TOWN OF WINTHROP Centre Business District Master Plan March 2017 Prepared by FORM + PLACE, INC. with MASSDEVELOPMENT and METROPOLITAN AREA PLANNING COUNCIL TOWN OF WINTHROP CENTRE BUSINESS DISTRICT MASTER PLAN ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This project was accomplished with assistance from the Winthrop, Massachusetts Town Council, the Economic Development Citizens’ Advisory Committee and the Town Manager’s Office, as well as residents, business owners and other stakeholders. TOWN OF WINTHROP Town Council President Robert L. Driscoll Vice President James Letterie Member Paul F. Varone Member Phillip R. Boncore, ESQ. Member Richard Boyajian Member Nicholas A. DelVento Member Heather A. Engman Member Russell C. Sanford Member Linda J. Calla Town Council Economic Development Sub‐Committee Chair Russell C. Sanford Member James Letterie Member Heather A. Engman Economic Development Citizens’ Advisory Committee Co‐Chair Robert A. Carroll, AIA, LEED AP BD+C Co‐Chair Jane Chmielinski Secretary Michael Lucerto Member Lisa Alberghini Member Margaret Carr Member Brenda Christopher Member Joseph Clark Member Peter Gill Member Diane Macken Member Judith Pradell Page | 1 TOWN OF WINTHROP CENTRE BUSINESS DISTRICT MASTER PLAN Town Manager’s Office Town Manager James M. McKenna Asst. & Grants Manager Joseph Domelowicz, Jr. MASTER PLAN TEAM Form + Place, Inc. Principal John Rufo, AIA Principal Michael A. Wang, AIA, LEED AP BD+C MassDevelopment Vice President, Real Estate Services Amanda Maher Metropolitan Area Planning Council [MAPC] Senior Regional Planner Josh Fiala, AICP, AIA, LEED AP MAPC Principal Planner Cynthia Wall Page | 2 TOWN OF WINTHROP CENTRE BUSINESS DISTRICT MASTER PLAN TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements 1 Table of Contents 3 Executive Summary 4 1.0 Introduction 10 Historical Winthrop Context Current Winthrop Context Centre Business District [CBD] Planning Area Community Visioning Process 2.0 Analysis 22 Existing Conditions: Centre Business District Existing Conditions: Middle School Site Feasibility Study: Middle School Site 3.0 Master Plan Recommendations 54 Master Plan Recommendations Case Studies: Illustrating the Master Plan Recommendations Shaping the Vision: Zoning and Design Standards Summary of Master Plan Recommendations 4.0 Implementation Strategy 81 Process and Oversight Implementation Action Items Appendix 89 A: MAPC ‐ Visioning Process / Parking and Connectivity Analysis B: Form + Place ‐ 2015 CBD Feasibility Study C: Winthrop Middle School ‐ Opinion of Value Reports D: Winthrop Middle School ‐ Code Analysis Report E: DHCD ‐ Organizing for Economic Development Models and Options F: UMASS Boston Collin’s Center ‐ Economic Trends Report G: Funding Strategies Page | 3 TOWN OF WINTHROP CENTRE BUSINESS DISTRICT MASTER PLAN EXECUTIVE SUMMARY INTRODUCTION The primary purpose of the Centre Business District Master Plan is to create a comprehensive economic development strategy that will strengthen business and commercial activity in Winthrop’s downtown core. For the purposes of this study, the Center Business District [CBD] extends from Pauline Street to the north, Winthrop Street to the east, towards Pleasant Street a block or two from French Square to the south and west. The former Winthrop Middle School site, located on the north side of Pauline Street, is also included as part of the study area. The framework proposed here directly addresses the findings of the UMass Collins Center’s 2014 Economic Trends Report [see Appendix F], which show Winthrop has experienced decades of population decline and job loss, atypical of similar seaside communities located near a major metropolitan area such as Boston. The report noted that: Winthrop has lost over 1,100 local jobs since 1990 and fewer than 1,800 local jobs remain. The town has only 0.2 jobs per resident in the labor force, which limits the daytime activity necessary to support a diverse commercial base. Winthrop is experiencing substantial “retail leakage,” and Winthrop’s residents do approximately 68 percent of their retail spending out of town. The town is home to an aging population: during the 50‐year period leading up to 2011, the median age jumped from 33 years old to 43.7 years old. It is the only seaside community studied in the report to experience population decline between 1990 and 2010. These findings, coupled with land use trends in Winthrop’s CBD underline the many challenges the town faces in stimulating economic development. The lack of large‐scale development opportunities in particular has stifled commercial growth. Nearly three‐quarters of commercial properties in the CBD are less than a quarter‐acre in size, and many of these parcels consist of only one‐ and two‐story buildings or parking lots. But Winthrop has a unique opportunity to redevelop an approximately 2.5‐acre site that is home to the former Winthrop Middle School. The site consists of three parcels located directly along Pauline Street, a major thoroughfare that forms the northern boundary of the CBD. This property represents one of the most significant economic development opportunities for the CBD and the town as a whole, and is a key focus area of the CBD Master Plan [see Section 3.0]. Page | 4 TOWN OF WINTHROP CENTRE BUSINESS DISTRICT MASTER PLAN The goal of this Master Plan is to present the Town with a series of recommendations, options, and strategies aimed at creating a vibrant, walkable centre business district grounded by sustainable local businesses. Figure 1. Aerial view of Winthrop’s CBD from the west MASTER PLAN PROCESS The CBD Master Plan is the result of a collaborative effort between stakeholders in the Winthrop community, MassDevelopment, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council [MAPC], and Form + Place, Inc. It follows the Town’s 2014 adoption of new CBD zoning regulations that provide an excellent framework for redevelopment by encouraging the repositioning of properties to promote larger‐scale, mixed‐use development that remains compatible with the community’s character. While the new zoning allows for a streamlined approval process that provides more clarity for land owners and developers, the changes have yet to spur significant new development over the past two years, underscoring the need for a comprehensive economic development strategy. The year‐long planning process began in spring 2016 with a series of meetings initiated by the Winthrop Town Manager’s office. The Town Council appointed the Economic Development Citizens’ Advisory Committee [EDCAC], which is comprised of residents, business owners, former Town board members, and real estate professionals, to provide oversight during the planning process. The EDCAC met regularly to collect information from local stakeholders and provide feedback to the consultant team during the planning process. Page | 5 TOWN OF WINTHROP CENTRE BUSINESS DISTRICT MASTER PLAN The consultant teams’ due diligence included a review of recent studies and reports that provided a foundational understanding of Winthrop’s current and historical economic development trends. The consultants also analyzed existing conditions in the CBD. A parking study performed by the MAPC provided information about the CBD’s current parking capacity [see Appendix A]. The consultant team then generated a series of design interventions for key sites throughout the CBD to explore the interaction between reconceived public space and new development, and to test the capacity for mixed‐use development in the district. These studies focus on three specific sites, all of which would require land assembly but illustrate a development approach that could apply to any number of sites in the CBD. The team also performed an in‐depth feasibility study to assess the redevelopment potential of the former Middle School site. The Middle School Feasibility Study is informed by preliminary financial modeling and an architectural and code analysis. It tests four scenarios, ranging from the reuse of all existing school buildings to the complete demolition and ground‐up development of a new mixed‐use project. The study elucidates variables that will influence the site’s redevelopment potential, but the four scenarios are intended to be illustrative only. Moving forward, the Town may also consider adding the Larsen Ice Skating Rink and Winthrop Housing Authority’s Viking Gardens to the redevelopment area, but those parcels were beyond the scope of this study. Figure 2. Winthrop Centre Study Area Page | 6 TOWN OF WINTHROP CENTRE BUSINESS DISTRICT MASTER PLAN KEY FINDINGS The consultant team’s due diligence resulted in the following key findings: The layout of the CBD presents redevelopment challenges—the district consists of many small parcels with unusual geometries that are organized along narrow streets with varying block widths, some of which are less than 100 feet. The CBD lacks consistency in commercial storefront appearance, including signage, materials, and façade transparency along key frontages. In many locations, sidewalks are narrow and lack continuity because of expansive curb cuts for vehicular uses. These factors negatively impact the pedestrian environment and walkability of the CBD. Only two parcels in the CBD are greater than 0.5 acre in size. Larger‐scale commercial development will require parcel assembly, making the 2.5‐acre Middle School site a significant economic development opportunity. Despite the CBD zoning adopted in 2014 that would allow for four‐story buildings and 90 percent lot coverage, the majority of parcels within the CBD remain