63°
LEICESTER, Mass. — After Leicester selectmen voted 4-1 in support of rezoning a group of Pleasant Street properties at the center of town from Residential 2 to Central Business, residents began weighing in on the change.
Will you support the Pleasant Street rezoning?
View ResultsThe issue was initially voted down unanimously by the Planning Board in June. But at the following meeting of the Board of Selectmen, members voted 4-1 to sponsor the zoning map amendments.
Darlene Eager, owner of the property from 8-10 Pleasant St., requested amendments to the zoning map from a designation of R2 to CB. Additionally, Dennis and Sandy Benoit of D&S Realty requested the same change for their property at 16 Pleasant St.
Last Monday, selectmen also voted to sponsor a plot of land that falls between those properties, which has an unknown owner.
Selectman Sandy Wilson opposed the change, saying it would go against the central business district's purpose.
According to Leicester's Zoning Bylaws: "The purpose of the Central Business District is to encourage development and redevelopment of Leicester Center while preserving the area’s pedestrian-oriented characteristics, mixed uses and existing structures of historical significance. New construction should complement the existing historical nature of the Central Business District. Projects which interrupt the continuity of pedestrian circulation, require large expanses of land or involve demolition of historic structures are discouraged."
Since the first public hearing, much of the opposition to the rezoning stems from speculation about plans for a CVS Pharmacy to move onto the lot.
A two-third vote is necessary for the zoning amendments to pass at town meeting.
Where do you stand on the zoning map changes, and the potential for a business such as CVS in the town center? Sound off in our comment section and take our poll.
Attached: (pleasantstzoning.pdf)
Comments (15)
There are many other projects that needs to be focused by the government rather than rezoning, projects like adding more aluminum bridge to lessen traffic, more classroom for better education, hospitals and other facilities that can help the public. Over all I don't support this rezoning project.
I agree we need more business in town. I know that their have been petitions brought around to residents in the center of town against having a cvs built in the center, I say put it on the ballot and let the entire towns people decide!
well i live in that off-white building in the picture above soooo im really hoping they dont tear that down
I agree with all the talk that this project will have a negative impact on the center area.
The idea that it is important to people to retaining the small town historic character in the center being important, should not be dismissed. It is true that some properties being gone have diminished that look, but it is foolish to allow the destruction of what remains. Further, this section of properties being demolished is the only good looking part of the center remaining; making it only that much more important to save it.
It would certainly make the traffic situation in the center worse, and it’s bad enough already. A CVS there would create more urban blight- traffic, light, noise, air pollution, etc. How long will it be until the center becomes a divided highway like towards Boston?
And further, almost every CVS that I can think of located in Central Mass. closes and moves leaving an empty building in less than 20 years. But, Leicester has always looked at the short term, never the long term impact.
If CVS truly wants to build in Leicester, they will build where ever they can, even if not in the center. There is all kinds of land available on route 9 where they could go, and nobody in town would think twice about it, indeed it would be welcomed. Other towns with even more restrictive laws still have chain stores. Just look at Dunkin Donuts in Rutland Center. They had to build a reproduction antique house- the point being is the businesses WILL conform to local laws.
The idea that it will save the town of taxes is foolish. A CVS will contribute less in taxes than the current properties it would replace.
Leave the zoning alone, and the CVS will go elsewhere in town. The board of selectmen needs work in this direction representing the people of the town that elected them rather than the CVS corporation.
"The idea that it is important to people to retaining the small town historic character in the center being important, should not be dismissed."
There is no reason per se to forestall development in the face of the "historical" character of this area. At least other than the idiosyncratic attachment to the area by some people. Can anyone name one significant or important structure that would be threatened by this development? I repeat my assertion that this is an example of the provincial thinking that has held the town back for decades. I'm sure people were up in arms when Watson started building his woollen mill down the street in the 19th century. But hey, that mill put Leicester on the map! Obviously that isn't to say CVS would do the same, but we need to escape this baseless and often limiting devotion to a "historical" character when that character is largely a fabrication in that area anyway.
Leicester's real historical district isn't threatened here. We have a nice collection of significant and attractive structures clustered around the town common. Everyone can agree an ugly retail building would be wholly inappropriate there. But it is unreasonable to think that the presumptive CVS location would in any way hinder what is already an unattractive area devoid of any particular significance to the town.
Finally, I repeat my assertion that Leicester center can't have it both ways. I hear the same people who gripe about the dearth of business in town now complaining about a possible CVS on the grounds that "historical" character is important. Get consistent, people! Sure there are better places for the CVS, but here in town we often don't have the luxury of picking and choosing.
I find that you repeat most of what you stated somewhat strange in nature for a counter argument.
While you may think that people in this town have somewhat a “provincial” manner of thinking, I would say that this is our town and we should be able to do with it what we like. This is the whole principal of democracy and our local government. If the people choose to keep the zoning the same and/or keep a CVS store out, then that is their option to do so, even if you disagree with it; just as if it does happen and I disagree with it.
As for the “real historic district” in the center, I have several comments. First, I’m pretty sure that I was told the entire area being discussed for demolition has been listed as ready for inclusion on the National Historic Register. So what you think is unattractive has been seen as historic by experts at the local, state, and federal level. Secondly, what looks better in the center of town, some antique houses a few of which need to be (and could be) made nicer, or a big square box? Lastly, once you start tearing down things, it will begin a cycle of tearing down things that will slowly move to the common area.
The Pleasant Street Corner will be wrecked, then the house next to Crossroads, then Leroux’s Market, the brick house with the porch behind the war monument, then the nice house that has been for sale on the Corner of Paxton Street. And for the college owned properties on the common, they’re no more protected than any other. Ten years down the line there will be all these places gone and people will complain “how did this happen?” We have the opportunity to stop it now; Leicester needs to think in the long run.
In terms of the comment about being consistent, that is exactly what Planning Board is trying to do. There was an initiative several years which looked at the areas that will support business without negative impact and they’re trying to keep it that way. When the zoning change happened on route 9, the new Cumberland Farms went in, the Tractor Supply Store, and now a new veterinary clinic. All in areas zoned for it and away from the center.
I’ll repeat what I said. Large corporations that want to come into towns will work to find a location they can build in. Every other community around us works to keep businesses in areas they think are appropriate for their towns, away from their older and nicer areas, and it works. If Leicester stays consistent, it will work here as well.
I repeated most of what I had said already said because it hadn't been countered by anyone so far. But a few things in response to your latest posting:
Democracy: I don't disagree with your point here. I'm just saying people are being irrational. Sure we have a town democracy and we can do whatever we like. But we consistently lag behind other towns in Worcester County on almost every economic measure. It seems to me that we should be worried about that and getting out of these limiting mindsets, particularly where not much is at stake. (Who drives through the center of Leicester and thinks, gee what a quaint little town. They should keep it this way!)
The historical character of the center: again, take a look at the place. Have you driven through lately? There is almost nothing redeeming about the area in question other than a few attractive historical houses you mention (and admittedly, the ones facing destruction in the rezoning effort are among the best) but everything else is almost aesthetically worthless. No architectural continutiy, no pedestrians walking around, nothing of historical significance worth saving. Again, I would love to hear just what is so historically significant about this area, especially given that we already have the Town Common with all of the structures surrounding it. I will not take for granted the fact that the entire area was considered for the National Historic Register. That old gas station? Leroux's? Give me a break.
You seem to offer a version of a slippery slope argument, viz. that allowing this rezoning doesn't protect the buildings we actually care about down the line. But I don't buy that either. I think the townspeople are smart enough to realize there is a difference in kind between, say, the May House (underground railroad, etc.) and a brick house on the corner of an already unattractive block of buildings on Pleasant Street. Again, I'd like to know the historical significance.
I agree we have the power to vote and do what we like. So let's get some businesses going on our busiest thoroughfare (and work out the attendant traffic issues). The historical structures we want we can save. We have the power to cross that bridge when we come to it.
Beggars can't be choosers here. I have lived here all my life and I probably would have agreed with you 15 years ago, but at this point I think it would be great to see some growth and change in the downtown area (on top of the positive changes we've already seen), and we don't necessarily sacrifice any long-term benefit by getting it started on the corner of Pleasant St.
Well, in short I will say this-
Your comments reflect the overall picture of Leicester as a whole relating to a comment I read by another poster, which I find 100% accurate:
This town just absolutely WILL NOT learn the lessons learned from other area communities of what did and did not work with development.
Without looking at the details of your traffic suggestions, I think you're right about the general need to do something about that issue. And I agree that precisely because the traffic problem is so obvious, the bureacracy in charge will table the issue until it becomes unwieldy and costly, or worse. That's just how things seem to go around here.
You're also correct to point out that the economy had a lot to do with why Wal-Mart didn't bring in the movie theaters and Olive Gardens of the world. I think this is actually an argument in favor of doing something in the center of town. If a business is willing, why not stimulate the local economy in the next couple years? At least to break up the stagnation a little. I don't know the statistics, but I would venture that a CVS, even just barely staying afloat, would have more economic benefit for the town than the current arrangement. There is utility added both for the person trying to rezone and sell, and for the community in the long run. It is a "business district" after all.
As I alluded to earlier, in a town center with a busy convoluted intersection, a garish flower shop, a pizza place, a Cumberland Farms, a long-abandoned gas station, and some houses in various states of disrepair, it seems fatuous to oppose this development on the grounds that it would ruin the downtown "historical" character.
Wal-Mart did not bring in the added businesses that was projected for one very good reason; the economy was tanking when WM finally opened. In concert with the failing economy, property owners on West Main Street in the immediate area of WM were high-balling their selling price to prospective businesses who "were" considering coming to Leicester. This not only hurt Leicester, it hurt the property owners when the economy tanked in Q4 2008. Now they have had to sit on their properties and watch land and home values fall to near record lows. It may be a long time before anyone is able to sell their properties for what they "could" have received in 2007 and early 2008 if greed had not ruled their decisions.
And again I reiterate, the main traffic flow through Leicester is route 9. The center of Leicester during morning and afternoon rush hours is a disaster. If CVS does get to build on the SW corner of the center, and the houses/businesses that reside their now are demolished, I would INSIST that Mass Highway Engineers redo the highway and traffic light sequences as the following:
1. Route 9 heading East has 3 distinct lanes, one for left turn ONLY for route 56 North, a center lane for route 9 East, and a right turn ONLY for route 56 ( Pleasant St ) South, with controlling arrow turns for route 56 North.
2 Route 9 heading West to have 3 distinct lanes, the left lane with an arrow light for turning left (south) onto Pleasant St to work in sequence with the arrow light on route 9 west for those turning north onto route 56.
3. Widening route 9 East to prevent the road rage events that occur all too often when two lanes of traffic all head east and converge at the entrance to Cumberland Farms when the right lane cars try to "merge" into one lane. The merge is far too short in distance and most drivers to not know the rules pertaining to YIELD.
And what ever happened to the Master Plan done in the early '70's that included a re-routing of route 9 to by-pass the center of Leicester? I saw this plan and the proposed new route 9. It was to start near Mt. Pleasant and follow a route southeasterly passing just south of the LCC, and ending at the foot of Stafford Street where it would join with a connector to I-290 which would run south behind Curtis Pond. But, as common sense does NOT dictate, lets wait another 25 years until there is complete gridlock at Leicester Center, and land values to construct a new highway are in the billions.
It is unclear to me how the Zoning Bylaws can purport to "encourage development and redevelopment of Leicester Center" while discouraging "[p]rojects which interrupt the continuity of pedestrian circulation, require large expanses of land or involve demolition of historic structures ." The fact is, to establish some business in Leicester Center, large expanses of land (however the Board defines "large") may be needed, pedestrian circulation may be interrupted, and historical structures will have to come down. Leicester Center really can't have it both ways. We're not exactly attractive to small boutiques, used book shops, and cafes like some other quaint, historical districts in NE.
To write off this development immediately in light of the "historical" character of the downtown area reeks of the sort of provincialism that has kept this town a declining and irrelevant bedroom community for decades. It's regrettable that the properties in question are attractive and well-maintained, but any business is preferable to the stagnation at this point. And perhaps a new CVS could initiate some movement on that awful abandoned gas station.
All that said, Wal-Mart didn't exactly bring in the new businesses it promised, so maybe Leicester is a lost cause and we should just keep the old houses.
We all know that we need business in Leicester, we cannot continue to bear the ever increasing tax burden on home owners, this is unsustainable. However, "where" businesses are allowed to build is CRITICALLY important especially to the center area of our town. Once the character of the center of town is replaced with all businesses, there is no returning to the charm of a historic center of town. Businesses can indeed be in the center of town, but traffic patterns in Leicester Center are horrific!!! The State has an "F" grade in my opinion, and allowing a CVS to reside at the corner SOLEY BECAUSE THEY LIKE TO BE AT CORNERS is a lousy reason to allow them to be there. There are MANY other places in town near the center that make FAR more sense. People who live at the Housing get their meds today without a CVS at their back door, they will not have any throuble getting to a CVS a little further away.
As a side note, what do you think will happen to our auto insurance rate zone if we have an increase of accidents on Pleasant St.involving Leicester drivers? Businesses need to be in seperate small malls in Leicester with entrance roads OFF Main street, not in the middle of the worst traffic center in central MA.
just remember that this zoning change is being asked for solely so that one property owner can sell her property to a developer who will tear down the building (this is the brick building at 8 - 10 Pleasant St.). And then it will be torn down along with the other 4 buildings to the west/north of her around the corner all the way to Dunkin Donuts.
When the Town voted the zoning for Central Business there was a decision made to keep Pleasant Street residential. With a special permit a business can be run from the house, as had been done for many years with this specific property. The need for the zoning change is so that the building can be torn down and without out the change the only other thing that could be built would be another house. To be able to use the property for commercial use (and in this case a parking lot) the property has to be rezoned to the Central Business zone.
I'm on the fence about this. While I support bringing in business to improve the area, and in the case of Pleasant St anything over some of the buildings there would be a improvement, it's a shame that two of the buidings in question are some of the better looking properties on the street- the brick house and the Lighting store I believe are ones in question. I can think of at least 10 other eyesores that could be renovated or knocked down before those.