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In May of 2023, Select Board Vice-Chair Lisa Kouchakdjian recommended the formation of an Economic Development Committee to the other members of the Select Board. She noted that the timing was right, in part because Sudbury was on the cusp of opening two rail trails. The minutes summarize her comments:
“Vice-Chair Kouchakdjian suggested establishing a business and economic development committee; she indicated that the time was right to establish such a committee especially in consideration of two new rail trails and potential opportunities.”
Lisa Kouchakdjian — Vice-Chair, Sudbury Select Board
The other members of the Select Board were supportive, but felt it was premature, in part because Sudbury had significant vacancies in the Planning Department.
Sudbury disbanded its economic development committee in 2008, nearly two decades ago, and in May of 2023 it looked as though economic development work would stay on the back burner in Sudbury indefinitely. But when the Select Board got to its annual goal setting meeting later in 2023, economic development emerged as a high-priority goal. (Goals here.)
Dedicating Resources
While any formal Town economic development plan, let alone programs, remain in their nascent stages, the priority given to this issue by the Select Board is a fundamental change in a town that was unique relative to most of its peers in the region. Sudbury Weekly researched nearly two-dozen municipalities surrounding Sudbury and found that all but three had either an economic development committee or a dedicated position for economic development on their Town staff.
Sudbury, Weston and Carlisle stood out as the three that had neither a committee or a staff position at the time of our research in 2023. Across the towns that have a committee, their work ranges from advisory services to the Town, to the operation of grant-making programs for small businesses to open or expand. Others focus on promotional work for local businesses, and enticing desirable businesses to open locations in their towns. Westborough’s Economic Development Committee stood out in our analysis for being quite robust compared to all others in our analysis. Their efforts include all of the above, and more.
A Blend of Optimism and Pragmatism
While Sudbury does not currently have an economic development committee, it does have a long-standing and active Chamber of Commerce. They recently announced an economic development event with guest speakers from the Town of Sudbury. Sudbury’s Town Manager, Andy Sheehan, Director of Planning and Community Development, Adam Burney, and a Select Board member, Jennifer Roberts, will be joining the Chamber of Commerce to gather input from the business community before they engage a consultant to develop a plan.
The Chamber of Commerce has opened the March 20 event to the public at no charge. Though attendees are asked to register here.
The Chamber of Commerce was emphatic about the opportunity this initial discussion presents to the community:
“The Sudbury Chamber of Commerce is underwriting this meeting because we believe it sets the stage for our community – and our businesses – into the future.”
Sudbury Chamber of Commerce
The Select Board goals call for economic development efforts to be anchored in the Master Plan. But the Master Plan, depending on how you read it, is either pragmatic or pessimistic about Sudbury’s economic development potential. The section on economic development opens with:
“In many ways, Sudbury’s geographic location shapes its economic development potential. The same factors that contribute to the Town’s desirability as a quiet residential community also make it challenging to attract certain types of industry that rely on close proximity to workforce and consumer markets. Sudbury is geographically isolated; while it is surrounded by highways on all sides (Route 128 to the east, the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90) to the south, I-495 to the west, and Route 2 to the north), the community is situated five to ten miles away from each of these arteries. This makes Sudbury harder to reach than many of its surrounding neighbors, all of which have more direct highway access, and in some cases, rail access. Larger companies relying on access to a significant labor force are more likely to locate in areas that are directly accessible to commuters. Likewise, regional-oriented retail and services must attract customers from a broad geographic area to sustain high sales levels and therefore tend to locate closer to major highways.”
EeyoreSudbury Master Plan
While the opening words may feel like a wet blanket to some, the Master Plan also has a section dedicated to Route 20/Boston Post Road, and speaks about the significant opportunities along the corridor to address needs ranging from housing to economic development. One of the challenges cited is the absence of wastewater systems for larger development on Route 20.
Both the wastewater issue and the geography-driven transportation constraints have been discussed at length in Sudbury going back decades, but progress towards improvements has been slow. The Master Plan even calls it out: “The Town has been studying the Route 20 Corridor intermittently for approximately 20 years, recognizing it as a unique and important asset in the community.” (Page 20)
While plans and studies are a necessary part of municipal work, they often end up sitting on a shelf after they’re completed. In the case of Route 20, the comprehensive wastewater management plan (CWMP) has actually been making steady forward progress in recent years. (Timeline here). The advancement of that work could eliminate or mitigate one of the major barriers to improving the Route 20 corridor.
As for the other challenges: it remains unlikely that someone will pick Sudbury up and plop it down closer to a major highway. And the odds of MBTA service coming to Sudbury are about as good as the odds of the MBTA operating smoothly where it already exists.
But Sudbury is on the cusp of opening two rail trails, the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail and the Mass Central Rail Trail, that intersect in the heart of the Route 20 corridor. Rail trails are unique insofar as they serve as both recreational assets and transportation corridors. That could fundamentally change how many people get around within Sudbury when a they have an active transportation option, and it could draw in more retail customers from the broader region served by the trails. A 2023 study commissioned by the Norwottuck Network estimated that the Mass Central Rail Trail alone could generate over $200 million in economic activity.
While it may appear as though economic development advocates are watching the perfect storm form in Sudbury, the Master Plan also prioritizes preserving Sudbury’s rural character and feel. As economic development activity picks up in Sudbury, the delicate balancing act with preservation of Sudbury’s so-described rural character might make the difference between a revitalized Route 20 and another plan on the shelf.