Maynard Planning Board to Host Main Street Possibilities Presentation as part of MDI Grant

MAYNARD — The Maynard Planning Board, in collaboration with the Maynard Department of Economic Development, will host a presentation exploring potential roadway and sidewalk updates to improve the pedestrian experience on Main Street. 

In 2023, Maynard was awarded a grant under the Massachusetts Downtown Initiative (MDI), a program offered by the Executive Office of Economic Development that seeks to rejuvenate downtowns. This enabled the Town to utilize an independent consultant to analyze potential “road diet” improvements that could be made to the existing roadway and sidewalks on a 1,200 square-foot segment of downtown Main Street. 

A “road diet” is a configuration that provides high-value improvements at a low cost toward enhancing pedestrian safety and mobility by narrowing roadway width to both slow automobile speeds and encouraging pedestrian travel. 

The presentation will be held at the Planning Board meeting on Sept. 23, at 7 p.m., in the Soup Campbell Room at Town Hall. Presentations will be led by BETA Group, Inc., a third-party consultant managing the project, which will discuss the results.

Those interested may attend in person or participate via Zoom. Access information can be found on the Planning Board meeting agenda when posted. 

The proposed Main Street project includes the potential widening of Main Street’s sidewalks and narrowing travel lanes to a single lane between Nason Street and Waltham Street, which can provide another tool for economic development for Downtown Maynard.

The addition of wider and safer sidewalks could increase activity and vibrancy of downtowns for pedestrians and businesses.

Based on community feedback, including townwide surveys, Maynard’s 2020 Master Plan, the Community Development Principles, and the town’s Long-Range Recovery Plan, residents and businesses indicated that increasing pedestrian amenities and reducing the speed of traffic would be beneficial to downtown.

The improvements could assist in maintaining outdoor dining, attracting visitors downtown. As a result of speed monitoring by Maynard Police, it has been documented that many vehicles traveling along Main Street are exceeding the posted speed limit of 25 mph.

Office of Municipal Services Director Steve Silverstein also emphasized the need to address on-street loading: “Dedicated loading areas created could help address the hazardous on-street loading and deliveries that often take place on this section of Main Street.”

“The Road Diet objectives would be to develop a plan that will slow down Main Street traffic between Nason Street and Waltham Street, maximize sidewalk width, preserve on-street parking, and provide increased opportunities for downtown businesses,” said Planning Director Bill Nemser. “We will want to hear from the community before moving forward with anything. It is critical to ensure the final project reflects a broad public perspective.”

This initiative is only at the conceptual discussion phase, and residents will be asked to submit input as the project progresses. 

For more information on Economic Development in Maynard, contact the Office of Municipal Services at (978) 897-1302.

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