Local Group Looks To Revitalize Downtown Framingham
The goal of Framingham Downtown Renaissance is simple: Help revitalize the downtown of MetroWest's largest community.
Last year the Framingham Downtown Renaissance group, or FDR, was revitalized itself. While the organization has been around for years, an active board of directors - led by Framingham State University senior vice president of administration, finance and technology Dale Hamel - has recently brought new energy to the group in an effort to achieve its goal.
Now, with a six-member board of directors, FDR has surveyed downtown businesses and it is planning its next steps.
And, as the FDR continues its process, it's looking for more community input to help.
Four-Point Plan
In Hamel's view, downtown Framingham has a lot of potential.
Historically the area has been vibrant, but, like many core urban centers around the country, the advent of malls have decreased the luster of downtowns as a shopping destination.
"Thankfully for us, a lot of new businesses have moved in, so we haven't seen a large number of empty storefronts," Hamel said. "But we've got to always keep working."
The FDR is focusing its efforts on four major areas: Organization, design, promotion and economic restructuring.
As part of a renewed focus on organization, FDR is holding regular meetings on the second Thursday of every month at 9 a.m. in Framingham Town Hall. The group also recently wrote a letter in support of the town's application for a grant to clean up some brownfield sites, meaning those that have environmental health concerns.
Promotional efforts have included a revamped website for the organization (http://downtownframingham.com/) and downtown Framingham parking map being published in local newspapers. The organization is also teaming with the Downtown Solutions group to help promote the annual arrival of Santa Claus downtown, and plans to make the event even larger this year with a "winter wonderland" theme.
As part of economic restructuring efforts, Hamel hopes to leverage some of his connections at Framingham State University to help downtown businesses. For example, through the survey, a number business owners said they could use help in marketing and other business support functions, many of which experts at FSU have experience in. Hamel said he's hoping to link up some FSU professors with businesses that could benefit from some help.
The organization has a number of other goals as well - including hiring a full-time Main Street professional planner - and is calling for 100,000 square feet of new or renovated cultural and retail space and 250 new housing units.
Bruce Leish, director of the MetroWest Regional Collaborative, which is a division of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council in Boston, is happy to see a renewed focus on downtown Framingham. Having stakeholders from government, private industry and nonprofit organizations all involved in the project is unique, he said.
"I think the makeup of the groups gives the whole process a wider perspective on downtown revitalization compared to if it were just a group of planning officials sitting down and looking at this," he said.
Leish said one key will be for the group to hire a full-time downtown coordinator, which he said would be a significant investment in downtown planning efforts. To do so, he said, the organization needs the support of the community to raise funds for the position.
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