Winthrop CBD Master Plan - Winthrop, MA

Urban Design

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Town of Winthrop / MassDevelopment

The Winthrop CBD Master Plan, adopted in April 2017, was the result of a year-long collaborative effort between community stakeholders, MassDevelopment, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council and Form + Place. The Plan strives to address economic development challenges in a seaside community that has suffered from years of population decline and job loss.

Recommendations included strategies for the repositioning of the former Middle School site, adjacent to the CBD, as a catalyzing mixed-use project that would provide the opportunity for increased residential density in the core. Enhancement of the public realm, including the revitalization of French Square and surrounding streetscapes, was seen as another key component to strengthening existing businesses and promoting thoughtful development. The final Master Plan Report put forward a road map for implementation, including the prioritization of organizational, regulatory and funding strategies.

Form + Place also made a series of recommendations for improving zoning and design guideline criteria in the Centre Business District [CBD]. The Metropolitan Area Planning Council [MAPC] helped to craft a new CBD zoning regulation in 2014 with the goal of facilitating mixed-use development in the core and promoting a high level of architecture and site design. While the MAPC regulation was designed to streamline project approvals and allow for larger-scale mixed-use development, there were additional criteria that Form + Place felt would guarantee a more vibrant and walkable environment. Many of the suggestions focus on encouraging development that contributes to the definition of block structure in the center through building siting [completing street-walls], lot coverage and both maximum and minimum building heights. With the Town hoping to facilitate redevelopment on the former Middle School site, it was suggested that a Smart Growth Zoning Overlay District [Chapter 40R] also be considered.