From the Marblehead Reporter

How many of us take our visiting guests down Atlantic Avenue when we show off our town? When we go for a late evening walk why don’t we stroll the storefronts along Pleasant Street? Why is the uptown shopping district along Atlantic Avenue and Pleasant Street so different from the downtown district in terms of the care taken to ensure its appeal?

These and many other questions about the look and functionality of our town has been the concern of a growing number of Marblehead 20|20 members and friends. Last Fall, after a number of calls to the Chamber of Commerce regarding the less than stellar condition of our Uptown Business District, a series of public meetings were held to explore what happened, what are the root causes and what can be done to improve the situation. Out of those meetings was born the Marblehead 20|20 Foundation whose purpose is to provide a forum for discussing how to better our town and help facilitate constructive change. The Foundation’s Steering Committee members are Brian LeClair, Leslie Gould, Chip Osborne, Gene Cornfield, Nancy Sarles, James Emmanuel, Emmy Hahn, and myself.

Marblehead 20|20 is a volunteer group of Marbleheaders working to make Marblehead a better place to live. Our efforts over the last year has included everything from improving the way we market and brand our community to the look and character of our buildings and public spaces. We’ve put together a plan to improve the sidewalks along Atlantic Avenue and plant street trees in the entire uptown shopping district. Although we’ve made great strides in working with the many town departments to plan our future much work still has to be done.

 Timing is everything. Three or four years ago nothing was going on uptown. But today, it’s a very different situation. Jena Kahn has renovated a home on the corner of Atlantic and Central Street into her real estate office; Ralph Khouri is building a new store next to Irresistibles; The Fruit of  Four Seasons will soon be updating it’s look; The new Shubie’s will open soon and the old Shubie’s will have a new tenant; TCBY yogurt and Mino’s roast beef are planning improvements; John Fagone is renovating his building where Flynnie’s is;  Mayflower Cleaners will be adding a second floor and updating it’s look; Jacob Marley’s is morphing into an office building; Construction at Tony’s Pizza has been approved and will be under way soon; The old fire station is being reinvented as the new home of the Marblehead Little Theatre; and the town is planning to start reworking the five corners intersection. What’s going to happen to the old YMCA when the new building comes on line in 2006? Is there any hope or interest in reopening the Warwick and what impact will that have on the district?

Needless to say there’s a lot going on. An issue of concern is that there’s no master plan for any of this, no design guidelines and no money for the town to work with. Some buildings are seen by the ZBA and Planning Boards but others are as-of-right and don’t get the benefit of town review. This build-as-you-go, the-private-sector-will-take-care-of-itself thinking hasn’t worked in the past and probably won’t work in the future.  Replacing the dilapidated mix of inconsistent and architecturally unrelated structures with an updated mix of the same is an improvement to be sure, but the issue of creating a whole create than the sum of its parts, to create a consistently attractive district that promotes community activity, walking, and commerce will still be an issue. [probably want to reword, but you get the picture]

Some of you may know that the Historic District Commission was created in the 1960’s as a response to development pressures in the downtown are of Marblehead. A few very forward-thinking people got together and created a plan for protecting this area by obtaining a Historic District designation. What we have today is arguably one of the most beautiful, unique and valuable areas in New England. Without this district, who knows what might have become of the ‘Old Town’.

We at Marblehead 20|20 believe that the uptown business district can benefit from the same thinking. Granted we don’t have the wealth of magnificent historic buildings nor can we get a historic designation but we can create a Village Overlay District and put together design guidelines for the development and renovation of our buildings within the district. We can also further develop our plan to improve the public areas within the district providing for more parking, public parks, better and safer sidewalks, shade trees, benches, ornamental street lighting, banners and better wayfinding signage. Many other towns have done this across the Commonwealth, from Nantucket to Amherst, from Newburyport to Great Barrington, from Falmouth to our neighbors in Salem, where a miraculous transformation is underway that will positively impact property values, commerce, and quality of life.

Marblehead has a long and infamous history with private rights. “Headers” don’t like regulations on private property. It’s understandable.  However all of us rely on zoning to maintain our property values. Without it, we’d have an undesirable mix of uses and building types. Imagine what would happen to the value of your property if an industrial waste plant popped up in your neighborhood. Zoning ensures that that won’t happen.

Design guidelines and restrictive zoning made the Historic District. By giving up the right to tear down a historic building and replace it with a glass and concrete condominium building, the Historic District of Marblehead is a better place for all of us to enjoy, today and tomorrow. With millions of dollars going into the renovation of private residences each year in Marblehead, it’s time some planning and thought went into the non-historic public areas of the town as well. Marblehead 20|20 is working on this and we invite you to participate in this great opportunity to shape the future of our town for yourselves and your children. Let us know who you are, what your thoughts are on what Marblehead should be and can become. We want to know what your vision is for this wonderful place we call home. Marblehead 20|20 can be reached at info@marblehead2020.org.

Michael McCloskey, Architect

Chairman, Architecture and Urban Design Sub-Committee