Route 138 corridor study forum set for July 10

By Canton Citizen

The public is invited to share their thoughts on the future of the Route 138 corridor at an open forum on Wednesday, July 10, from 7-9 p.m. at Bank of Canton headquarters, located at 490 Turnpike Street.

The town has begun the process of developing a strategic plan and vision for the Route 138 corridor, aided by a $75,000 technical assistance grant from the MassDevelopment Site Readiness Program. The goal of the program is to boost the commonwealth’s inventory of large, well-located, project-ready sites; to accelerate private-sector investment in industrial and commercial projects; and to support the conversion of abandoned sites and obsolete facilities into clean, actively-used, tax-generating properties.

According to the corridor study page on the town website, Route 138 is “Canton’s most heavily traveled arterial” and features “large lots, with some vacant/underutilized land, and a hodge podge of zoning and uses.”

“Development on Route 138,” the page notes, “needs to be shaped carefully to minimize traffic problems and safety issues, and to create an environment that will be aesthetically pleasing. Generally, the community has expressed a desire for a stronger design identity to create a sense of place, and destination stores, restaurants, or other community resources as a draw.”

The town is in the process of updating its comprehensive Master Plan, and the state Department of Transportation is expected to implement infrastructure improvements for safety, pedestrian, and cyclist access on Route 138 within the next five years.

Those who are unable to attend the July 10 public forum can still offer their input by completing the online survey at www.surveymonkey.com/r/Canton138. For more information on the corridor study and town working group, visit town.canton.ma.us/747/route-138-corridor-study.

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