Chelsea Silver Line Corridor Transit -Oriented Development Action Plan January 2017 Prepared for: City of Chelsea Department of Planning & Development Chelsea, Massachusetts www.chelseama.gov Prepared by: Metropolitan Area Planning Council Boston, Massachusetts www.mapc.org Table of Contents Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................ 3 Overview ................................................................................................................................................ 5 The Chelsea Silver Line Corridor Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Vision ................................................. 5 Planning Value: Equitable Transit-Oriented Development ..................................................................................... 5 Planning Value: Managing Neighborhood Change ................................................................................................. 6 Planning Elements ............................................................................................................................................................ 6 Planning Process: Outreach and Engagement ........................................................................................................... 9 Action Plan Goals ........................................................................................................................................................... 9 Context ................................................................................................................................................. 11 About Chelsea .............................................................................................................................................................. 11 Chelsea Silver Line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Gateway Service ........................................................................... 11 Chelsea Silver Line TOD Study Area ....................................................................................................................... 12 Previous Plans and Studies Pertaining to the TOD Study Area .......................................................................... 13 Current Conditions in the Silver Line Corridor ....................................................................................... 15 Demographics ............................................................................................................................................................... 15 Population ................................................................................................................................................................ 15 Income ....................................................................................................................................................................... 16 Education and Employment ................................................................................................................................... 17 Households ............................................................................................................................................................... 18 Health ............................................................................................................................................................................. 18 Environment ................................................................................................................................................................... 19 Transportation............................................................................................................................................................... 20 Arts and Culture ........................................................................................................................................................... 21 Economy ......................................................................................................................................................................... 21 Housing ........................................................................................................................................................................... 21 Unit Characteristics ................................................................................................................................................. 22 Occupancy Characteristics .................................................................................................................................... 22 Rents and Housing Prices ....................................................................................................................................... 23 Affordable Housing ............................................................................................................................................... 24 Managing Neighborhood Change ...................................................................................................................... 24 Residential Market Conditions and Potential ......................................................................................................... 26 Recent Sales and Listings ...................................................................................................................................... 26 Recent Development and Pipeline Projects ....................................................................................................... 26 Housing Market Potential ...................................................................................................................................... 27 Page 1 of 45 Retail Market Conditions and Potential ................................................................................................................... 28 Chelsea’s Retail Inventory ..................................................................................................................................... 28 Opportunity Gap Analysis ................................................................................................................................... 29 Retail Market Potential ......................................................................................................................................... 30 Chelsea TOD Action Plan Implementation Matrix ................................................................................ 31 Overview ....................................................................................................................................................................... 31 Action Plan Matrix and Timeline for Implementation ........................................................................................... 32 Monitoring Plan Implementation: Managing Neighborhood Change Indicators ............................................. 43 Demographics.......................................................................................................................................................... 43 Housing ..................................................................................................................................................................... 43 Transportation ......................................................................................................................................................... 44 Social Cohesion ....................................................................................................................................................... 44 Appendices ........................................................................................................................................... 45 Page 2 of 45 Acknowledgements The Chelsea Silver Line Corridor Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Action Plan was produced with input from the Chelsea community including residents, business owners, property owners, and representatives from community-based organizations. Thank you to all who participated throughout the planning process. Professional planning and technical assistance was provided by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council. This Plan was made possible with funding from the 2015 and 2016 District Local Technical Assistance program, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ Planning Ahead Towards Housing (PATH) grant program, and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Healthy Community Design program. This project advances MetroFuture regional plan goals of Sustainable Growth Patterns, Housing Choices, and Regional Prosperity. This project also advances federal livability principles pertaining to equitable, affordable housing, enhancing economic competitiveness, support for existing communities, and valuing communities and neighborhoods. Metropolitan Area Planning Council Officers President: Keith Bergman, Town of Littleton Vice President: Erin Wortman, Town of Stoneham Secretary: Sandra Hackman, Town of Bedford Treasurer: Taber Keally, Town of Milton Metropolitan Area Planning Council Project Team Project Manager: Jennifer Erickson, Technical Assistance Program Manager Health Impact Assessment: Noémie Sportiche, Public Health Research Analyst; Barry Keppard, Public Health Director Managing Neighborhood Change Analysis: Karina Milchman, Regional Planner II and Housing Specialist Retail and Residential Market Analysis: Matt Smith, Senior Regional Economic Development Planner