Choosing WiselyRe-development of Littleton Common is again, and needs to be, in the forefront. For this to be successful, a great deal of work and consensus-building needs to be done to identify the needs and shape the image of a Common suitable to be the icon of our community. We certainly need to address the Common, but unlike other areas, the businesses in the Common are now well occupied and tax revenues are being generated. As attractive as this re-development might seem, there is no doubt that the planning and infrastructure costs to the Town will be significant. So how will we fund this project and how will we also come up with the tax revenues needed to run the rest of our town in the desired manner?
I am concerned that we might not be fiscally positioned to fully fund a re-development strategy for the Common which will include sewering, road reconfigurations, land takings, re-zoning, historical restoration and more. While I wholeheartedly agree that the Common needs to be both protected and re-vitalized, we need to be concerned with the practical implications of focusing all of our efforts there. We also need to be concerned about the potential burden on taxpayers for the redevelopment process. In my opinion, ignoring the other commercial/industrially zoned areas outside the common may not be the best plan for our future economic health. Will pinpointing our economic development strategy only on the Common result in lost financial opportunities for Littleton?
We need to exercise sound fiscal responsibility in the process of shaping the future look and feel of the community. We also need a plan with peripheral vision. Circling our resources around the Common and leaving other areas to fend for themselves will not leave us aptly prepared for the future; it will leave us in a reactionary mode for Ayer Road, the Foster Street/Taylor Street area and Rt. 119/Great Road. All of these areas suffer from under-utilization. There are even permits in place with no promise of construction in sight. These areas are screaming for our attention! The recent proposal for Big Box stores and a large affordable housing complex should remind us of what we can expect if we do nothing about a town-wide economic development plan. Is our plan to await the surprises that will come each time landowners seek new ways to make those properties profitable? What of the smaller, locally owned business opportunities that become viable in support of vibrant big business in our commercial/industrial areas? I presume that a remake of the Common will encourage this, but isn’t an element of this desirable in our other commercial/industrial areas as well? In our quest to revitalize our Common, let's not fail to understand other areas in town should share our attention as an integral part of our strategy perhaps without all the upfront investments in infrastructure that the taxpayer will have to bear for Common redevelopment.
In summary, I believe that an economic development plan for Littleton must include all areas where the growth and transition of commercial/industrial properties can prosper. Such a plan should not lose touch with our Master Plan and it should work to preserve any threatened agricultural lands within or adjacent to our commercial/industrial areas. We must make certain that Littleton’s appeal is retained within our residential areas while seeking the growth in tax revenues through economic development. We must be careful not to redirect our capital monies away from our lagging infrastructure maintenance and other critical needs without some measurable payback. Of course, we must find a way to address the Common as part of any plan, time is running out before the future look and feel there is entirely out of our control.
Do you have an idea, a comment or a concern? This Blog site has been established to give you an opportunity to weigh in. When the time comes for me to act on this matter on your behalf as one of your selectmen, I want to do so with as much perspective as I can. I value your involvement, Blog away!
