Town Administration has been working to make Drury Square a vibrant and identifiable Town Center. Auburn received a Massachusetts Downtown Initiative (MDI) grant to develop the Drury Square Vision Plan, completed in January 2017 that affirmed the focus of promoting mixed use development, amending zoning regulations, enhancing the walking experience, consolidating parking, and creating general design guidelines for Drury Square. Furthermore, an Economic Development Strategic Plan was completed in April 2017, funded through a Community Compact grant with the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), which identified Drury Square as an area of economic potential. As part of our overall efforts to support the business community of Auburn, and as recommended in both the completed Drury Square Vision Plan and Economic Development Strategic Plan, Town Administration, CMRPC and the Zoning Bylaw Review Committee drafted a Village Center Zoning Bylaw for Drury Square.
The Drury Square Village Center Zoning Bylaw will follow the process under M.G.L. c. 40A, Section 5, which requires a public hearing by the Planning Board, a vote of Town Meeting and approval by the Attorney General’s Office. It is our intent to bring this bylaw to the Annual Town Meeting in May 2019.
In an effort to engage the community and business owners, Town Administration is holding informational sessions to review the proposed zoning bylaw. The first public meeting regarding this zoning bylaw was held on September 26th in the High School presentation room. The meeting was promoted on all town social media accounts, the town’s website, in local newspapers and on ACTV. Additionally, invitations were sent to business owners of the area and many attended the first meeting. Town Administration and CMRPC are holding a second public meeting at Town Hall in the Board of Selectmen Room on November 7th at 6:30pm. The meeting is open to the public and Town Administration will be sending out invitations to all Town Meeting Members to provide them the opportunity to review and discuss the proposed bylaw prior to the next Annual Town Meeting in 2019. This bylaw is a part of a long range planning effort to create a more walkable district with mixed use development including retail, office, service and residential use. A copy of the proposed zoning bylaw is included for your review.
Town Administration and CMRPC welcomes public input and encourages attendance if possible. For questions or comments please contact Dominique DuTremble at ddutremble@cmrpc.org or Shannon Regan at sregan@town.auburn.ma.us.
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