Master Plan for Medford Square revitalization unveiled

The final report draft of the Master Plan for Medford Square’s revitalization project is now public and was presented to a Community Open House on Sept. 13 by Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC)Senior Regional Planner Josh Fiala along with Mayor Stephanie Burke, according to a Sept. 14 Wicked Local article.

The plan, prepared by MAPC for the city in coordination with Medford’s Office of Community Development, aims to optimize the Square’s presence as the town’s cultural and economic center, according to the document.

“Medford Square is positioned to leverage a surge of interest in new growth and targeted economic development to invigorate vitality, integrate redevelopment, to expand access to health and cultural resources and to activate a walkable and revitalized city center that provides a concentration of living, working and playing for the city and the surrounding area,” the Master Plan states.

The geographic area described by the plan encompasses the City Hall Subarea adjacent to Interstate 93, the High Street Subarea along High Street west to Boynton Road and the Main Street Subarea south of the Mystic River.

The plan is based on a study completed this summer, which included community forums and individual interviews with members of the Medford community and stakeholders. The study is estimated to have costed about $90,000, the plan states.

The plan is built around eight “Key Priorities": inviting investments to find new uses for “underutilized” areas, including parking lots, improving the Square’s accessibility to pedestrians and bikers, boosting the presence of “creative enterprises, restaurants and attractions,” taking better advantage of the Square’s location on the Mystic River, optimizing the Square’s streets, investing in the Square’s parks and plazas, safeguarding the historic elements of the Square and better unifying communication and coordination throughout the district.

The effort as a whole is a part of the Community Compact initiative launched by Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker’s administration in January 2015 and co-signed by Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito and Medford officials in March 2016, according to a press release issued by the City of Medford at the time. Compact communities that sign on to the initiative receive benefits including membership in a grant program and, in Medford's case, assistance by the MAPC.

Tufts has had some involvement with MAPC’s planning for Medford Square, according to Director of Government and Community Relations Rocco DiRico. Staff from DiRico’s office have discussed the plan’s potential impacts on the university with city department heads, the MAPC and the Medford Chamber of Commerce.

DiRico felt the outlined accessibility improvements would invite more foot and bike traffic from the Medford/Somerville campus.

“The Master Plan has produced a strategy to make Medford Square a welcoming destination for Tufts students, staff and faculty,” DiRico said. “Just making it easier to get to the square should encourage more students to enjoy all that Medford has to offer.”

In the plan itself, Tufts is mentioned twice, including in a proposal to take advantage of “institutional connections” such as Medford’s relationship with the local campus, which it characterized as “a relationship that could be explored for more direct arts and cultural links to Medford Square.”

“One of the focuses of the plan is strengthening the creative economy in Medford Square," Fiala said. "This is an area where a direct partnership with Tufts could be mutually beneficial."

Among possible ideas for cooperation between both parties, he offered that Tufts programming could be held at the ChevalierTheatre. The Chevalier Theatre recently began new management by Bill Blumenreich Presents, Inc., the firm that operates The Wilbur Theatre in Boston, according to the Executive Assistant, Business and Cultural Liaison in Burke’s office, Allie Fiske.

DiRico suggested that the university’s performance groups could be a critical piece in that relationship. He cited Disney a cappella troupe Enchanted’s performance at the city’s Patriot’s Day celebration in Medford Square, which he called “a huge hit.”

“I would love to see more [performance groups] performing in Medford Square at community events,” DiRico said. “I think that the School of the Museum of Fine Arts could work with local organizations for a community art project in the Square ... There are a lot of opportunities for collaboration and creativity.”

However, Fiala stressed that while the city would pursue “implementation activities” that would increase the Square’s attractiveness to the Tufts community, it would largely stay away from “recommendations that would be dependent on Tufts.”

“[The] improvement of the Square would encourage more engagement over time from members of the Tufts community and open new opportunities for direct involvement and new partnerships,” Fiala said.

The Master Plan is available to the public on the City of Medford’s website.