Framingham, Natick Hold Exit 13/Golden Triangle Study Joint Community Open House

NATICK, MA—The Exit 13/Golden Triangle Team – including staff from both Natick and Framingham – is hosting a joint-community open house on Monday, Oct. 23, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Christa McAuliffe Charter School at 139 Newbury Street in Framingham, planners announced.

At the open house visitors can find info on different aspects of the project, as well as opportunities to comment and discuss key issues. Planners from both towns, as well as the consultant team, Crosby Schlessinger and Smallridge, will be on hand to answer one-on-one questions about the process, the goals, and the information generated by the work so far.

The Golden Triangle District (the “District”) is a critical economic engine for Framingham and Natick, said the release. Located strategically off Exit 13 of the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90), the area is a regional hub for businesses, shoppers and travelers. The District is home to a mix of mature companies and emerging startups, including the TJX Companies, Meditech, IDG, Heartware and The MathWorks.

The area is also known as New England’s premier retail shopping center, home to leading retailers housed at Shoppers World, the Natick Mall and other shopping plazas. It is largely automobile-oriented, the area is starting to include multiple transit options.

Developers list significant challenges, including:

• Serious traffic delays, especially at Route 30/Speen Street and along Route 9;
• Linear and disconnected development patterns that add to traffic delays;
• Lack of realistic transportation/mobility alternatives to car-based transit;
• Underutilized land and parcels;
• Properties that straddle Town lines and are split zoned; and
• Current zoning which may preclude sustainable development patterns fostering transportation and mobility options, economic growth, and resiliency.

The MassDOT a few years ago started to address the congestion, and the Metropolitan Planning Organization came up with some alternate designs to improve traffic flow in the area of Route 30/Speen Street.

To address MassDOT’s need to plan for the future traffic and land use demands, Natick and Framingham jointly seek the creation of a separate development plan.

Read more about the plan, and the meeting, open house, here.