“If you look at Winchester in the 1880s, there were a number of buildings in the center of town that had multiple stories, and now you have two-story buildings,’’ said Elizabeth Ware, the town’s planner. “There’s an opportunity for the town. I don’t think anyone were to object if some buildings in town were to have extra stories to accommodate new housing.’’
The town’s efforts have caught the attention of the Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance, which, through its Great Neighborhoods Program, awarded Winchester a two-year $150,000 grant last month to fund the zoning analysis and help implement the center’s growth plan.
Combined with a separate $10,000 downtown development grant from the state Department of Housing and Community Development, and in conjunction with the MBTA’s planned $15 million redesign of the center’s commuter rail station, Winchester center is preparing for a significant remodel.
“In the last 20 years, there’s only been one [center] site that’s been developed,’’ Ware said. “The biggest challenge will be how to balance keeping the character and qualities of the town center that people really love, with increased density. I don’t think the two are mutually exclusive as long as there’s strong urban design and architectural design.’’
About three years ago, the planning board set about creating a new master plan, a state-mandated blueprint created by communities to forecast new growth. Since it hadn’t been done in over five decades, the planning board decided to take it up in phases, recently completing the first one focusing on housing and the town center, Ware said.
READER COMMENTS »
View reader comments » Comment on this story »