Master Plan Op-Ed: Canton Junction

By Guest

By Michael McMahon

In recent months, thanks to increased community interest and a grant from the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), the purposeful redevelopment and revitalization of Canton Junction has emerged as a focus point for the town’s ongoing Master Plan, alongside other longstanding focus points such as Route 138 and downtown.

Canton Junction train station (George Comeau photo)

As a neighbor to Canton Junction myself, commuter, and Master Plan Steering Committee member, I welcome the opportunity to help shape and plan the enduring future of one of our town’s most used and unique resources. The focus on Canton Junction in our Master Plan makes perfect sense. Communities across the country have realized the benefits of transit-oriented development, and Canton is particularly fortunate in that it has direct access via two train lines to Boston, Providence, and points in between. We should strive to maximize this resource and the surrounding spaces (with the understanding that current owners have no immediate plans to make changes). Why not tie Canton Junction into the new Revere Heritage Site, connect it with downtown, and address unmet housing and community needs? Why not incentivize people to take the train to our town or hop off I-95, support our local economy, and dine in new restaurants in the area (a dearth of new dining options has coincidentally been another recurring topic during recent Master Plan public events)?

But we must get it right. Indeed, we have the opportunity to thoughtfully reimagine Canton Junction and to be responsive to public input — for things like pedestrian-bicycle accessibility and facilitating connectivity from Canton Junction to business areas on Route 138. We must take the time to account for the town’s evolving needs with the right kind of redevelopment, whether mixed-use, residential, or otherwise.

Based upon the initial feedback from a recent public forum and survey conducted by MAPC, there is interest in creating community spaces as well as accommodating a “missing middle” style of housing, such as townhouses and smaller cottage cluster homes along with some potential for commercial uses. The area along the train tracks was envisioned as allowing for mixed use development, commercial uses, and potentially some residential-only development. On the east side of the tracks, public sentiment so far has been that the existing commercial uses would likely make more sense to eventually become housing, which is the current zoning. Some early results of MAPC’s March workshop and public survey can be found at town.canton.ma.us/736/Canton-Junction-Planning. Draft recommendations and another public presentation will be scheduled for the early fall. The final report will be issued soon after.

These are all just ideas — first steps — in a lengthier process. I encourage you to check out the website, come to any of our Master Plan Steering Committee meetings, and share your opinions on how we can maximize this unique opportunity to plan for Canton Junction’s future.

For more information about the Canton Master Plan update, go to www.cantonmasterplan.com.

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