The BFDC's Main Street Steering Committee has presented a
Vision and Design Concept to the Bourne Board of Selectman - Click here to read more
Your comments are invited on our blog Click here
 The Town's Wastewater Advisory Committee has made a recommendation to the Bourne Board of Sewer Commissioners.
To read the Wastewater Management Study
Click here
and the report to the Sewer Commissioners
Click here .
The Town commissioned a Flood Hazard Mitigation and Design Study for the Main Street Business DIstrict . Click here to read.
 Creating a Comprehensive Plan for
Redeveloping
the Buzzards Bay Village Main Street District
The BFDC
has undertaken a program to remove the impediments to growth
in Buzzards Bay Village.
The program opportunities for Bourne:
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Increasing the contribution to the tax base from the
commercial sector. Only 11 percent of the Town’s
tax base currently is commercial, in contrast to other
towns where up to 40 percent of the taxes come from the
commercial sector. This fact presents an opportunity for
the Town of Bourne – commercial sector growth, in
conformance with the Local Comprehensive Plan, will benefit
the Town’s financial base.
-
Managing inevitable
growth. Bourne is experiencing growth, as is all of southeastern
Massachusetts, the fastest growing section of the state.
By planning for growth, Bourne can manage the impacts to
its benefit.
-
Developing a desperately needed long-term
infrastructure plan.
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Improving the economic well-being
and quality of life for the residents of Bourne in general
and the Village of Buzzards Bay in particular.
With limited
land available for new development, Bourne has only four
areas (shown in green on the map) that can sustain much
growth, three of them are re-development:
The Town’s Local Comprehensive Plan points
to Buzzards Bay Village as the first target for redevelopment,
with the goal to “. . . revitalize
Main Street in Buzzards Bay in accordance with an accepted
comprehensive plan.” The BFDC’s goal is to create that comprehensive
plan.
The Process
The project is coordinated by a collaboration
of Bourne civic organizations and Town leaders working together
as the BFDC’s Main Street Steering Committee. The purpose
of the BFDC’s Main Street Steering Committee is:
BFDC’s
Main Street Steering Committee
membership includes representatives of:
-
Bourne Financial Development
Corporation
-
-
Buzzards Bay Vitalization
Association
-
Cape Cod Canal Region Chamber of Commerce
-
Cape Cod Commission
-
Local Comprehensive Plan Committee
-
Town – Administrator and
Planner ex officio
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Supported by grants sponsored by the area’s state
legislative delegation, the project’s objective is
to make the Buzzards Bay Village attractive to investors
by overcoming the several factors that compel potential investors to take their projects elsewhere:
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Limited wastewater treatment capacity
-
Flood zone restrictions/added expense
-
Dual regulatory process
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Traffic and transportation challenges
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Unknowns – appropriate density, viable commercial types
-
Lack of clear guidelines – architectural, site design
The state funds have been used by the BFDC to contract with
professional planners and economic analysts. To date three
studies are underway:
In addition, the Buzzards Bay Vitalization Association has
commissioned a comprehensive traffic and transportation plan and a state Smart Growth
Technical Assistance Grant to the Town is being used to commission
planners to develop recommendations for building and renovating
within a flood zone.
 The BFDC expects that all these studies will come together in a comprehensive plan around the end of the calendar year. Then recommendations for new zoning, discussions with the Cape Cod Commission on a development agreement, and applications for funding programs can begin. (Click image for larger detailed view)
The BFDC invites citizen comment, click here to add your ideas
Density and fiscal impact
analysis
RKG Associates was contracted to perform a market study, density analysis, and fiscal impact study to answer the question: What effect would various levels of commercial and residential growth have on the Town’s tax base?
The study provided some preliminary findings – a more specific analysis will be completed following the Vision and Design Concept project.
Preliminary Findings:
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The Village’s commercial sector is underperforming in respect to its contribution to the Town’s property taxes.
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There is local demand for goods and services that is not captured by local retailers.
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Sustainable retail development is best supported by
new residential development.
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Building density needs to be higher to recapture construction costs.
-
A combination of managed residential and new commercial
activity will have a positive impact on the Town’s
tax structure
 Wastewater management planning
Through a public Request for Proposals process, the BFDC
selected Tighe & Bond for wastewater management planning
for the Town of Bourne.
The contract includes three Tasks:
Task 1 – a needs assessment of the whole Town.
The consultants divided the Town into 20 study areas [map] and developed measurement criteria to assess the need for
wastewater treatment. On April 17, Tighe and Bond briefed
the Sewer Commissioners on the Task 1 methodology and results.
( Wastewater Management
Study -Wastewater Infrastructure Needs Analysis and Flow
Projection)
Task 1 findings – Buzzards Bay Village was identified as having an “imperative” need for action. Even without its potential as a growth area, the Village and surrounding area need nearest-term action for two reasons:
- The current sewer system is almost 20 years old with
pump station equipment and controls that will need replacement
in the immediate future.
- The current system uses the Town
of Wareham’s treatment facility under an inter-municipal
agreement (IMA). The IMA expires in 2009, and while it
is likely that the agreement will be renewed in some
form, the limited capacity in the agreement is highly unlikely
to change.
Task 2 – an analysis of alternatives for meeting the need in the “imperative” need area. At the conclusion of the April 17 briefing, Tighe & Bond indicated that it would be studying several alternatives to increase wastewater treatment capicity, including in-town sites, satellite facilities and opportunities for regional solutions.
 Task 2 findings – Tighe & Bond studied many options, including expanding the treatment plant at the MA Maritime Academy. In a series of meetings with Tighe & Bond, the Town’s Wastewater Advisory Committee developed a recommendation for the Board of Sewer Commissioners. On August 7, Sewer Commissioners endorsed the recommended option and encouraged Tighe & Bond, the BFDC, and the Sewer Advisory Committee to complete the planning process based on a treatment facility and ground water dispersal on a Town-owned parcel north of Scenic Highway.
(Click image for larger detailed view)
Task 3 – Based on the selected alternative, Tighe & Bond is developing an implementation plan, preparing recommendations for funding sources and methods, and initiating the permit process by preparing an Environmental Notification Form (ENF).
Vision and Design Concept
Through
a public Request for Proposals process, the BFDC selected
Stantec Planning and Landscape Architecture to create a
Vision and Design Concept for the Village of Buzzards Bay’s Main Street district.
The contract has four tasks:
 Task
1 -- Develop a vision
of how the area can be redeveloped into a vital downtown
with both residential and commercial activities. The consultants
began working on this Task in July, with a three-day public
workshop. At the end of the workshop, they created several
sketches with preliminary ideas on how the Village might
look. [ Main
Street Blvd Streetscape and New
Gateway at Belmont Circle]
Task 2 – Prepare
a set of recommended actions that will lead to the realization
of the vision, including responsible parties, suggestions
for short-term and longer-term actions, and  possible sources
of funding.
Task
3 – Provide full-color presentation
drawings to illustrate the vision.
Task 4 – Prepare
a report that effectively describes the vision from Task
1, the recommendations from Task 2 and the illustrations
from Task 3.
Stantec is currently working on Tasks 2 – 4.
Transportation Plan
The Buzzards Bay Vitalization Association contracted with Wesley
Ewell, Planner to develop a transportation plan for the Village
business district. His plan was presented to the Bourne Board of
Selectmen for endorsement on August 14.
The Selectmen’s
Transportation Advisory Committee is recommending that the
plan be adopted in concept so that conversations can begin
with the various county and state agencies that will be needed
to put the plan, or variations of it, into effect.
Development in a Flood Zone
The Town received a Smart Growth Technical Assistance Grant from
the state and, through a competitive process, has hired a team
headed by Kennen Landscape Architecture to research state-of-the-art
planning, design, engineering, and construction techniques
for redeveloping a village center with a FEMA-designated flood
zone and to make recommendations for Buzzards Bay Village.
Their work is expected to be complete in late fall 2007.
Summary
The project of redeveloping the Main Street area of Buzzards Bay Village is going to take many years, perhaps decades, and will involve hundreds of people in both the public and private sectors. Some of the required actions will be undertaken by private developers. The public sector’s role will be to develop the context for private funds to come to Town.
The discussions among the BFDC, the Main Street Steering Committee members, the Town leadership, and others are just beginning. As the various consultants’ reports and recommendations come in, they will be made public and comment will be invited. |
