By Eliza Rosenberry
A desire for pedestrian and bicycle accommodations, green space, and small-town character were top of mind for residents at a Saturday, March 4 public forum.
The event, hosted by the Planning Board and consultant RKG Associates, kicked off public engagement for the town’s ongoing Great Road zoning project. Initiated last year, this project is an effort to reimagine how the three main business sections of Great Road — areas around the Shopping Center, the Marketplace, and North Road — should look and feel. The Planning Board will then use recommendations and feedback collected during this process when they draft new zoning for the Great Road corridor.
“We feel this is probably one of the most important aspects of the initiative that we’ve undertaken,” said Planning Board chair Jeff Cohen. “To hear from the public, the residents, the business owners, and landowners… and learn from you.”
The primary purpose of zoning is to designate how a particular area of land should be used, including various commercial functions like dining and shopping, industrial uses, and single-family and multifamily housing.
Forum attendees said they would be interested in more mixed-use development along Great Road, like the newly redesigned so-called Blake Block in which the first floor is retail and the second floor is housing.
Senior housing or assisted living was of interest as well. Assisted living is not currently accommodated by a dedicated by-law in Bedford town zoning; other nearby towns like Concord and Burlington do have specific zoning for such facilities.
In addition to designating land use, zoning can also affect how far buildings sit from the street, as well as parking, signage, landscaping, open space, and density.
Many residents suggested that connectivity between separate commercial properties could mitigate traffic congestion, a well-known and longstanding issue along Great Road. Connecting adjacent parking lots so people could walk or drive between them easily might reduce the need for drivers to go back onto Great Road when shopping or running errands.
Other forum attendees aired concerns about safety and accessibility for pedestrians and cyclists along the Great Road. Among them was Grace Hanegan, a sixth-grader at John Glenn Middle School, who presented on behalf of her table’s discussion group to more than 50 forum attendees.
“Walking around Great Road is not easy,” Grace told The Citizen. She suggested crosswalk placement and utilization could help improve the pedestrian experience.
Residents agreed the North Road business area is in need of attention, particularly given that Bedford Farms attracts many residents and visitors.
Tammi Kibler, a resident of North Road, said pedestrian safety in that area is especially concerning to her. Her son, Brian Kibler, agreed and added that open space should also be a priority.
“I think there’s a lot of gray space and I’d like to see more green space,” he said
Wider setbacks, lower building heights, and improved landscaping and green space were also popular among forum attendees.
Characteristics related to Bedford’s historic significance and small-town identity came up repeatedly in discussions, with many respondents favoring New England-style buildings in a visual preference survey which closed out the forum. Those responses echoed expectations set out by residents in the 2013 Comprehensive Plan.
Consultants from RKG said zoning cannot mandate architectural style, but did acknowledge a “call to action” for the creation of design guidelines, with which developers could be incentivized to comply.
The Great Road zoning project began last year with a market study completed by nearly one thousand members of the Bedford community. RKG Associates have since conducted interviews with business owners, residents, and other stakeholders, and will continue to meet with the public at designated hearings and meetings as the project continues over the course of this year.
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