SWANSEA — Town Administrator Mallory Aronstein and Town Planner John Hansen are pleased to announce that the Town of Swansea has been awarded a Community One Stop for Growth grant for the second year in a row.
On Wednesday, Oct. 26, the Baker-Polito Administration announced that the Town of Swansea was one of 169 communities in the Commonwealth to be awarded an FY23 Community One Stop for Growth grant award.
The Town of Swansea was awarded $75,000 in grant funding to examine zoning, policy and programmatic changes to achieve the best uses and foster economic development along the Route 6/118 corridor with the extension of sewer services under an inter-municipal agreement with the Town of Somerset as part of a U.S. Economic Development Administration grant award to the Town of Somerset.
As part of this project, Swansea’s Planning Department will work with senior and principal planners from the Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District (SRPEDD) to create a project committee and conduct a study of the Route 6/118 corridor. The study will coordinate with the Town’s ongoing Comprehensive Plan to represent various stakeholders in the community and steer the research and analysis of the study further.
The study is expected to run for approximately 18 months, during which time project staff will conduct data research and analysis, scenario planning, public engagement, and development of the study itself to establish and market the vision for the Route 6/118 Corridor.
Swansea’s Redevelopment Authority, which was created in 2019, identified the Route 6/118 corridor for targeted, meaningful economic development. In addition to the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy and Community Priority Area Report which highlighted the importance of expanding sewer services along the corridor to foster economic growth, engineering firm Wright-Pierce also prepared a preliminary report in 2019 identifying a number of potential development sites along the corridor.
Through the study, the Town hopes to identify project-ready sites for redevelopment, accelerate private-sector investment in industrial and commercial projects, and support the conversion of underutilized properties and obsolete facilities into modern, tax-generating uses.
To achieve these outcomes, the study will recommend zoning changes and design guidelines where applicable. Additionally, the study will recommend programs that the town may prescribe in order to facilitate development, including but not limited to, adopting Chapter 43D and participation in the Economic Development Incentive Program (EDIP). The study will also identify a path to additional funding to support the private investment that results from the expansion of water and sewer.
“With the use of grant funds, the Town of Swansea will conduct a study to look at the opportunities the town has for economic growth along the Route 6/118 corridor. We greatly look forward to the results of our study as the EDA’s investment into the sewer expansion along this corridor is a testament to the impact this project will have in creating jobs and private investment opportunities in this area,” Town Planner Hansen said.
Added Town Administrator Aronstein, “We expect that this study will create a vision that will allow us to pave the way for new, diverse housing options and higher paying employment opportunities. We are also pleased to share that this project aligns with many of our planning endeavors, including our Complete Streets program, Economic Development goals, and strategies to develop the town in smart, sustainable ways.”
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