Placemaking: The Key to a Holistic Vision that Re-engages Amesbury’s Lower Millyard

By Michael A. Wang

Amesbury, Massachusetts is a community blessed with a unique collection of assets, including an attractive natural landscape, a built environment that is ripe for continued redevelopment, and an inherent “walkability.” In addition to its beautiful riverfront and collection of mill buildings with architectural merit, the City has a very engaged and thoughtful leadership and an active citizenry. As is the case with many similar communities, however, Amesbury has an outdated Master Plan [2004] which it still looks to for guidance. While many of the overarching variables that drove recommendations for future economic development strategies have remained relatively constant, there are some notable new challenges in the downtown, including an increasingly parcelized land ownership equation and a somewhat disconnected public realm.

This past month I had the opportunity to co-chair an Urban Land Institute [ULI] Technical Assistance Panel [TAP] in Amesbury, which was focused on helping the City address the challenges it has faced in redeveloping the Lower Millyard. The TAP panelists discovered a City with a proactive spirit but an underlying need to have a reframed holistic vision for its downtown core. The good news for Amesbury: the opportunities hugely out-weigh the challenges. The downtown has a terrific “vibe” stemming from a bustling mix of uses, including breweries and a wide range of artisan / light industrial enterprises. Layered on top of that is a natural environment that includes interesting topography and a variety of open spaces and a Riverwalk that affords active connections to neighboring communities.

The Lower Millyard area has been the focus of Amesbury’s redevelopment efforts for many years and, while a number of goals outlined in the 2004 Master Plan have been realized – relocating DPW facilities from a prime riverfront parcel and constructing a new transportation / senior center – the district still remains effectively disconnected from the downtown. The solution, I would argue, lies in a thoughtful and multi-faceted approach to placemaking that focuses on familiar themes increasingly utilized throughout similarly scaled communities:

Streetscapes: There is nothing more critical than active, attractive and functional pedestrian environments - the “connective tissue” of any vibrant downtown. In Amesbury, there are large areas where sidewalks do not exist currently and this results in unsafe footing, poor lighting and no continuity of landscaping, often provided by elements such as street trees.

Public parks: A flexible and programmable public space at the core of one’s downtown can often provide an identity for a community and become a destination / attraction. Amesbury has invested in targeted enhancements to its riverfront - namely Heritage Park - in recent years and, while the park has the potential to be a focal point for downtown events, it still lacks connectivity to both the downtown core and the Lower Millyard District. The removal of a structurally unsound brick warehouse building located in the park could transform the area, creating a more significant space for public gathering. And with revitalized streetscapes, purposeful engagement of the existing riverwalk, and the careful repositioning of surrounding City-owned parcels, this area could truly become the hub of activity for Amesbury.

Parking strategy: Many communities are convinced that they do not have enough parking capacity, but the problem is often one of location, accessibility and wayfinding. In Amesbury, as with other walkable New England communities like Portsmouth, NH, well-located off-street parking in the downtown core can be key to supporting local businesses, revitalizing pedestrian environments and creating the perception of an accessible destination. The repositioning of the City-owned lot on Water Street into a new mixed-use structure, lined with active street-level commercial uses, would serve to promote walkable connections and could make Heritage Park and the riverfront the focal point of Amesbury’s downtown.

Key parcel acquisition: A lack of continuity in pedestrian streetscapes can present the greatest challenge to creating a holistic and well-connected downtown environment. This is often exasperated by properties with poorly sited buildings that do not contribute to defining street walls or have uses – frequently automobile-centric - that present aesthetic challenges. While Amesbury does have control over many key parcels in the Heritage Park area, the strategic acquisition of a few privately-owned parcels in the downtown could unlock the “experiential” qualities of the core, providing both visual and physical connections to the Oakland Street mill buildings in the Lower Millyard. The repositioning of two properties, in particular - a salvage yard and an adjacent auto service establishment - could facilitate more direct pedestrian links while accommodating desirable uses, such as multi-family residential, which is desperately needed in the downtown.

Multi-family housing: Locating a variety of housing typologies in the core of any community promotes diversity and can provide the 24/7 “critical mass” that local businesses need. Amesbury has a unique and vibrant mix of uses in its downtown, but it lacks a diverse housing stock. As with so many suburban ring nodes, Amesbury needs more multi-family residential product to provide housing options for both the young professional demographic and an over-55 group who are ready to live in new environs but wanting to stay in their hometown community. Proximity to downtown restaurants and amenities, as well as a revitalized open space network, would certainly make downtown Amesbury an ideal location for multi-family and mixed-use development.

Amesbury’s diverse assets certainly have it well-positioned for continued revitalization. While communities often focus on proactive land acquisition, public-private partnerships and catalyzing projects – all, no doubt, critical pieces of the economic development equation – Amesbury is a prime example of a downtown in need of a holistic placemaking strategy. Its natural environment, complete with riverwalks, waterfalls, public parks and unique topography, can be the driver for providing the necessary “connectivity,” if stitched together thoughtfully.