The next feature in this series highlights a community worthy of special recognition, not only for its compliance with MBTA Communities but also for the progressive housing policy reforms implemented by one of Massachusetts' smallest "cities," actually the Town of Franklin. Interestingly, 13 towns in Massachusetts use a city form of government, opting for a city council instead of town meeting, but choose to keep the title "Town," Franklin included. Over the past two years, 'The Town of Franklin's' staff, elected officials, and a newly established local advocacy group, 'BEN For Franklin,' have diligently worked to address the increasing demand for housing both locally and regionally.
Franklin Focuses Efforts Downtown
Franklin boasts a charming small New England Downtown close to several moderate-density residential neighborhoods and a nearby MBTA Commuter Rail station. The town's housing initiatives have focused on gradually increasing density around the Downtown and Commuter Rail station. Before the MBTA Communities project, the town had already increased housing density to 18 units per acre in Downtown and permitted triple-deckers by right in some of the nearby lower-density neighborhoods around the Commuter Rail Station.
Historic Franklin Mill Store Redevelopment
A short walk from downtown and the Commuter Rail Station sits a 100,000sf former industrial building. After a rezoning effort approved by City Council to rezone the area for commercial and residential use, a local Franklin based buyer came forward this summer with plans to rehab the existing structure and build a mix of commercial and residential on the site.
MBTA Communities Approach
To address MBTA Communities compliance, the town focused on these areas to encourage walkable, smart growth development through gradual zoning reforms, facilitating significant mixed-use infill housing production in Downtown. This strategy contrasts with some Massachusetts communities that have not only pursued 'paper compliance' with MBTA Communities but also attempted to 'push' new housing to the town's outskirts in misguided efforts to ease traffic concerns. Although not immediately obvious to some, such approaches are inaccurate and contradict their stated traffic reduction goals.
As I've discussed in previous articles, Massachusetts needs a comprehensive reevaluation of land use policies, promoting more housing production within walking distance of local amenities like parks, shops, and restaurants. With nearly 80% of trips originating from home for purposes other than commuting to work, this shift would not only help alleviate traffic and reduce road congestion but also provide a solid customer base to support local economic growth.
Franklin not only reinforced its focus on downtown by placing its MBTA Communities district there, but also aimed to encourage more car-light or car-free development by removing parking requirements for commercial uses downtown and reducing the requirements for new housing from 1.5 to 1 to 1 to 1.
BEN 4 Franklin
Founded by local resident and city council Cobi Frongillo, Building Equitable Neighborhoods (BEN) 4 Franklin a has seen a rapid growth and the impact of their advocacy and community engagement efforts is clear in the pro housing, smart growth policies that the Town has passed over the past few months. BEN 4 Franklin is a powerful local example of what can happen when local pro-housing advocates connect in an effort to grow coalitions engaged in building stronger communities. I'd also be remiss if I didn't give a shout out to Abundant Housing Massachusetts community organizer Joyce Mandell who has worked with the group since it's inception. Ben 4 Franklin was honored as a "Rookie Of The Year" as this years Celebration of Abundance hosted by Abundant Housing Massachusetts back in November.
Check out how previous Gold Star honoree Watertown paired MBTA Communities rezoning with a holistic redesign of Watertown Square and how Andover sought to prioritize their Downtown for development. This series will continue over the coming months. If you'd like to nominate a community to be included please email me at Jonathan@remainplaces.com.
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