Consider 20|20's Vision
As co-chairman of the Marblehead 20|20 Foundation, I would like Marblehead residents to consider our vision of Marblehead. 

As a 12th-generation Marbleheader, my family, friends and I have seen vast changes in the town we all love. Marblehead didn't just change, it's been changing for decades, and many are now realizing what we've lost. 

Marblehead 20|20 was formed by residents who care about Marblehead's future. For over a year and a half, the Marblehead 20|20 Steering Committee has been working to enhance the vitality of our business community so residents will shop, walk and enjoy all aspects of uptown and downtown through economic development and beautification, in a community-business partnership.

On Saturday, April 30 the Uptown Business District will come together for a Retail Day to benefit Marblehead 20|20. You don't have to buy a lot to make a difference. Shop and support the Marblehead 20|20 project, and all proceeds will benefit the streetscape enhancement project at Five Corners this spring. 

On Monday, May 2, I urge residents to attend Town Meeting and vote YES on Article 17, which asks the town to create a Voluntary Design Review Board. We are not asking the town for money, only support. 

The DRB will assist business owners, landlords, etc., looking to change the exterior of their property or create a new building by offering free, voluntary guidance. The hope is to create a more unified look to the uptown business district that compliments what already exists and that is quintessentially Marblehead - not Nantucket, not Newburyport, not Salem, but Marblehead. 

To learn more about Marblehead 20|20, please go to www.marblehead2020.org. 

Thank you for your time. 

Chip Osborne
Co-chairman
Marblehead 20|20 Foundation

Design review advisory, not mandatory

I am a member of the Marblehead 20|20 Design Committee that put the Uptown Design Guidelines together. In my professional life, I am the coordinator for the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development, Massachusetts Downtown Initiative Program, the only program in the state that works with communities directly on downtown-revitalization or commercial-center issues.

I got involved with Marblehead 20|20 because I know what it takes for a community to look out for itself. There are many facets to maintaining a healthy community - economics, social, cultural and aesthetics (design). It doesn't just happen. Design Guidelines, with oversight from a Design Review Board, are used in all of the communities that are currently trying to work to strengthen their downtowns and commercial districts and have historically been used by communities that have been successful at their revitalization effort: Natick, Franklin, Cambridge, Andover, Ayer and Lowell, just to name a few.

The Uptown Design Guidelines could have taken many forms, one of which was trying to make it mandatory. As a committee we decided NOT to go that route for the simple reason we want to be a communication tool, not a body of people telling other people what to do. The guidelines as currently written are ADVISORY and a method for communication about appropriate design in the Uptown Business District.

It has been my experience in almost all of the communities that I have worked with that building owners welcome the input of a design-review board and the guidance that the guidelines provide. The successful building owner recognizes what the community is trying to do. It isn't about the "ego trip" of telling a building owner what to do with his or her building. It is about one element of strengthening a market area, so people want to do business there. People want to shop and do business in an area that makes them feel comfortable and is welcoming. Pulling together the design elements in the Uptown Business District, from the public (streetscape improvements) to the private (design guidelines), will allow Marblehead to provide that type of environment.

Finally, a draft of the Design Guidelines is on our Web site www.marblehead2020.org. They are draft, and we invite public input. That is why we had the meeting at the library. We are a group of volunteers and are doing the best we can to get the word out.

The Design Guidelines and Design Review Board are advisory. It is a great first step at the community starting to be proactive instead of reactive. I would invite everyone to get involved, with the first step being attending Town Meeting and voting in support of Article 17.

Emmy Hahn

Member

Marblehead 20|20 Design Committee

Dispelling Misinformation About Article 17
There seems to be a good deal of misinformation about Article 17, proposed Design Review for the Uptown Business District.  It's important that folks who will be casting their vote at Town Meeting do so based on facts, rather than inaccuracies, assumptions, or paranoid speculation.

Overview

• The objectives of Design Review are to realize a more unified, functional, vibrant, and economically successful downtown.
• Article 17 was sponsored by the Marblehead 20|20 Foundation, and created in collaboration with Town Planner Becky Curran.
• Design Review consists of two components:
• Design Review Guidelines (a document, draft available here), and 
• A Design Review Board (design and urban planning professionals and a neighborhood property owner).
• The Board's recommendations are free professional design advice that owners can accept or reject as they choose.
• As their name suggests, Design Guidelines provide guidance, not controls.  They promote good design principles and best practices; they do NOT mandate anything, neither color, nor a particular architectural style, nor materials.
• Only new commercial renovations or construction will be required to meet with the DRB (residential is not affected).
• Design Guidelines apply to exteriors only, not interiors. 

Everyone Benefits

Building owners receive free design advice from professionals, which they can accept or reject but it is likely that recommendations will save owners time at the Town Boards and money at the drawing board). Businesses get buildings and a streetscape that aim to be more attractive to customers, resulting in greater economic success. Residents get a more pleasant, more accessible downtown without any impact to taxes.

Design Guidelines: Descriptive, Not Prescriptive

The Guidelines outline the fundamental philosophies and practices that help buildings function and fit most successfully in the context of their surroundings.  For example, by putting parking behind a building instead of in front, pedestrians can safely walk and look into store windows, and perhaps be enticed inside, rather than pass behind cars that must back across their path into oncoming traffic, which also precludes the building's tenant from engaging a potential customer with window displays. 

Context ensures that the scale of buildings are similar to those around them, allowing for different styles that reflect their owner's taste, but that still contribute to a unified whole.  The attributes we don't consciously notice - each building's function, context, and scale and how they work together in the landscape - are key to how these places "feel" to us, and whether we want to spend time there.

Regarding signage, the Guidelines suggest that they be scaled and positioned for a walking population, perhaps hung over the sidewalk, readable by pedestrians as opposed to printed in large text across a synthetic awning, shouting for the attention of passing cars.

Owners can provide the Guidelines to their architect before or after meeting with the DRB, who will provide recommendations based on the owner's goals in order to improve the building's function, fit, and contribution to the Uptown streetscape.  Again, owners can take all, some, or none of the recommendations.  It is likely, however, that by following the DRB's guidance, which also considers local zoning regulations, owners will end up with designs that more quickly get through the Planning and Zoning boards, saving them time and money. 

Why Design Review?

The heart of any community is its commercial district, the hub of economic and social activity in which neighbors interact and conduct their day-to-day lives.  Creating a thriving commercial district involves a number of interdependent factors, including an ever-improving variety of stores and restaurants; entertainment and recreational activities for families, singles, seniors, and teens; and - most importantly - a commitment by residents to support their local businesses. 

Many have noticed that store and restaurant closings have increased and that space sits vacant for longer periods between tenants.  If we as a community want unique independent retailers who know us and our families, instead of the same corporate chains found in every town, we have to do something.

While improving the physical appearance of the area will not by itself create a more successful downtown, doing so is a fundamental foundation on which the other above-mentioned elements will rely.  Simply put, an area's appearance - good or bad - has indirect but definite economic impact, positive or negative. 

Where Did Article 17 Come From?

The discussions which eventually resulted in Article 17 began in late 2003 in response to the steady economic and physical degradation Uptown (not, as some have alleged, because of the new Shubie's, which was not yet even under construction).

The Article is sponsored by Marblehead 20|20, the nonprofit foundation dedicated to preserving and enhancing Marblehead's unique cultural and commercial character in order to improve quality of life for all in the community.  It was drafted in cooperation with Marblehead Town Planner Becky Curran.  Among Marblehead 20|20?s volunteers are licensed architects, landscape architects, civil engineers, and downtown development specialists experienced in simultaneously improving the appearance, safety, and accessibility of public areas.  The Marblehead Planning Board has voted to support the Article, as have numerous building owners, business owners, residents, and community organizations whose feedback we have solicited over the last year.

Please Vote YES on 17

While we see only upside - no cost to the Town, free professional advice that is non-binding for owners, an environment for business in which they can be more successful, and a more functional, accessible, beautiful, and unique Marblehead for residents - we recognize that some may still oppose it for whatever reason.  Regardless, we hope that everyone will consider the facts, read what the proposed Guidelines actually say, and make an informed decision, whether for or against. 

Change is inevitable. You can either leave change to the whim of chance (and if you are happy with how Marblehead has changed, Article 17 is unnecessary), or you can come together as a community to guide change, to ensure that the town you get is the town you want.  Either way, action we choose to take (or not) gets us the town we deserve. 

I believe that whether here by birth or by choice, we are all stewards of a very special and unique place.  It is our responsibility to keep Marblehead special; to ensure the rich legacy we have inherited is passed to future generations as unique as we received it, that it does not become another soul-less suburb due to careless cheap design or developer greed.

Gene Cornfield

President & Steering Committee Co-Chair

Marblehead 20|20 Foundation

Criticism of 20|20 Uninformed

As a member of the Steering Committee of Marblehead 20|20, I must respond to Mr. Green's comments (Reporter, April 21, "Design review board touted"). We are a group of caring residents seeking to create a vision for the future while honoring Marblehead's historical charm and significance. We are not out to slap any wrists or judge past decisions.

Marblehead 20|20 is not retroactive nor do we have an agenda to demand anything more than consideration for new commercial exteriors.

We respect, and seek, community opinion. Mr. Green, however, is making a blind assumption and not following up with members of the 20|20 Committee so that we can properly address his concerns. Mr. Green, we welcome the opportunity to discuss your concerns further and look forward to working with you for the betterment of the Marblehead community.

Personally, I applaud George and Carol Shube for their huge effort to design their new space. As far as the nighttime shutters at Marblehead Ace Hardware, they exist and that's that. They were never discussed at any Marblehead 20|20 meeting I attended. Any change would come only from Mr. Green himself, if he so chooses.

A Design Review Board can only improve Marblehead's aesthetic and economic future.

Nancy Sarles

Evans Road