north reading master plan 2020-2030

The essential elements of the Master Plan are explained in the Executive Summary that follows, but here are the main ideas, as we view them (in no particular order): The Town needs to attract, retain and support businesses so that the commercial tax base can take some of the pressure off of residential taxes, a deep concern among many residents. [...] The vision statement that prefaces the Master Plan serves a brief “headline” for residents and business owners to help identify overarching priorities for the preservation, enhancement, and growth of different areas, and sets the tone for a wider array of more specific master plan elements and goals. [...] The Highway Business (HB) district follows the length of Main Street (Route 28), the Local Business District runs east-west along Park Street from Freedom Drive to Wright Street, and the General Business District is to the south of the Ipswich River near the intersection of Chestnut Street with Park Street. [...] The limitations are the following: (a) the overlay zone only covers a small area and portion of the underlying HB district, and would not achieve the desired transformation along the entirety of Main Street; (b) requires that the multifamily uses be a component of an 80% or more commercial building gross square footage; and (c) is only considered via the discretionary Special Permit process. [...] This includes: (a) reducing the distances of buildings from the road and sidewalk, and (b) minimizing the distances between buildings to encourage walkability; in order to mimic the character of historic and traditional residential villages found throughout the region and state.