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HomeMy WebLinkAboutEconomic Development Chapter Goals BoardsBarnstable Local Comprehensive Plan Draft Economic Development Chapter Goals & Strategies Please submit comments to the Local Comprehensive Planning Committee by email at BarnstableLCP@town.barnstable.ma.us or drop off hard copies to the Planning and Development office located at Town Hall: 367 Main Street, Hyannis 02601, Planning & Development office (3rd floor). Place-Based Policy: Support a market-driven, place-based approach that builds on our existing assets, a tradition of entrepreneurship, and encourages economic balance, diversity, and sustainability. Strategies: • Create an economic impact assessment tool to determine the net fiscal impact of development proposals. The project’s tax revenue, infrastructure, service, and resource impacts shall be analyzed. • Determine feasible and attractive incentives to encourage local developers and business owners to reinvest profits in Barnstable and implement incentive programs. • Proactively share development and comprehensive plan policies with the business community so development reflects community priorities. Zoning & Regulatory Tools Policy: Revise and simplify land use regulations including zoning to foster economic development. Strategies: • Modernize the zoning ordinances pertaining to the Regional Commercial Center to reflect desired patterns of development, a mix of land uses, and updated design standards. • Maintain the Downtown Hyannis Growth Incentive Zone and the commitment to long-term, iterative planning, infrastructure investment, and community engagement downtown. Design Review Policy: Establish a design review process for commercial development. Strategies: • Amend the town’s Site Plan Review Zoning Ordinance to add design review criteria for coordination of design standards throughout the Town of Barnstable. Local Business Policy: Retain and strengthen business in the Town of Barnstable. Strategies: • Increase the commercial tax base by encouraging economic development in areas identified as appropriate for growth. • Determine feasible and attractive incentives to encourage locally owned developments to reinvest profits in our community and implement a program to utilize these incentives. • Retain in-house community development and planning resources. Collaborate with economic development efforts at the municipal and county levels. Infrastructure Policy: Provide infrastructure required for growth centers and redevelopment areas. Strategies: • Develop, apply for, and support creative funding mechanisms to build and maintain infrastructure needs: workplace housing, renewable energy, wastewater treatment, public water supply, educational support, public transportation, parking, and efficient roadways. • Seek out and support upgrades to telecommunication infrastructure for public and commercial broadband access within Barnstable. Support the creation of Wi-Fi networks and access to high speed broadband options. • Continue to participate in and implement solutions from the state Hyannis Access Study, and the Downtown Hyannis Great Streets project to improve traffic flow. Recreation Policy: Support the maintenance and development of recreational activities for residents and visitors. Fund and implement findings and actions from the state approved Open Space and Recreation Plan. Strategies: • Increase availability of public access to the water. Enhance public beaches and support water-dependent activities with amenities, both public and private. • Maintain, improve, and promote high quality public recreational facilities including beaches, trails, fields, and parks. Increase maintenance and add amenities that respond to emerging recreational trends. • Support and maintain town-owned golf courses to attract visitors and to continue to serve as an attractive amenity for year-round residents. • Support the Hyannis Youth and Community Center, including the ability to host events that bring visitors into town and provide a year-round recreational gathering places for all ages. • Promote the Hyannis Harbor Hawks and Cotuit Kettleers, and support the presence of the Cape Cod Baseball League in Barnstable. • Attract and support the development of an indoor recreational facility. Economic Sector Policy: Provide for the growth of existing sectors and development of new sectors and enterprises that create stable employment and livable wages for residents at diverse economic levels. Strategies: • Identify and actively support the development of economic sectors offering stable employment, livable wages, and career advancement opportunities. • Continue to develop resources for economic development and small businesses by publishing timely and relevant information on funding/grant opportunities, technical assistance possibilities, and relevant community data. Seek to develop additional public- facing data tools that include relevant economic indicators and information. Education Sector Policy: Continually work to establish the Town of Barnstable as a place where education “happens”. Emphasize educational efforts that serve as economic drivers to expand collective intellectual capital and support an emerging workforce. Our educational focus begins at kindergarten level and includes higher educational opportunities. Strategies: • Support development of educational curricula that connects to existing or desirable employment opportunities and career advancement such as renewable energy, medical services and sciences and technologies focusing on coastal, marine, and environmental sectors. • Support the development of entrepreneurial enterprises. Visitor Based Sector (1/2) Policy: Strengthen and enhance our visitor-based economy to make Barnstable a year-round destination. Strategies: • Allocate a portion of the current room occupancy tax revenue to visitor marketing and promotion. • Enhance and expand the Walkway to the Sea to encompass more of the harbor front, the Cape Cod Maritime Museum, JFK Memorial, Veteran’s Beach, the end of Ocean Street and Kalmus Park. • Improve traffic plans for visitors including a roadway signage system. Mark roadways, travel lanes, barriers, and limit access where necessary for safety and efficiency. • Create a simple, legible wayfinding system for attractions, destinations and parking where needed. • Work with appropriate public and private transportation entities to ensure provision of year-round, reliable transportation and trolley service in support of visitors and the workforce. Visitor Based Sector (2/2) Strategies: • Identify locations for parking garages downtown, at the Regional Commercial CenterCape Cod Gateway Airport, the Transportation Center, the hospital, and the harbor. Where feasible, expand existing facilities to provide adequate parking for recreational areas. • Support the continued development of eco-tourism, tourism that explores, experiences, and observes nature. • Consolidate all restaurant, hotel and motel operating permits and fees into one process with a single time frame. Continue Town department inspections on an appropriate schedule. Healthcare Sector Policy: Support the healthcare sector by fostering economic growth, improving access to healthcare, and enhancing the overall well-being of the community. Strategies: • Explore incentives to encourage healthcare providers to locate offices and services within the designated medical services districts in Hyannis appropriate areas. • Support the expansion and modernization of healthcare infrastructure. Growth Incentive Zone Policy: Continue business retention and expansion work through Town economic development, partnerships with the Hyannis Main Street Business Improvement District (BID), and Transformative Development Initiative (TDI) partnership. Strategies: • Identify specific actions designed to support and attract businesses to the GIZ over the next five years. This should be a collaborative effort with BID, Hyannis Chamber, and other stakeholders. This strategy should link to other plans including the Harbor Plan and the Historic Properties Inventory. • Continue to build an inventory of potential redevelopment sites, and procedures for preparing sites for redevelopment from remediation to clearing title issues. Blue Economy Policy: Blue Economy balances our economic and environmental health, creates a new regional identity focused on pride in our water and coastal resources, and supports a sustainable year-around economy for its residents. By leveraging partnerships with organizations such as the Cape Cod Blue Economy Foundation and the Cape Cod Commercial Fisherman’s Alliance, we aim to cultivate innovative initiatives that stimulate economic growth, promote environmental sustainability, and enhance the quality of life for our residents. Strategies: • Support the development, growth, and retention of innovative technologies that can be shared and exported. • Identify skill gaps in marine industries for workforce development and conversion from jobs to careers. Work with educational community and workforce development organizations to help them target curriculum. • Continue to seek ways to support the commercial fishing industry, including investment in relevant waterfront facilities. Cultural Sector (1/2) Policy: Support and promote arts and culture in the Town of Barnstable to make its seven villages vibrant and economically prosperous communities for the well-being of its residents. Encourage continued development of the creative economy to increase cultural tourism, capture sector dollars and to position the Town as a year-round cultural destination. Strategies: • Work with arts-oriented organizations, local cultural council and cultural district partners to inform policymakers about the Town’s creative economy. • Encourage arts focused developments in downtown Hyannis with public-facing amenities. • Work with local creative, cultural and economic development entities to identify funding, planning and development resources to support the creative economy. • Attract, encourage and promote new and existing cultural entities to develop and expand programming to generate year-round interest and increase visitation throughout the town’s seven villages. • Collaborate with other town departments to incorporate the arts to creatively deliver town services, design shared spaces, engage citizens in town government and improve residents’ quality of life. Cultural Sector (2/2) Strategies: • Work with appropriate town entities to incorporate artist elements into streetscapes, public spaces and municipally provided amenities and publications. • Promote and support the cultural districts to increase year-round visitation. • Facilitate opportunities for the public to interact with members of the creative economy via town-run programs that engage the public and artists.