Exit 13/Golden Triangle Study FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

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1 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS How will you improve traffic in the Golden Triangle? One main goal of this study is to examine the current traffic patterns of the area and propose ways to improve the traffic. We are also looking at ways to make the area more walkable and bikeable and ways to improve transit options. Are you going to make it easier to walk and bike around? Yes. Making the area easier to walk, bike, and use other modes of travel outside of single occupancy vehicles is one part of the solution to reducing traffic congestion. This is especially important for the Golden Triangle where many of the area s users are shoppers and errand runners. The concept of parking once and traveling by other easier and more convenient modes is important. In addition, we hope current and future residents of the district will find ways to leave their car at home while they move around the district. This is the first I ve heard about this plan, why wasn t I notified sooner? Though Boards of Selectmen in each community signed a memorandum of understanding in August 2016, the consultant was not selected until Spring Work on the study began in summer 2017 which kicked-off the Existing Conditions analysis phase of the project. The courbanize platform was launched in August 2017 to provide a platform from which the project team could share and solicit information from the public. The Existing Conditions Report was released Fall 2017 and painted a picture of how the Golden Triangle looks and operates today. The Towns of Natick and Framingham held public meetings in October, November, December, and January 2018 as the Project Team moved into the second phase of the project, long-term visioning and formulating recommendations. The final study report is anticipated in Spring What happened to the Kings Bowling Alley/I-Fly proposal at 19 Flutie Pass? The 2016 proposal for 19 Flutie Pass was approved in both communities. However, the applicant informed us that the project was on hold due to circumstances related to their leasing efforts. Recently, a project proposed for this site has been filed with the Framingham Planning Board. Will the Cochituate Rail Trail be extended into Natick? 1

2 Yes! The Town of Natick has purchased the railroad right of way south of where the trail currently ends at TJX/Route 30 all the way to the Natick Commuter Station. The project is being designed right now and is expected to be constructed Why would anyone want to walk on Route 30? Today, Route 30 is less than ideal as a pedestrian and bicyclist corridor because it is designed for a high volume of cars and does not consider pedestrian/cyclist needs. We have heard many comments about the number of office workers who walk during lunchtime and desire areas that are inviting and safe. We think Route 30 can be improved with better design and we expect this process to identify feasible ways to transform this and other corridors into an inviting streetscape. What will happen with the MassPike interchange now that the toll booths have been removed? MassDOT is still evaluating the now toll less interchanges in the State. We understand this has eased congestion in some areas and we believe this an opportunity to make long-term recommendations to MassDOT for reconstruction of Exit 13 to improve the way traffic flow in the district. To that end, this Study, will propose concepts to reconstruct the Exit 13 interchange in order to better use the parcels around it and improve bottlenecks at Speen Street and Route 30. Why does everyone want to add apartments everywhere? There are several reasons why this study is looking at recommendations to increase housing. First, there is a huge unmet need for housing in eastern Massachusetts and less demand currently for retail, office or industrial users. Second, both Framingham and Natick are working to encourage denser, mixed-use zoning in target areas, like Exit 13 because it helps create more diverse and vibrant communities. Third, allowing more housing in dense areas where infrastructure and amenities exist such as downtowns and the Golden Triangle versus developing in more rural neighborhoods will capitalize on current market demands while creating a regulatory framework (zoning) that enables mixed uses in the long term while protecting more suburban/rural neighborhoods from additional density. Will allowing apartments here increase traffic? Not necessarily. Mixed-use developments those that integrate housing and commercial uses into the same buildings/properties and districts actually decrease traffic. This is because more vehicle trips are internally captured as residents living here can have their needs met in the same general area, including allowing some to walk to work at the many offices and retail stores in the area. 2

3 Will allowing more apartments here lower tax revenues? No. Allowing more apartments or any new development would increase tax revenues the communities receive. In Framingham, the split tax rate means that theoretically lower tax rates would result in a housing development than if the site were commercially developed at the same scale. However, there are two reasons to consider including apartments as part of a mixed use strategy: 1) as the demand for housing is driving the development markets now and demand for retail and office is low right now, it is likely that a medium or high density residential development could generate as much or more revenue as a low or medium density commercial development. This is especially true given that market analysis indicates it is unlikely that a high density commercial development is imminent; 2) mixed-use districts offer the most flexibility in the face of fluctuations in long-term development markets and will help create a desirable, diverse community that draws future investment. Will allowing more apartments in this district increase demand for services including police, fire, and schools? Somewhat but not as much as you d expect. Concentrating housing in more dense areas where infrastructure already exists such as the Golden Triangle does not necessarily create a huge increase in fire and police services. In addition, mixed use developments generally generate fewer students per unit due to the size of the units. Increase in demand, especially by higher density developments is generally off-set by the taxes generated. What s being done to ensure traffic doesn t back up once MathWorks opens? MathWorks Lakeside Campus, which was proposed in 2013, entails adding a 470- space parking garage to the existing 1,279 surface parking lot. Traffic analyses showed that the project would generate approximately 1,320 new trips on an average weekday, with 205 new trips during the weekday morning peak hour and 185 new trips during the weekday evening peak hour. In order to mitigate these impacts, the owner proposed intersection geometry improvements at Speen Street Northbound/ Superior Drive, as well as traffic signal timing improvements along the Speen Street corridor. The parking garage and recommended mitigation improvements are not complete, but are going to be implemented in the near future. Why should I take a bus when I can park in this area easily? Golden Triangle users will travel to and through this area the easiest way possible. Currently traveling by car is still easier, even though it can be burdensome with 3

4 sitting in traffic, maneuvering the area, and finding parking. We are studying both improvements into and out of the area as well as the potential for a connector shuttle within the district. Both options rely on increasing density as well as walkability in the district in order to increase the pool of potential riders. What will growth in the Golden Triangle do to my property values? Will my tax bill go up? Growth and investment in an area certainly increases property values as tax assessments are based on a number of factors including the value per square foot of surrounding comparable properties. With an increase in your property value, you may witness an increase in your tax bill but we anticipate that would be gradual and accompanied by more adjacent amenities and a higher quality of life for you and your neighbors. Will growth in this area cause light pollution in the neighborhoods? Light pollution to neighborhoods is considered currently under permitting practices and will continue to be considered as new developments come in. New technologies allow for significant improvements in managing this condition and minimizing the impacts on surrounding neighborhoods. Will additional growth in this area increase regional traffic, specifically Mass Pike access and egress onto Route 30? With any growth, there could be an increase in traffic. As part of this Study, the Exit 13 MassPike interchange is being considered to assist with traffic growth. Now that the MassPike has switched to All Electronic Tolling there could be an opportunity to reconstruct the on and off ramps leading to and from Route 30 where the toll booths were formally located. Do different kinds of uses lead to different levels of traffic? Yes. Traffic generation is different for different types of uses. What is the actual road capacity? Can we actually limit growth based on what the roads can handle? Limiting growth based on road capacity is not in either community s best interest. This could lead to stagnation in this area when in reality we need flexibility and diversity. Traffic demand can be managed and reduced with the right policies. Careful planning and leveraging each new project to ensure positive impacts like reduced or shared parking, easy transit access, and excellent bicycle and pedestrian 4

5 facilities will help transform this area from a car-only area and allow thoughtful retail, office and residential growth. How many vehicles exit the MassPike and the Golden Triangle area using neighboring residential streets? This study did not include traffic counts but relied on already existing data. The table below is from the Natick 2030 Master Plan. You can also find the most recent published MassDOT data for the I-90 exit ramps online at How are you going to create open space in this district? The study looks at ways to increase open space as well as improve access to nearby amenities like the Cochituate Rail Trail. One way to do this is to require new developments to integrate more open space in their projects if they need to undergo permitting in either community. The study also looks at ways to make the large wetland area in the center of the district into a more useful recreational amenity. 5