South Grafton Zoning Changes Draw Crowd

South Grafton residents took a first step Saturday morning toward a zoning change aimed at enhancing the community feel of the area.

Extra chairs had to be brought in to accommodate the overflow crowd that attended the

Town Planner Stephen Bishop, who led the meeting, explained that an area of South Grafton could be converted to mixed use zoning if the community supported it. The proposed changes would take in an area that roughly borders Depot Street, Route 122, Ferry Street, Mill Villages Park and the Fisherville Mill redevelopment site.

He stressed that no decisions would be made without a number of hearings to get the community’s input on the proposal. The ultimate goal is to bring the issue to the October Town Meeting, he said.

More information is now available at http://www.grafton-ma.gov/Public_Documents/GraftonMA_Committees/Fisherville%20Farnumsville%20Streetscape%20Committee/zoning/zoningtoc.

That link also will direct visitors to a public comment site.

The proposal is part of an ongoing initiative to beautify South Grafton, promote economic revitalization in the area and honor the community-based history of the mill villages that once existed in the neighborhood, he said.

The change would allow mixed use by right, which is defined as two or more compatible uses, such as residential, office, retail, light industry and recreational. This would be the first such zoning in Grafton.

Selectman Brook Padgett questioned why the zoning change would include neighborhoods and suggested the area to be rezoned might be too large.

Peter Wojnar said these changes could require additional services, such as police and fire, which would then add to the tax burden. “A lot of us can’t afford Westborough tax rates, and we’re going in that direction,’’ he said.

Bishop said the hope is that, by encouraging businesses to come into town, the tax base would be spread out and the burden on homeowners lightened.

Other concerns were raised about the definition of light industrial, the amount of parking that would be needed and where it would be located.

He acknowledged that the “devil is in the details’’ and said that the proposal would likely be tweaked in the months ahead based on public input.

Farnumsville Mill owner Robert Heavey said that mill owners would welcome the change. Attracting businesses such as restaurants to locate in the former mills would be easier with this new zoning, he said.

Former fire chief and lifelong South Grafton resident Phil Gauthier said mixed use dates back as long as he can remember, when in the 1930s and 1940s, local residents owned small businesses on the first floors of their homes.

“We’ve got to bring businesses into town,’’ he said. “We need it, and we need it bad, and we’ve got to start somewhere.’’