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On a bright, sunny Sunday morning, more than a dozen Town Meeting members walked the half mile between Skillings Road and the Woburn line for a tour of the new proposed Main Street Mixed-use District (MSMD).
The walking tour was put together by the Town Meeting Member Association (TMMA).
The MSMD aims to meet goals set out in the Winchester 2030 Master Plan — adopted in 2019 — and calls for a change in zoning to allow mixed-use residential, higher building heights and a variety of businesses on current parcels for the Main Street area.
Jack LeMenager, communications director for the TMMA and chair of the Winchester Historical Commission, said the tour was the first of its kind for the organization. He said Michael Creane had the idea and reached out to Planning Board Chair Keri Layton, who agreed to conduct the walk.
An invite was sent out to all 192 Town Meeting members, but only a dozen were on hand Oct. 20.
“It’s a pretty good turnout,” LeMenager said, adding the tour was aimed at helping Town Meeting members visualize what the MSMD might look like. “It’s one thing to Google streetscapes and to drive by the area. But, it’s another thing to walk by and really look at the buildings, to see the details.”
That’s what Precinct 1 Town Meeting member Ann Sera was hoping for on Sunday morning.
“It’s a great idea,” she said, of the walking tour. “So many times, Town Meeting members have to look at charts and legal words and we don’t get out to see and inspect the actual buildings and what they’re trying to do with the area.”
Former Select Board member Doug Marmon agreed.
“Zoning can be such a chore,” Marmon said, with a laugh. “People can go on and on and on and I thought it might be clearer to actually see it.”
Precinct 8 Town Meeting member Rebecca Slisz, who lives in the proposed MSMD area, said she’s very interested in plans for this area of town since it hasn’t been as well developed as the downtown.
“I see a lot of potential,” she said. “A lot of people drive through Winchester and from the Woburn line, it gets a little spotty until you get to downtown.”
As executive director of the Network for Social Justice, Slisz said she’s also interested in the affordable housing aspect as well as the mixed-use businesses. She credited the TMMA for the opportunity to walk the area and listen to what people had to say.
“It gives me a better idea of what the goals are and what it might look like,” Slisz said.
Support for the MSMD
Asking questions and standing in front of buildings that have been re-imagined by consultant Michael Wang of Form + Place, Town Meeting members seemed impressed by the scope of what the town has planned for the proposed district.
Select Board member Bill McGonigle, also a Precinct 3 Town Meeting member, praised the Planning Board for the hours of work put into the MSMD. He also praised the TMMA for putting together the walking tour.
“It’s fantastic,” he said, adding the tour provided a “great educational opportunity” for those who showed up. “There are a number of people here who are always engaged members of Town Meeting, but there are a handful I’ve never seen before. It’s a good sign.”
McGonigle said there aren’t a lot of buildable areas left in Winchester and he was optimistic about the MSMD, having seen the amount of time the Planning Board has spent on the measure and by the interest of Town Meeting members at Sunday’s event.
LeMenager said the Historical Commission has already endorsed the MSMD article, which he will also do on the floor of Town Meeting in November.
“Our primary concern is preservation,” he said. “The Planning Board and the town planner have been very cooperative and have listened to us and that’s important. We have been working with them to identify what we consider to be potentially historic properties.”
He estimated there are at least 24 such properties along the half mile stretch.
“My personal opinion is that development will happen,” LeMenager said of the MSMD area. “But we should have a plan in place and have some control over it.”
Planning Board Chair Kerri Layton, who led the Oct. 20 tour, said she was pleased with the turnout.
“I think it went well and there were a lot of good questions,” she said. “That will help me understand what people are concerned about and help with my presentation for Town Meeting.”
When asked whether she thought the MSMD article would pass, Layton laughed.
“I’m always hopeful,” she said. “But you never know. Town Meeting is its own beast. We have a very bright, very well-educated town and they are eager to participate. I think they are mostly in support of this.”
