Planning Plymouth: From the town official’s point of view
by Glenn RittThe town of Plymouth is experiencing unprecedented economic development. Plymouth County Business sat with town Planning Director Lee Hartmann and Senior Planner Valerie Massard recently to gain their insight.
What are the critical development and planning challenges facing the entire town of Plymouth right now?
Lee Hartmann, Plymouth planning director: The big three are: residential development; commercial development; and supporting existing businesses in the villages and in downtown Plymouth. Residential development will occur mainly in the town’s rural areas, where there is poor access and few, if any, services like water and wastewater. Development in these areas creates a continual challenge. We would rather see these areas not developed – and focus development in areas already developed, such as vacant commercial sites and our villages.
On the retail side, exits 5 through 7 off Route 3 are developing at an unprecedented pace. We are now monitoring that development to assure that the town’s costs for infrastructure don’t exceed the tax revenues created by this growth. It is important to look at the infrastructure improvements already made, existing development, future development and identify the additional infrastructure upgrades needed.
Determining who will pay for infrastructure to support development is always a challenge – whether it is the town, state, or industrial, office or retail developers, or a combination of these groups.
Maintaining vibrant village centers and a vibrant downtown will be the biggest challenge Plymouth will face. This challenge is in part due to a shift in consumer shopping preferences. The additional highway retail and restaurant growth really illustrates this shift. There are a number of things we do to help support our village centers.
In terms of that development, what are the specific challenges and opportunities facing downtown Plymouth?
Hartmann: We have virtually doubled the amount of retail in the last five years, and almost all of that has been constructed right off Route 3. We now are faced with the big-box versus individual retailer. As development along the highway occurs, Plymouth is becoming more a regional destination for retail than in the past. Does this, however, benefit the entire town? How do we simultaneously nourish the village center?
The challenge to downtown has been magnified by the recent relocation of the Registry of Deeds and courthouse moving closer to the highway. County employees, judges, lawyers, jurors and others will no longer walk downtown for lunch, to shop or conduct other business.
We don’t know quite yet what it will all mean. In the meantime, we will have to create new opportunities downtown to capture business and encourage walking traffic.
In North Plymouth, Cordage Park represents just such an opportunity. There was a definite impact on North Plymouth when Wal-Mart left North Plymouth for Exit 7. We have talked to business owners in North Plymouth and they reported immediate losses in revenue – sometimes as much as 50 percent of revenue – when Wal-Mart closed. That tells us that the Wal-Mart shoppers also frequented other shops in North Plymouth.
The residential component of Cordage Park is essential for North Plymouth and downtown. The residents of the anticipated 670 condominiums will most likely shop and eat nearby.
Some people argue: ‘Why let big-box stores to Plymouth?’ Firstly, it is consumer and market driven and many consumers seem to prefer this type of shopping experience. Secondly, if the town says ‘no’ to them, they well can show up in abutting towns with the same negative impact on our villages and economy without the associated tax revenues to help offset the harm.
Residential development will be equally critical to sustaining the downtown. We anticipate 200 to 300 condos appearing in the next three to five years. Again, residents of these condos will be more likely to dine and shop downtown rather then drive to establishments outside of downtown. Continuing to invest in the infrastructure serving the downtown and our villages is equally important. Adopting the Public Space Action Plan is a good first step.
What is the overall impact of Cordage Park’s long-term development on the town?
Hartmann: We have heard time and time again from the community how important the Cordage facility was to the entire town economically and socially. The community wants to bring it back as a contributing part of the community again. They recognize if that takes condominiums to be successful, so be it. The amount of support for Cordage Park’s development has been overwhelming.
Another positive aspect of the project is the opening up of the site’s three-quarter mile of waterfront that has been gated and closed to the public for years.
The developers of Cordage Park are required to open up the waterfront, but they also understand how public access will benefit retail and restaurant uses within the complex.
What is the impact of the demographic and economic trends developing across the town of Plymouth?
Hartmann: Traditionally, many people consider Plymouth a blue-collar town, but it has evolved in recent years into a more diverse community. The Pinehills and various new golf courses have changed the demographics. We see significant investments being made to residential properties in the downtown area that never would have occurred ten or 15 years ago. These types of changes will also change the demographics of the community. Downtown property owners in the past saw housing primarily as rental and for families, supporting a manufacturing economy. Now, downtown developers envision showpiece residential living space for young professionals and empty-nesters.
Where will we see the greatest residential development and what will this mean for businesses?
Valerie Massard, Plymouth senior planner: The greatest potential for residential growth is between Bourne, southern Plymouth and Wareham. This will be primarily single-family residences, with more condo development and renovations in town centers. For the last decade, the hot spots have been Pinehills and, more recently, Cordage Park.
We are seeing lots of housing in southern Plymouth that have been traditionally summer cottages converted to year-round homes, and this is changing the region’s character. This includes Manomet and Cedarville. Also, there are inland pond communities going year-round.
Many of these year-round residences are supporting people who also work here. Based on the U.S. Census, Plymouth has an unusually high number of residents who also work in town.
What is the future for the 1,000 acres of town-owned property in southern Plymouth that could become commercial or mixed-use development?
Hartmann: There is no community consensus about that property. Mass Development has been contracted to help the town determine the property’s future. Clearly, it is a great resource, but there are many issues that precede any development. It is in a very rural area with little, if any, infrastructure – from roads to water and wastewater treatment. There are several abutting neighborhoods. The residents of these neighborhoods need to be actively involved in the decision-making process. There are also habitat and endangered species issues.
Published in Plymouth County Business January 2008
Glenn Ritt Glenn Ritt is editor and co-publisher of Cape Business Publishing LLC. He is the former publisher of Cape Cod Community Newspapers and editor of The Bergen Record in New Jersey. 
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