Selectmen-Elect Green Eyes Outcome of Kelley's Corner Warrant Article

With Annual Town Election in the rear-view window, Acton residents now are geared toward the start of Annual Town Meeting with begins tonight at 7 at Acton-Boxborough Regional High School.

And one of the key warrant articles is in regards to Kelley's Corner.

The Town of Acton adopted the Acton2020 Comprehensive Community Plan last year and among the key strategies of the plan is to develop Kelley’s Corner into a walkable, mixed use town center.

Article 17 in this year’s Town Warrant includes a $277,000 request to fund a design, planning, and engineering study of Kelley’s Corner. The funding for this initiative is included in the proposed town budget because it is important to act on Town priorities.

Selectman-elect Katie Green is one person keeping an eye on this outcome.

"I suspect that some of the more controversial issues at Town Meeting this year will include the proposed funding for Kelley's Corner, the proposal to use CPA funds to transform Morrison Farm into a living history park, and the proposed amendment to the town budget that a group of citizens plans to bring to further increase the use of reserves and subsequently lower the scheduled increase in the tax rate. These issues are all extremely important to the town and will have lasting effects on our community for many years to come. I strongly encourage people to attend Town Meeting starting (tonight) at 7 p.m. to make sure their voice is heard."

Kelley’s Corner has been deemed by those on the Acton2020 blog as an area of significant untapped potential, the gateway into town from Route 2 and in the geographic center of the Town adjacent to Acton’s central school campus. The work this funding supports will enable the Town to document what it wants Kelley’s Corner to become and to prioritize investments in the public realm.

The blog states new development in Kelley’s Corner can support this plan in three ways:

1. Promote economic development that will increase the tax base and produce more tax revenue than the cost of services for the new development.
2. Encourage smaller residential units which will fit the growing market and provide more options for seniors and young people.
3. Preserve additional open space through zoning incentives which will allow additional density in Kelley’s Corner in return for the permanent protection of undeveloped areas in Town.

"At Town Meeting (tonight), the community has the opportunity to vote and voice opinion on the proposed first step in the process of improving Kelley's Corner," Kat Hudson said in an email. "This first step will give us zoning and design standards/guidelines for private development and redevelopment, and a preliminary engineering plan for public infrastructure investments which will allow us to then go forward with community involvement in creating a vision for Kelley's Corner."

For those unable to attend, Annual Town Meeting will be live streamed by ActonTV. The meeting can be seen on ActonTV's government access channel (Ch. 99 Comcast / Ch. 41 Verizon). You'll also be able to view it live online by going to the video streaming service at: http://new.livestream.com/accounts/3428862/events/1982765.