APPENDIX B: DATA SUMMARY FROM
THE FORUM FOR RESIDENTS
Continuing its examination of Belmont’s business environment, the Vision 21 Implementation Committee held a forum in November, 2002 to which Belmont residents were invited. Citizens were encouraged to indicate problems and solutions, and to articulate their view of what they would like business in Belmont to look and be like.
Based on input from the residents, the Committee concluded that residents share some of the same concerns as business owners. Such shared concerns include the need to support smaller businesses, the aesthetics of the buildings and ambiance of the business districts, and traffic and pedestrian safety-related issues. Some of the residents are also cognizant of a need for change in the permitting process.
However, the most important issue for residents was a desire to influence and shape the types of businesses that come to Belmont. Residents recognize that the Town currently has no tools with which to do this. How can a town influence the types of businesses that come to it?
This is a summary of what the Vision 21 Implementation Committee learned from the 15 residents who participated in the forum; the data are supplemented by individual interviews with three residents who contacted Committee members afterward, wishing to give input as well.
The residents’ discussion was organized around three key questions:
1. What do we have to gain or lose from Belmont being business-friendly and having a thriving business community?
2. What do you like and what do you wish were different about Belmont’s business areas?
3. Develop recommendations for ideas and actions for [one of] the important topics that came up during the discussion. (In the summary below, these are attached to the topics they address.)
1. WHAT DO WE HAVE TO GAIN OR LOSE FROM BELMONT BEING BUSINESS-FRIENDLY AND HAVING A THRIVING BUSINESS COMMUNITY?
1.1 Gains from having a thriving business community
Thriving business areas help build a sense of community
Businesses offer settings for a variety of interactions: Places where people interact with shop personnel; places where they meet and greet acquaintances; places where they can visit with friends
Safer community
It is safer when more people are walking around.
Less Traffic
There is less traffic on the roads when people can walk to or drive short distances to shop.
Convenience
For residents, it is more convenient to patronize local businesses. There would be fewer residents leaving town, since shoppers wouldn’t have to drive. This is an important advantage for elderly residents who may be less mobile.
Increases property value
Having nearby stores is an asset to the value of real estate. It adds to the livability of the Town.
Increases business for other establishments
Having complementary businesses increases revenues for all of them as residents can do most of their shopping locally.
Source of revenue - increases tax revenue
Properties that are utilized to their maximum potential swell the tax rolls.
Improves aesthetics v. empty store fronts
Attractive storefronts create a pleasing aesthetic experience for browsers.
Can bolster reputation
Attractive shopping areas can improve the reputation of the Town.
More town pride from having lovely, distinguishing, attractive town centers. (Surrounding towns now scoff at us.)
1.2 Losses incurred by having a thriving business community
Serenity
For residents and the Town as a whole there is a loss in both the serenity afforded by tree-shaded green lawns but and image of the “Town of Homes”. This includes increasing noise pollution and traffic.
Encroachment
There is concern about the way in which businesses spread out from commercial centers. As business areas expand into residential neighborhoods, there is a sense of encroachment on bordering homes.
Loss of neighborhood
There is a loss of neighborhood as homes give way to businesses.
Business-related problems
Residents who live near commercial centers are beset with a variety of problems that result directly from the businesses. Parking on side streets without regard for safety is a concern. Traffic on these largely residential streets increases. Residents are also subject to odors from eating establishments.
Liquor related issues
If Belmont were to attract a high-class restaurant with a liquor license, alcohol-related issues could result.
Strangers
Successful commercial areas might attract people from outside the area.
2. WHAT RESIDENTS LIKE, OR WISH WERE DIFFERENT, ABOUT BELMONT’S CURRENT BUSINESS AREAS?
2.1 What Residents Like about Belmont’s Current Business Areas
Owner operated businesses
Residents especially like owner-operated businesses, allowing them to interact with the owner/operator, rather than the more impersonal environment of a chain store or franchise.
Residents have a positive attitude toward businesses that provide the commodities and services that they desire. They wonder what kinds of businesses do well here and what kinds of new businesses would the community like to attract?
Suggestion: Develop a town-wide study of (a) the types of businesses currently in Belmont and (b) the types of businesses that residents would like the town to attract.
Variety
Residents like the variety of neighborhood shops. Lots of different kinds of businesses that cater to both everyday needs and specialty shops.
Walk to neighborhood shops
Residents like the convenience of being able to walk to shops and do several errands in one area.
Filenes: Let’s pledge to shop Filenes! It’s a really important anchor for the Center and we’d be in trouble without it.
2.2 What do you wish were different about Belmont’s current business areas?
Town’s Control of and Planning for Kinds of Businesses
Town should manage or influence the types of businesses that come to Belmont. At present the town allows what is permitted by right (that is, the by-law.) While everyone would like to see business properties occupied by prosperous businesses come to Belmont, the Town cannot currently intervene to make it happen. Are there ways that the Town can influence or attract particular kinds of businesses? Avenues other than Town intervention should be explored to encourage economic development. In order to do this successfully, we must:
--Know what businesses we want or need (what residents will patronize)
--Create an environment that will attract those kinds of businesses (e.g. offer incentives to businesses)
--Articulate priorities and develop plans accordingly – We need a business development plan.
--Process needed to attract businesses that meet town’s objectives
--Retired business people (town residents) could form task force to market town
--Business owners could also help market town to other business owners
--Zoning by-laws need to be updated/consistent with plan
--Comprehensive zoning for whole town (not just business centers)
--Involve business neighbors in the process so they can be brought along
--Citizen education to avoid having residents feel “challenged” by new/existing businesses
Desirable businesses
Residents are agreed that they want to have more of the “right” kind of businesses. These are owner-operator businesses, not chains. Unhappiness over Store 24 (as opposed to Carberry’s) and opposition to Walgreen’s are evidence to the support of locally operated stores rather than regional or national chains. Greater visual appeal of the right kinds of businesses was also cited.
Family-oriented restaurants like Bertucci’s or Full Moon. (We have too many lower-end pizza places, and the two upper end restaurants in Belmont Center are not what my kids would do well at.
“I’d like this: a brew pub in the fire house. (right, won’t happen.)”
More ordinary businesses – if we had more “ordinary” businesses mixed in with the pricey ones in Belmont Center, such as in Cushing Square, it would draw more shoppers. (For example: hardware store, dime store, etc.)
More snappy, vibrant stores! Most of them are quite dull, remind me of what an elderly aunt would visit.
Need more high quality, independent stores, such as Champions, Terra Firma, Calistas, Toy Store.
Residents want business centers to be nice places just to “hang out” or loiter, as is Lexington Center, for example. Lexington is a nice place to hang out, whether you’re alone or with the kids: it has wide sidewalks with lots of benches, a variety of shops and food places. Do we have enough open space in our centers to create such an environment? (There’s more possibility in Cushing Square.)
Create an environment that is more friendly to pedestrians, bicyclists, and shoppers.
Residents dislike the volume and fast pace of traffic through Belmont. There are too many cars traveling too fast. It inhibits pedestrian crossings in business areas. It doesn’t feel safe. Some ideas to create pedestrian friendly areas are:
--“Bump outs”: These widened sidewalks narrow the roadway.
--Green strip between sidewalk and Trapelo: A green strip would provide an attractive interface for pedestrians and automobile traffic.
--Flowering baskets/planters: Flowers and trees would add a lot of beauty to streets and commercial areas. Who takes care and maintains them is a question. Volunteers?
--Trapelo/Belmont corridor “green median” street: A stretch of green island could be created like that on Concord Avenue to add beauty and slow traffic.
--Pedestrian amenities –
--Benches
--Bus stop shelters
--Drinking fountains
--Trash receptacles
--Bike racks
--Lights (“gaslight” type)
--Banners
--Holiday decorations
--Public art
--Train station art
--Street murals
--Sculpture
--Theme follows along street
--Rock – water elements
--Crosswalks
--Materials change (be wary of brick sidewalks…uneven surface hard on older people)
--Good signage and signage canopies
--Design/review committee
--Places to stop/niches
--Organize commercial businesses/property owners to engage snow removal in early a.m.
--Start a cross-town bus to enable shoppers to access several commercial areas of Town.
Increase allowable uses, which would increase the variety of shops and possibly allow creative combinations. Residents expressed interest in allowing some increased uses. Currently, Belmont’s zoning appears to curtail some commercial uses because of nonconforming uses of previous tenants.
Re-design the process for getting business permits and make it more business-friendly, so that tenants don’t have to wait 6-9 months for a permit to do exactly what the previous tenant did! Not only is this humane, it increases the likelihood that interesting, small shops would be able to come to Belmont. The waiting period, as it is now, is prohibitive.
More stable, yet prosperous, businesses. Residents would like to see businesses succeed in Belmont rather than turning over. They are not sure whether the turnover is due to zoning, rents, or something else. We should learn more about why businesses leave in order to make address those issues. (We heard that storefront rents are quite high in Belmont. Can we figure out a way to influence the landlords to reverse that trend?)
Stay open later. Some residents would like to see businesses stay open later to provide a place to get together in the evenings.
Some buildings are not being put to good use: the Savings bank takes up too much space in the Center; it would be great space for several shops. And why is that lovely train-station building being wasted on a private club? (Visit the Starbucks in the Green Line station in Newton Center sometime.)
Parking – we need more and better parking in business areas. Suggestions:
--Angle parking with islands (landscaped) along Trapelo [Is it legal?]
--Change Trapelo to 2 single lanes with “neckdowns”
--Install stone curbing
--Parking garages (increase parking space & revenue from fees
--Multilevel parking
--Review Parking limits and restrictions
--Issue: employee parking on residential streets
--Paint curbs
--Construct a walking/bike path between Waverley & Belmont center
--Bus - circular route around town
Traffic – We must slow down traffic on our main arteries in order to enhance the business areas. Ideas for slowing the traffic:
--Increase police presence (on foot) during business hours.
--More police presence at dangerous intersections.
--Install thru turning lanes in middle of street.
--Install median strips in wide roads with nice landscaping. (also helps pedestrian safety.)
--Create “rough” textured roadway where automobiles enter business areas.
--Dangerous intersections: investigate alternatives: e.g. signage, better definition of intersection, where it starts
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