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A Route 20 corridor study kicked off earlier this year, and the initial findings and recommendations were presented to the Planning Board on Wednesday, April 30. No decisions have been made, and any recommendations made regarding zoning changes would have to pass through a future Town Meeting.
The core of the recommendations is a significant westward expansion of the Village Business District. That district currently encompasses the Mill Village plaza, running from Station Road to Massasoit Massasoit Avenue on both sides of Route 20. (Shaded in BLUE in the below image.)
The expansion would extend the Village Business District all the way to encompass Chiswick Park and the Shaw’s plaza, covering both sides of Route 20 along the way, and a portion of Union Avenue.
The recommended expansion, as presented by BSC Group, would look like this:
One of the key features of the Village Business District zone is that is requires parking be to the side or rear of any building. By expanding that requirement further down Route 20, such a change could facilitate a gradual transition away from the familiar site of large parking lots in front of strip malls and other commercial structures located at the back of the Route 20 parcels.
The recommendations also included modifications for the Village Business District in the Zoning Bylaw. Those included allowing mixed-use development by right, albeit it would still go through site plan review. The consultant also recommended banning development of single-family dwellings in the modified Village Business District and reducing setback requirements while capping how far a back the structures could be located.
The Planning Board discussion painted a picture of a corridor where buildings are close to the street and perhaps have more consistent sidewalk systems from parcel to parcel. Member Anu Shah pointed to the Chase Bank being built at the Shaw’s plaza, saying just the metal frame alone is an improvement over the previous expanse of a paved parking lot.
The other advantage of expanding the Village Business District, according to the consultant, was that it was more likely to garner broad public support. The idea was that expanding an existing zoning concept was less complicated than inventing something entirely new. Sudbury has had its fair share of zoning controversies over the years, which may have contributed to the cautious approach here.
The board also heard recommendations for infrastructure improvements. The consultant recommended pursuing sewers on Route 20. The current reliance on septic is regularly cited as a limitation for businesses and developers.
For residents interested in walkways, the recommendations included robust investment in sidewalks along the town’s commercial corridor:
Another recommendation encouraged the Town to petition the Massachusetts Department of Transportation for the Town of Sudbury to take over a 1.1 mile stretch of Route 20 between Fire Station 2 near Whole Foods and Massasoit Avenue. Local control may make sewer, sidewalk and intersection enhancements more feasible.
The consultant also recommend that Sudbury create an Economic Development Committee, and create an Economic Development staff position. Those items have come up in Select Board discussions in recent years.
The board was careful to reiterate that it’s still early in the process, and that further iteration was needed before getting to a final report. Given the nuances of zoning changes, the board agreed that clear communication with the community would be a key to the process moving forward.