The other Metrowest

By Ed Hilow

The 30-mile stretch of Route 9 from Worcester to the Brookfields is beginning to change. The scenic, even tranquil route, is starting to feel the pressures of growth as housing and commercial development move west – lured by the rural charm of these communities. The westward wave of development is nearly inevitable as urban and pastoral clash, so towns – now faced with the challenge – are developing master plans that create a balance between growth and maintaining their character.

It took eight months, but owner William Haseotes convinced Tebo to finally come back under a contract and with the promise that she would be able to expand and improve the general store. The store re-opened last May under Tebo's management. In that time, she's expanded the deli line and now offers fresh sandwiches, doubled the flavors of ice creams – which now includes diabetic versions, and added fresh-baked goods, a petting zoo and even a playground for kids.

Since re-opening, Tebo says business has slowly increased. "A lot of new customers are coming in and a lot of old customers are coming back," she says. She attributes the increase in business, in part, to the improvements in the store, but also to the growing interest in the area. Most notable, she says, is the number of new faces coming in the store asking not just for directions, but about the community, the school system, and crime rates. And, she's only too happy to oblige. "It's like an information center."

Tebo's observations are right on the mark. The interest in towns west of Worcester is growing. While Leicester is seeing more commercial development along Route 9, Spencer and the Brookfields are experiencing residential growth. But, it's not a stretch to predict that commercial development will follow.

Town planners express concerns in the westward wave of development. Among them is balancing that development with the rural charm of their respective communities, and dealing with the increased traffic volume along Route 9.

Urban appeal

Along Route 9 in Leicester, commercial development has been going on for a number of years. In 2002, the town amended its zoning to limit future development to commercial use along Route 9 to attract business. The town has also made major improvements to its sewerage infrastructure. Last March, it approved the construction of a super Wal-Mart on a 56.5-acre site at 1666 Main St. that will include a grocery store and gas station. At present, about 6.3 percent of Leicester's tax base is commercial.

However, along with the new Wal-Mart comes greater traffic volume, which is why under the deal Wal-Mart is also funding a traffic study that should be done by December 2006. The town is also making improvements to the sewerage system while MassHighway is making improvements to the road.

Michelle Buck, Leicester town planner, says there has been an increase in interest to develop along the portion of Route 9 from the town center to the Spencer line, especially near the new Wal-Mart. Interested businesses are being drawn by the town's improving infrastructure, she says. No plans have been submitted and much of it, says Buck, is still at the "rumor level." But, she adds, "based on the number of calls, I think we're going to get quite a few new commercial projects over the next few years."

With a property tax rate of $10.50 for both residential and commercial properties, it's easy to see the appeal for business in Leicester compared to Worcester's commercial/industrial property tax rate of $27.60. Worcester's residential tax rate of $13.18 means city dwellers pay on average $2,781 in property taxes compared to $2,265 for Leicester residents. But, according to May 2005 data from Boston-based real estate financial information company the Warren Group, the median sale price for a single-family home in Leicester is $261,000 – nearly $29,000 higher than Worcester at $232,450

In the center of it all

Moving further west, Spencer is also experiencing growth, but of a different kind. Klem's Tractor Sales completed a 20,000-square-foot expansion last fall bringing their total footprint to 75,000 square feet. The expansion, according to Jessica Bettencourt, Klem's general manager, was fueled by growing consumer demand. While Klem's primary business was tractors since 1946, in the 1980s they started adding other lines such as garden products, sporting goods, pets, clothing, etc. The new expansion will house more of these types of goods, and they recently added a car parts department to complement tractor sales. In all, Bettencourt says about 50 percent of the store's business is from retail other than tractor sales.

Over 2004, Klem's saw double-digit revenue increases. And, emphasizes Bettencourt, with more and more people moving into the area, their customer base is growing. Bettencourt hasn't observed much new commercial development, but expects an explosion of residential growth. For Spencer, about 9.9 percent of its revenue from property taxes is commercial.

And for Spencer, this is exactly the case, according to Karen Cullen, Spencer town planner. Over the next few years, the town could see more than 500 new residential units. These include 304 units at Olde Sibley Farm, which will also include 200,000 square feet of retail space. Woodbridge Estate could include as many as 89 units and Westerman Estate calls for 131 units.

Spencer's property tax rate is $8.70 for both residential and commercial property. The average annual tax bill for a single-family home is about $1,857, but the median sale price for a single-family home stands at around $269,950.

"Commercial development has been relatively quiet for the last few years," says Cullen. "Residential development is what's driving the train." But, the development is also drawing concern on the strain being put on Route 9 in Spencer. While part of that is being addressed in the construction of the new housing developments, the town is also reviewing current zoning and could make changes to allow more opportunities for commercial developers, such as mixed use, says Cullen. But, most likely there won't be any changes before next spring.

One area that has garnered a lot of attention is the new auto transfer station located off Route 49 along the Spencer-East Brookfield line. The 60-acre facility operates 24 hours a day with railroad cars bringing in new vehicles, which are then loaded onto 18-wheelers and shipped out. This generates a significant amount of traffic. The drop off center is causing traffic issues, says Marc Lamoureux, general manager of Lamoureux Ford in East Brookfield, at the same time it is generating commerce for the area. He speculates that the town may not have been fully aware of the impact the facility was going to have on the immediate area.

In the sticks

Moving into the Brookfields, which includes Brookfield proper, East Brookfield, West Brookfield and North Brookfield, the development market slows down a bit. Only 6.4 percent of East Brookfield's revenue from property tax is from commercial property. There isn't much development occurring in East Brookfield, says Mark Violette, chairman of the town planning board, and what development there is, is mostly residential. The town is putting together a master development plan, but that's a few years away yet, adds Violette.

Beside the draw of its rural charm, East Brookfield stands as the least expensive on the median sale price for a single-family home at $174,725. With a tax rate of $10.36, for both residential and commercial, the average residential tax bill for a single-family home is $2,293.

The bigger challenge for the Brookfields is image, notes Violette, because people think they're in the sticks. Heather Salem, a member of the family that owns the Salem Cross Inn in West Brookfield, agrees. She has had similar experience with most people coming from the Worcester side but, she adds, people from Springfield are very familiar with the community. "I haven't been able to figure out why it's such a different perception," she says.

"How far out do you think we are!?" asks Steve Howe, owner of East Brookfield-based Howe Lumber. People in Worcester look at out here [thinking] it's going to be a nice drive to go out on Sunday to the apple orchard, says Howe. But, to go out looking for a retailer is a different story, he adds. "It's very difficult to spend your advertising dollars to draw people out – you're not going to do it, because there are too many businesses within their own area."

And with the Home Depot in Auburn and plans for a Lowe's in Ware, the competition is coming from both ends. "That's the biggest fallacy that you have to say there's no competition out here," he adds.

However, Howe isn't sitting still. To meet the growing demand and competition, the company built a new 36,000-square-foot facility at 224 Main St. that will serve as a showroom and warehouse. And given the housing boom the area is experiencing, the move could be the right one. It's one reason Howe Lumber is staying focused on the immediate area to tap the local population.

The route of the problem

Originally built in 1810 as the Boston-Worcester Turnpike, Route 9 served as one of the first toll roads across the state. However, over time, the eastern and western ends, bisected by Worcester, have had dramatically different paths. Sparked by major development from Worcester to Boston, Route 9 has undergone widening, resurfacing, signaling and other improvements, the most dramatic of which can be seen in Metrowest into Boston. On the other end, the wave of development following Route 9 out to the Brookfields, is only now starting to happen.

With residential growth and signs of commercial growth, traffic issues are already cropping up. Lamoureux, can attest to it. His commute from West Brookfield to East Brookfield has doubled from 10 minutes to 20 minutes.

"It's a difficult road during rush hour especially in the core of the area of Spencer – there's a lot of gridlock," says state Sen. Stephen Brewer (D-Barre). "It is a situation that is going to get worse before it gets better."

It was Lamoureux's father, Lionel, who predicted the growth and took efforts to be ready. The dealership recently underwent a $1-million facelift that included adding four service bays to take care of the increased service volume. Although sales have been down, service has been up. The dealership also improved parking and other operations for the growing customer base.

That's one Catch 22, observes Lamoureux. It's easier for residents to patronize local businesses on Route 9 closer to home rather than drive some places, while at the same time it makes it more difficult for people outside the area to drive in.

"There is a huge population starting to move out this way," he says. "A lot of people living out in this area are willing to commute."

However, Lamoureux notes, the rising trend is good for business. "The selfish side of me knows if these bigger businesses are coming in, that means most likely my business will grow as well," he laughs. "I'm split on that one."

Tebo says the traffic in the morning and in the afternoons is usually from school getting out. She also has concerns about the speed limit and passing on parts of the road, especially when she crosses it to get her mail. It was also enough of a concern that she had the playground moved from the front of Honey Bee's building to the side away from the road.

Traffic volume for the area has increased by about 1 percent annually, says Richard Rydant, principal transportation planner at the Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission. A study on Route 9 conducted by CMRPC in the 1990s focused on the road from Webster Square in Worcester to the Spencer-East Brookfield town line.

The study does show traffic volume between Worcester and Leicester increased by about 2 percent from 16,960 vehicles in 1997 to 17,292 in 2001, while traffic between Spencer and Leicester increased by about 8 percent from 13,650 to 14,744 over the same time frame. Traffic volume from Spencer to East Brookfield jumped by more than 13 percent from 14,594 vehicles in 1998 to 16,561 in 2001, while traffic between East Brookfield and Brookfield rose to 7,863 vehicles in 2001 from 7,301 in 1998 – a 7 percent increase.

The study resulted in several recommendations, specific to each community, on road improvements that could be made.

For Worcester, improvements included adding a median and widening the road at Webster Square Plaza, installing better signage and restricting curbside parking. In Leicester, the road between the town's center and the Worcester town line near Route 56 was reconstructed, side streets were curbed and re-graded, better signage was installed and drainage problems near Cherry Valley were fixed. In Spencer, South Spencer Road was realigned, signals were improved and there are plans in the works with MassHighway to improve the road in front of the Big Y with pavement markings.

Sen. Brewer's office has also been involved in the efforts. He says they're following the natural development from east to west. There is money earmarked in the transportation bond bill that includes about $2.1 million for resurfacing parts of Route 9 in West Brookfield, but the design is only about 75 percent complete. There is also $100,000 to fund a study for traffic improvements in Spencer. When this money will be released and the projects actually started is still up in the air.

Howe credits the local politicians with their efforts to improve Route 9 but is skeptical about getting any money from the state going towards those efforts. He notes the funding for current road improvements have come mostly from new businesses or existing ones expanding.

Growth is inevitable and is best managed versus resisted. The communities along Route 9 are trying to balance drawing more people and business while maintaining a small town sensibility. "A lot of the smaller towns are trying to harness their development and really to make sure that it's developed in a way they'd like to see it," says Klem's Bettencourt.

So whether it's a Sunday drive to go apple picking, taking in the scenery or checking out the area, the merchants we spoke with are only to happy to see you. Or, as Tebo put it: "The road is less friendly, but the neighbors still are."