Economic Development
Economic Development
For more than fifty (50) years CMRPC has provided municipal and regional planning in areas such as land use, transportation, and community development. Economic development is at the nexus of this work, helping to strengthen communities and improve the quality of life for those who work and live in the Central Massachusetts region.
CMRPC’s multi-modal transit planning helps connect workers to employment opportunities and facilitates retail growth. Our Green Communities designation assistance helps municipalities reduce energy costs and creates green jobs. From supporting new infrastructure to zoning for vibrant downtowns, sustainable, equitable development is a theme that imbues our every project. Moreover, our regional perspective brings a coordinated approach to planning and development. This unique viewpoint enables us to help communities leverage the work of nearby towns and maximize project impacts.
As your designated regional planning agency we are proud to offer these and other services and encourage you to contact us to discuss your economic development goals.
Recent Projects and Studies
Dudley:
This Community Assets report is phase one of a three phase proposed planning project in the Town of Dudley. This project will help Dudley develop an economic development vision, strategy, and implementation framework. The three phases to this report are as follows.
Phase 1: Asset inventory and participatory planning (visioning) activities (completed)
In Phase 1, the Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission (CMRPC) identified economic development assets and opportunities through consultation with town officials, key stakeholders, field work, and review of existing materials. CMRPC will use findings from this process to identify key “Opportunity Areas” for potential investment or reform. These together informed the following Phase 1 deliverables:
● Community Asset inventory
● Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) Analysis of identified Opportunity Areas
● Economic Development Vision Statement
Phase 2: Regulatory and procedural analysis (subsequent phase)
In Phase 2, CMRPC will review Dudley’s regulations and procedures for best practices and missed opportunities. This review will include regulations and procedures related to zoning, permitting, and customer services.
Phase 3: Implementation/ next steps framework (subsequent phase)
In Phase 3, CMRPC will use findings from phases 1 and 2 to develop a robust framework for implementation. This framework will include a listing of resources, policy recommendations, and marketing strategies.
Douglas:
CMRPC conducted an inventory of Physical Economic Development Assets in the town Douglas. The inventory is a key step in implementing an asset-based approach to economic development. Given limited funding available from CMRPC and the Town to pursue this objective, a budget of $4,000 was secured as part of CMRPC’s existing Community Compact District Local Technical Assistance (DLTA) allocation.The CMRPC project team worked with the Economic Development Committee, the Historic Committee, and Town Engineer, William Cundiff to identify key property assets. The Town assisted CMRPC in examining six (6) dimensions of community assets including:
● Commercial and industrial properties
● Downtown redevelopment and streetscapes
● Transportation infrastructure
● Utility infrastructure
● Historic properties
● Parks, gardens, and other public physical assets
This work will form the foundation of a proposed second phase to be conducted in 2018. Phase 2 will look at constraints to the development of key parcels and geographies. This multi-phase project will ultimately conclude with a five-year strategic plan with community goals, objectives and an action plan.
Hardwick:
The Town of Hardwick approached the Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission (CMRPC) regarding assistance with developing a comprehensive economic development strategic plan. The proposed project would serve as the opening phase of a town-wide economic development planning process and study with the goals of helping the town define a vision for economic development as well as assess opportunities and constraints to desirable development. CMRPC worked with the Town Administrator and the Community Development Advisory Committee (CDAC) on the following four components:
1. Group visioning: CMRPC, in partnership with the Town Administrator and CDAC Committee, convened a public planning event to identify the economic development priorities of residents and various stakeholder types.
2. Leakage Analysis: CMRPC analyzed data from a leakage analysis report obtained from the Buxton Group to determine business types that are both desired and economically feasible.
3. Working closely with municipal staff and committees, CMRPC identified and categorized parcels based on their appropriateness and economic feasibility.
4. CMRPC completed a precursory review of zoning, regulations, and procedures for constraints and opportunities to identified sites and industries
For more information, please contact:
Dominique DuTremble
Associate Planner and Economic Development Coordinator
508-458-3336, dutremble@cmrpc.org