Framingham Selectmen Candidates Talk Economic Development, Neighborhood Improvements

Selectman Jason Smith and Town Meeting member James (Jim) Pillsbury are the two names on the ballot for a 3-year term on the Framingham Board of Selectmen. Smith is seeking his fourth term as a Selectman.

The town election is Tuesday, April 7 - a week from today.

Framingham Patch asked the two candidates a series of questions. The answers to each question will be published this week, as the candidates submitted them, today through Friday.

Monday’s question: What are 3 biggest issues facing the Town of Framingham? What can you do as a Selectmen to fix the problems? Click here to read the candidates’ answers.

***

Today’s question focuses on economic development in Framingham.

Framingham Patch asked the candidates: What can you do as a Selectman to economically revitalize neighborhoods in Framingham (ie Nobscot, downtown, Saxonville, etc)?

***

Smith: ”Making our neighborhoods livable is job one. That job starts with an open line of communication with residents, municipal employees and businesses in each and every neighborhood to ensure that their voices are not only heard and understood, but that their concerns are addressed. This week, I am mailing a questionnaire to voters to solicit their thoughts and ideas on how best to improve every corner of our community. Please take a moment to respond to it.

The Board of Selectmen recently approved a new business on Franklin Street that is doing very well based on my recent conversations with the business owner. The first night they came into the Selectmen, the majority of the Board, residents and town meeting members voiced some concerns about the neighborhood impact that the additional traffic and off street parking would cause during peak hours. The Board tabled the discussion after excellent dialogue with the business owners that night and asked our Traffic and Roadway safety committee to come back to the board in the next meeting with some professional recommendations based on the feedback we heard from the board, our residents and the community. The Board, after receiving input from the community, town meeting members and traffic professionals, approved the new business. This is the kind of open exchange of point of view that make for better projects.

Your thoughts and ideas will helps us balance economic development with neighborhood concerns, remove blight and decay, prioritize precious resources and improve local services. We need to celebrate our rich diversity by respecting every neighborhood’s individuality and assist each in its prosperity.

For example, we have established a Code Enforcement Task force to aggressively enforce our Nuisance Bylaw to eliminate blight and improve neighborhoods. In the past few years, to name a few, we have supported a new library and bank in Nobscot, plans for the restoration of the Athenaeum Hall and significant roadway improvements to Barker Memorial Square in Saxonville, and updating Loring Arena. Jack’s Abbey occupancy of a vacant building will bring new offerings to the Butterworth area. And in downtown, we have added to the great array of Brazilian, Latino, Mexican and Indian restaurants, three new culinary delights: Pueblito Paisa Colombia, The Deluxe Depot and Vietnamese Pho Dakao. The occupancy of the Arcade has increased, improvements to traffic flow are underway, and plans for MassBay’s relocation continue.

Open lines of communication remain vital to moving our community forward. As always, I welcome resident’s ideas or thoughts on how best to make our community a better place in which to live, work, learn and play. We should always take a look at our zoning regulations with our Planning Board and other professional staff members on a yearly basis to ensure our local businesses understand we are looking out for their best efforts for speed to market.”

Pillsbury: “The BOs should respect the approval process by other boards and not hold up licensees for businesses that have won approval. In the past few months the BOS has denied or required business to hire addition personal, based on little fact.

Last year, the BOS unanimously voted for a moratorium on a medicinal marijuana dispensary, despite the fact that the law had been passed and regulations were in place. They also voted to approve the Planning Boards attempt at zoning restrictions that would have left no place in Town for a dispensary. Our Town needs to open its arms up to new business opportunities with an unbiased opinion and a healthy respect for those who gamble on a new business.

As I have heard at the neighborhood meetings, market research has been done and the results indicate the need for a grocery store in the Nobscott area. But as we know, the owners of the Nobscott Plaza will not allow one in there. I would encourage research into putting a small grocery store in Saxonville. I would suggest a veteran’s outreach center in Nobscott, along with a children’s activity center. Downtown had its heyday years ago when GM was still here and many businesses relied on the GM employees for their income. Today, with 2 major routes and a railroad stop in the middle, downtown will need major financial support from the State to overcome the hurdles of decades of decline. Whether Mass Bay will select Framingham as a place for a campus is still unclear to me, but traffic and access to the campus would have to be considered.

I would also suggest identifying areas in Town that could be designated for micro manufacturing and research and development of renewable energy products and places where marijuana will be sold in 2017. Framingham should not ignore the revenue that will be generated when legalization is passed by either the Legislature (which is very unlikely, since Bob DeLeo still has no idea of what marijuana is) or by the ballot box in 2016. We need to take full advantage of a new revenue sources for the Town. I would look to brainstorm with the EDIC and try to lure businesses to our Town with TIF and look to be creative in any approach to make Framingham a desired place to set up shop and live.

While some could argue what it means to economically revitalize a neighborhood, I submit that any property owner, in any part of Town, must be a good neighbor where by removing the old gas station in Nobscott may not add anything to the bottom line; it would help revitalize the soul of those who pass by it every day. Removing blight helps spur on economic development. There should be no tax break for any property owner who purposely creates blight in our Town. We may see more neighborhood revitalization in the south around the parks when the lands are cleaned up and made safe to work and play on.”