular report. The panelists spoke briefly about their own areas of expertise and to a one confirmed “not surprised” regarding the report findings. As they engaged in a guided discussion centered on the report, the panelists’ approaches and experiences were not all the same, nor were the comments by attendees.
Closer to home, the city of Gloucester has worked with MAPC on several projects. Some dating back to 2011 involved research that is relevant to the housing discussions since 2017–a series I wrote about and shared on GMG. You may have participated in some of the meetings 10+ years ago held at City Hall. I’ll add in some of those links below and one to the MAPC zoom meeting today. I still have notes from all the feedback received when I served on some panels.
It’s great to see some of that MAPC data and mapping available to the public in a format similar to MEMA- MA power outage map.
resources from MAPC Zoom meeting 11/30/2023
Who Owns America? A Methodology for Identifying Landlords’ Ownership Scale and the Implications for Targeted Code Enforcement
Abstract Scholars and practitioners are increasingly interested in understanding who owns real estate in communities and resultant implications for targeted planning approaches. Yet, practitioners lack an efficient and comprehensive methodology to assess landlords’ ownership scale, namely how many properties they own in a given geographic area.
Could you post a reminder about this planning project getting underway this Wednesday at 6:00 PM at City Hall? Everyone is welcome! Thank you.
Tom
Last summer and fall’s Downtown Work Plan process identified a shared community value of having an active and authentic downtown with a mosaic of uses. The community said they wanted to ensure downtown continues to be an active place filled will people doing positive things. In addition to this value, the Work Plan process identified specific topics for action. These topics included parking, accessibility and connections, streetscape, signage, visitor experience, market analyses, and building design. Lastly, the Work Plan prioritized work on primary routes including Railroad Avenue, Washington Street, Main Street, and connections to residential areas.
The Community Development Department is working on several of the topics in the Work Plan and is pleased to announce a partnership with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) for a more in-depth look at the area around the commuter rail station. The project, called Reimagining Railroad, looks to build upon the community’s work in the Downtown Work Plan. The City and MAPC are looking for ways to better connect the commuter rail station to the residential areas and the activity and vibrancy of Downtown and the Harbor. The project aims to make the city more walkable, functional, and prosperous while preserving the authentic character the community values.
Good Morning Gloucester 