The Town is pleased to announce it is holding two additional public workshops this coming month to discuss proposed changes to the Mansfield Station Revitalization Overlay District, often referred to as the Mansfield TOD (Transit-Oriented Development) zoning district. Both scheduled for 7:00 pm in the Community Room of the Public Safety Building, 500 East Street, these workshops will be held on Wednesday, February 1, and Wednesday, February 15. Building upon an outreach process that began this past September, they represent the third and fourth public forums the Town has held on this subject in the past six months
Under development by the Planning Board since late 2021, these proposals grew out of the 2020 Master Plan’s call to “Encourage and pursue desirable development—consistent with the community’s vision—in Downtown and near the train station to achieve economic vitality” (Goal 3b, Strategy ii). Potential zoning updates would amend the boundaries of the current TOD District and address development standards for height and density, bringing the by-law further in line with the Commonwealth’s MBTA
Community Guidelines.
The workshops will include opening comments from Town staff, followed by a presentation from BETA Group Inc., who has been contracted by the Town to assist in drafting these proposals, and Jenn Goldson of JM Goldson, LLC., who led the development of the Master Plan in 2020. She has likewise been retained to assist BETA in drafting the final proposal for this coming Annual Town Meeting, expected to be held in June.
Ultimately, it is anticipated that the zoning updates and related transportation improvements will foster centrally located, walkable, private development opportunities in close proximity to the Commuter Rail Station while maintaining that neighborhood’s historic character.
Parallel to these planning efforts, VHB, Inc. has been contracted to design a new roadway extending from Chauncy Street in the south, crossing the freight lines north of the Commuter Station, before connecting with a new roundabout at the intersection of North Main and County Streets. This proposed thruway will provide safe vehicular, bike, and pedestrian access to the potential development and the Commuter Rail Station, drawing traffic away from the adjacent neighborhoods. This roadway will also open up access to Town owned land to the north for passive recreation purposes.
